Midland Tower, Midland, Texas

Eklund’s modernizes the cabs in this Art Deco office building.

submitted by Eklund’s

Eklund’s, Inc. partnered with ThyssenKrupp Elevator on an elevator interior modernization at the historic Midland Tower in downtown Midland, Texas. Built in 1948, the 10-story, art-deco office building recently received renovations to all common areas, including its two elevator cabs.

Since the rear cab walls have a very intricate Art Deco-inspired wood and metal inlay design, the job required close attention to detail and custom manufacturing in order to fulfill the architect’s vision.

The unique rear cab wall features a mix of African mahogany, walnut, ebony, and brushed-finish stainless steel metal accents. The inlay design was particularly challenging for several reasons: First, the design called for fairly flush veneer and metal, which is hard to achieve, as the veneers expand and contract with temperature and humidity levels. Also, as with many cab shells, the Midland Tower shells were “out of square.” The custom interior panels had to be designed accordingly and adjusted on site to fit the space precisely.

Mirroring the lobby’s design, the side walls of the cab are African mahogany veneer with stainless inlays. They contain removable round stainless steel handrails. The cove ceiling, also brushed stainless steel, is faced and edged with African mahogany veneer and houses six LED down lights. Fluorescent-lit cove interiors are painted white and were mitered on site to achieve extremely tight seam lines at the rear corner joints. The cabs are finished with stainless steel bases and removable bumper rails. One of Eklund’s most unique and intricate inlay projects, the elevator interiors at Midland Tower are sure to be an eye-catching feature for many years to come.