{"nrhp_refnum":"00001358","name":"Austin Daily Tribune Building","other_names":["Ernest O. Thompsom Building"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"920 Colorado","address_restricted":false,"city":"Austin","county":"Travis County","state":"TX","lat":30.274073844000043,"lon":-97.74336359499995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2000-11-08","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 12-story Moderne-style commercial office building at 920 Colorado Street in central Austin, Travis County, Texas, built in 1941 to house the Austin Daily Tribune newspaper. It is also known as the Ernest O. Thompson Building.","why_significant":"The building is significant under Criterion C in the area of Architecture as one of the best local examples of a multi-level Moderne-style commercial building. Its design combines Moderne features such as rounded corners, continuous windows, a flat roof and asymmetrical facades with Art Deco-influenced decoration. It also represents downtown Austin's commercial expansion into former residential areas.","narrative":"Rising twelve stories at 10th and Colorado Streets, directly south of the Governor's Mansion, this Austin office tower was built in 1941 for the Austin Daily Tribune, a newspaper founded by James Marion West. Tyler architect Shirley Simons designed it with Page and Southerland as associate architects, and H. E. White of Tyler served as contractor. Minnesota Rainbow granite forms the base, with cream brick, Cordova limestone, rounded corners, porthole windows and Greek key motifs above. An engraved panel near the entrance praises a free press. The newspaper occupied the building only briefly; it has housed Texas state offices since the mid-1940s and bears the name of Ernest O. Thompson. A 1979 fire stairwell and interior changes have left the original materials and lobby details largely intact. It is recognized as an outstanding local example of Moderne commercial architecture, and it illustrates downtown Austin's spread into former residential blocks.","period_of_significance":"1941","architect_builder":"Shirley Simons, Sr./architect; Page and Southerland/associate architects; H.E. White/contractor","architectural_style":"Modern Movement/Moderne","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Used as state government office space since the mid-1940s; a 1979 stairwell addition and interior modifications have not undermined its integrity.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:24.030923-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/58/9736/40973658/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/00001358.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00001358/6f08923464-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00001358/6f08923464-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"LoneStarMike","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ernest_O_Thompson_State_Office_Bldg-2010-08-a.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">LoneStarMike</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ernest_O_Thompson_State_Office_Bldg-2010-08-a.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40973658","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin_Daily_Tribune_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4823054"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/travis-county/austin-daily-tribune-building-00001358/"}