The Markel Corporation commissioned Richmond native architect Haig Jamgochian to design its headquarters in 1962. The aluminum-clad conical structure was inspired by a baked potato wrapped in foil that was served to Jamgochian while he attended an American Institute of Architects dinner. Each floor consists of a single 555-foot piece of aluminum, the longest unbroken pieces of aluminum ever used as siding material. Before contractors finished the other two floors in 1965, Jamgochian personally sledge-hammered crinkles into the 3rd floor siding. The building is a unique architectural example of its era.
