Downtown in San Antonio in Bexar County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Travis Street Crossing
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 21, 2018
1. Travis Street Crossing Marker
County leaders purchased land on the west bank of the San Antonio River in 1859, intending to build a new courthouse and jail. Their plans changed and the property was sold in 1866 to a miller, Jacob Laux, who dammed the river and built a four-story mill on the site. Laux used both steam and water to power his mill that produced corn meal and flour at the rate of fourteen bushels an hour. He leased mill in the 1870s and early 1880s and then converted it to a boarding house. Though commercial development surrounded the old mill after Travis Street was extended across the river in 1910, family members continued to live there until it was sold in 1918. The Milam Building, designed by local architect George Willis and completed on the site in 1928, was the city's tallest reinforced concrete structure and the country's first air conditioned high-rise office structure.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce • Roads & Vehicles • Settlements & Settlers.
Location. 29° 25.63′ N, 98° 29.555′ W. Marker is in San Antonio, Texas, in Bexar County. It is in Downtown. Marker can be reached from East Travis Street west of North Saint Mary's Street, on the right when traveling
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Houston Street (within shouting distance of this marker); Site of De La Garza House, Gardens and Mint (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Welcome to Historic Houston Street (about 400 feet away); The Hertzberg Clock (about 500 feet away); T.C. Frost (about 500 feet away); Old Military Headquarters (about 500 feet away); Site of T. C. Frost Wool Warehouse (about 700 feet away); Site of Old St. Mary's (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in San Antonio.
Also see . . . First US air-conditioned high-rise office building. The Milam Building was the first high-rise air-conditioned office building in the United States. The air-conditioning design team was led by Willis H. Carrier, founder of the Carrier Engineering Corporation, in cooperation with architect George Willis, engineer M.L Diver, and contractor L.T. Wright and Company. The system provided 300 tons of refrigeration capacity with chilled water, piped to air-handling fans serving all floors. When it opened in January 1928, this 21-story building was also the tallest brick and concrete-reinforced structure in the United States. (Submitted on June 23, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
San Antonio Light Collection, Institute of Texas Cultures, San Antonio
2. Marker detail: Jacob Laux mill, 1867
Jacob Laux operated mills on the Cibolo and Salado creeks before completing this structure in 1867. The mill was powered by both a large iron water wheel and a steam engine, making it the first in the city to use steam power.
Photographed By Courtesy: Institute of Texas Cultures, San Antonio
3. Marker detail: Aerial view of Laux Mill site
The site of the Laux Mill and, later, the Milam Building is seen in this aerial view. Jacob Laux constructed a dam at the bend of the river to provide water power for his mill.
Photographed By Courtesy: Milam Capital Partners, San Antonio, August 13, 1927
4. Marker detail: Milam Building
The 21-story Milam Building incorporated a modern air conditioning system designed by the Carrier Engineering Company. In recognition of this pioneering achievement, the building was named a National Mechanical Engineering Heritage Site in 1991.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 21, 2018
5. Travis Street Crossing Marker (wide view; across San Antonio River to Travis Street Bridge)
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 21, 2018
6. Milam Building and Travis Street Bridge (view from marker)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 23, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 323 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on June 23, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
