For the river, see Platani

Platani

Platani , known in ancient times as Alico is a river in southern Sicily, Italy. It is the fifth longest in the island after Imera Meridionale, Simeto, Belice and Dittaino, with a course of 103 km, and the third for drainage basin with 1,785 km², after the Simeto and Imera Meridionale...

The ALICO Building is a 22-story office building in downtown Waco, Texas

Waco, Texas

Waco is a city in and the county seat of McLennan County, Texas. Situated along the Brazos River and on the I-35 corridor, halfway between Dallas and Austin, it is the economic, cultural, and academic center of the 'Heart of Texas' region....

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, located on Austin and 5th Streets. It was built in 1910 by the architectural firm Sanguinet & Staats and associate architect Roy Lane, for the Amicable Life Insurance Company at a cost of $755,000. It was completed in only one year.

The building is today owned by the American-Amicable Life Insurance Company of Texas (a subsidiary of Industrial Alliance

Industrial Alliance

Industrial Alliance is a Canadian insurance company with a diversified business ranging from wealth management to group pensions. It is a major player in the Canadian market where it serves three million people across the country and ranks fourth among insurance companies however, the company has...

), and remains the tallest building in Waco by far. The acronym "ALICO" is spelled in red neon letters on the top floor, and can be seen for many miles.

The ALICO Building was one of the few downtown office buildings that survived the 1953 Waco tornado outbreak. It swayed several feet when the tornado hit it directly, but its steel frame structure allowed it to survive the winds.

ALICO stands for Amicable Life Insurance Company. This was the company that incorporated and contracted to have the building built back in 1910. In 1965, Amicable Life Insurance Company and American Life Insurance Company merged to become the American-Amicable Life Insurance Company.

Alico, the international life insurance subsidiary of AIG, based out of Wilmington, DE, with no US domestic business, is a different company.