{"nrhp_refnum":"02000645","name":"Blackstone Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"315 N. Building","address_restricted":false,"city":"Tyler","county":"Smith County","state":"TX","lat":32.353318228000035,"lon":-95.30044015099998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2002-06-14","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A six-story Art Deco office building at 315 N. Broadway in downtown Tyler, Smith County, Texas, built in 1938 by contractor Hugh E. White from plans attributed to Fort Worth architect Preston M. Geren.","why_significant":"The building is significant for its architecture as a modest, well-preserved interpretation of Art Deco in a two-part vertical block form. It is also tied to Tyler's business community during the East Texas oil boom, housing oil firms, attorneys, insurers and the Union Bus Terminal. It is considered significant at the local level under Criteria A and C.","narrative":"Built in 1938 at 315 N. Broadway in downtown Tyler, this six-story buff brick office building combines restrained Art Deco ornament with classical formality. Contractor Hugh E. White built it from plans attributed to Fort Worth architect Preston M. Geren. Edmond P. McKenna and associates financed it at about $100,000 to meet demand for office space during the East Texas oil boom. Tenants included oil companies, geologists, attorneys, engineers and insurers, and the ground floor housed Tyler's Union Bus Terminal. It was among the first office buildings in the city to be air conditioned. Funding shortfalls reduced the original symmetrical design to an asymmetrical form with a six-story tower and a five-story wing. Cast stone and limestone details include a scalloped parapet, fluted spandrels and a decorated entry portal. A 1998 rehabilitation removed incompatible alterations and restored ground-floor window patterns. It is listed for its architecture and its link to Tyler's oil-era growth.","period_of_significance":"1938-1952","architect_builder":"Geren, Preston Murdock (architect); White, Hugh E. (contractor)","architectural_style":"Modern Movement: Art Deco","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"In use as offices for the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce, Heart of Tyler and other civic organizations; rehabilitated in 1998 and described as in excellent condition.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:24.135946-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/47/9699/40969947/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/02000645.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02000645/056f1928ad-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02000645/056f1928ad-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Michael Barera","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tyler_May_2016_15_(Blackstone_Building).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Michael Barera</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tyler_May_2016_15_(Blackstone_Building).jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"100008283","name":"Tyler Downtown Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/texas/tyler-downtown-historic-district-100008283/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40969947","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackstone_Building_(Tyler,_Texas)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q880918"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/smith-county/blackstone-building-02000645/"}