02/17/2025
Do we look good for our age? 💯
Today, February 17, 2025, marks the 100th Anniversary of our building dedication as the new home of the Lamar Life Insurance Company!
The building was designed by the architectural firm Sanguinet, Staats, and Hedrick of Fort Worth, Texas, in association with architect N. W. Overstreet of Jackson, Mississippi. Construction began in 1923 and was completed by the end of 1924. The building was dedicated on February 17, 1925.
Located in the heart of Downtown Jackson, The Lamar Life Building has a rich history exemplified within its architecture and intricate detailing, with notable features including the illuminated 35-foot
clock tower with a 40-foot flagpole and its whimsical gargoyles. This historic landmark sits across Capitol Street from the Mississippi
Governor’s Mansion, and adjacent to St. Andrew’s Cathedral. When it first graced the Capital City's skyline, the Lamar Life Building soared as Jackson's first skyscraper. With its clean white terra-cotta cladding and Gothic styling it resembles New York City's Woolworth Building (1910). Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this Building still stands as one of the most distinctive and beloved structures in Downtown Jackson.
In One Writer's Beginnings (1984), Eudora Welty recalled her first trip to the roof with her father, Lamar Life’s general manager, Christian Welty, "At last we could climb by the fire escape to reach the top. We stood on the roof with the not yet working clock towering at our backs, and viewed Jackson below.
The top floor once housed Mississippi's first network radio station, WJDX, and later National Broadcasting Company-affiliated television station WLBT (Channel 3).
Today, The Lamar Life Building & Lofts is managed by The Mattiace Company | Mattiace Properties, founded in 1979 and headquartered in downtown Jackson, Mississippi in the adjacent Capital Towers Building & Lofts. The lower floors remain as commercial use while the upper floors were transformed into apartment lofts. Each apartment takes advantage of tall ceilings and dramatic views from large windows and have a contemporary aesthetic that blends well with the historic Gothic Revival architecture. A penthouse-to-basement renovation was completed in 2019. The building’s entire infrastructure, including all electrical and plumbing, was replaced with modern, state-of-the-art equipment. Every floor of the grand, 11-story building received a complete restoration, and the building was converted from 100 percent office space to a modern mix of loft apartments and office suites with available retail space on the ground floor.
City of Jackson - Government Capital Towers Building & Lofts Capital Club Jackson Stephen L Photography Jackson's Downtown Neighborhood Association Downtown Jackson Partners Visit Jackson, MS Visit Mississippi Greater Jackson Chamber Partnership WLBT 3 On Your Side 620 WJDX-AM What's Happening JXN
