{"nrhp_refnum":"02001059","name":"Friedrich Complex","other_names":["Friedrich Building"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1617 E. Commerce St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"San Antonio","county":"Bexar County","state":"TX","lat":29.421150944500056,"lon":-98.47094210942436,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2002-09-26","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"An industrial manufacturing complex of interconnected buildings at 1617 East Commerce Street on San Antonio's near east side, built between 1923 and 1955 for the Friedrich Refrigeration Company. It covers about 472,670 square feet and ranges from one to six stories.","why_significant":"The nomination ties the complex to Ed Friedrich and his sons, whose company grew from a cabinetmaking shop into a leading maker of commercial refrigeration and room air conditioning equipment. The plant's piecemeal growth reflects changes in refrigeration technology and company expansion through the 1920s, the Depression and the World War II era. It was also the largest industrial facility along East Commerce Street.","narrative":"Occupying two city blocks on San Antonio's near east side, this industrial complex grew between 1923 and 1955 as the home of the Friedrich Refrigeration Company, maker of commercial refrigeration and room air conditioning equipment. Its many interconnected buildings, one to six stories tall, use reinforced concrete, heavy timber, steel trusses and clay tile. Only the brick-faced office and showroom on Commerce Street, designed by architect Harvey P. Smith in 1925, shows decorative detail, including cast stone ornament and tile. The rest is plainly utilitarian. Growth came in three phases: the 1920s founding period, Depression-era additions such as a porcelain plant, and wartime and postwar expansion that took the plant north to Gibbs Street. The company traces to Ed Friedrich's cabinetmaking shop of 1883, and he and his sons kept it at the forefront of cooling technology. The plant was vacated in 1990, renovation started in 1999, and mixed-use plans are under development.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Harvey P. Smith (office/showroom); Ed Friedrich (builder/owner)","architectural_style":"No stylistic detailing apart from the Commerce Street elevation; utilitarian industrial construction","criteria":[],"status_note":"Vacated in 1990; renovation began in 1999; part of the building is occupied by commercial tenants and plans are being developed for mixed-use occupancy. Condition is fair to good, with roof leaks damaging some upper floors.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:24.069567-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/71/9712/40971271/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/02001059.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02001059/bb6470c05a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02001059/bb6470c05a-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Renelibrary","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Friedrich_Complex1.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Renelibrary</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:Friedrich_Complex1.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40971271","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q109999777"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/bexar-county/friedrich-complex-02001059/"}