User:Ssbaen/McGarrah Jessee Building

The McGarrah Jessee Building

The McGarrah Jesse Building is a five story building located at 121 W 6th St, Austin Tx, built in 1954 as the American National Bank Building. Austin based architecture firm Kuehne, Brooks and Barr designed the building in mid-century modern style. The interior was designed in collaboration with Knoll Associates, Inc. of New York and Florence Knoll, acclaimed interior designer and wife of Hans Knoll. The building also features a mural by renowned artist Seymour Fogel and is home to Austin's first escalators.

The building was renamed the "Starr Building" in honor of James Harper Starr, Treasurer of The Republic of Texas, when it was purchased in 1978 by the State of Texas. The State Comptroller moved into the building in 1978 and remained until 2005. The State of Texas General Land Office purchased the building on behalf of the permanent school fund shortly before it was vacated in 2005. In 2009, Preservation Texas placed the Starr building on its 2009 Most Endangered Places list. Austin based Kemp Properties purchased the historic building in late 2009 from the Texas General Land Office and renovated the building with Austin based advertising firm McGarrah Jesse as lead tenant.

McKinney York Architects collaborated with Kemp Properties and McGarrah Jessee to renovate the building. The firm began operation out of the building in November 2010 and the building was renamed the "McGarrah Jessee Building."