{"nrhp_refnum":"05001541","name":"Purvin-Hexter Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2038 Commerce St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Dallas","county":"Dallas County","state":"TX","lat":32.782839351000064,"lon":-96.79346502499999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2006-01-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Social History","Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story vernacular commercial block of load-bearing brick at 2038 Commerce Street, near the eastern edge of downtown Dallas, Texas. It was built around 1899, had a rear addition about 1910, and had its north and east facades altered in 1923.","why_significant":"It is nominated under Criterion A for its link to the early commercial growth of eastern downtown Dallas and, in Social History, for the contributions of Dallas's Jewish merchant and business community, represented by owner Jacob Purvin and attorney Victor Hexter. It is also nominated under Criterion C as a good local example of an early 20th-century Commercial Style building. The same family owned it for 98 years, which helped preserve its integrity.","narrative":"Located at 2038 Commerce Street on the eastern edge of downtown Dallas, this two-story brick commercial building dates from about 1899, with a rear addition around 1910 and new brick on the north and east facades in 1923. Its walls are load-bearing brick, with wood floors and roof framing, and original features include pressed metal ceilings, wood windows and storefront transoms. A faded \"INDIA TIRES\" sign on the rear recalls the era when Commerce Street was Dallas's automobile row. The property was listed for its role in the commercial growth that replaced homes with businesses east of downtown, and for its tenants, who moved from auto-related firms to office and kitchen equipment suppliers. Jacob Purvin, a German Jewish dry goods merchant, owned it, with help from lawyer Victor Hexter, and the two men reflect Jewish contributions to Dallas commerce. The building stayed in one family for 98 years and keeps much of its original character as an example of early twentieth-century Commercial Style architecture.","period_of_significance":"1899-1955","architect_builder":"Unknown","architectural_style":"Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements: Commercial Style","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Current function is a restaurant/nightclub; the building was rehabilitated in 2001-2003 with federal tax credits. The second floor front is used as storage.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.957428-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/73/9717/40971773/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/05001541.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05001541/c066b93862-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/05001541/c066b93862-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Renelibrary","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Purvin-Hexter_Building.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:Purvin-Hexter_Building.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"04000894","name":"Dallas Downtown Historic District (Additional Documentation)","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/texas/dallas-downtown-historic-district-additional-documentation-04000894/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40971773","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q110002750"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/dallas-county/purvin-hexter-building-05001541/"}