{"nrhp_refnum":"10000500","name":"Vandergriff Building","other_names":["Vandergriff Chevrolet Building","Thannisch Chevrolet Building"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"100 E Division St","address_restricted":false,"city":"Arlington","county":"Tarrant County","state":"TX","lat":32.74317354400006,"lon":-97.10610685499995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2010-07-26","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story, two-part commercial block building at 100 East Division Street in downtown Arlington, Tarrant County, Texas, designed in 1928 by Fort Worth architect Harve D. Withers as an automobile dealership and built by Churchill-Humphreys Company.","why_significant":"It is described as the oldest surviving commercial building within Arlington's city limits. It is nominated under Criterion A in Commerce/Trade for its association with the growth of the automobile industry and commercial development in the city. W.T. \"Hooker\" Vandergriff bought it in 1938 for his Chevrolet dealership, and the Vandergriffs helped bring a General Motors plant to Arlington in 1952.","narrative":"Built in 1928 at the corner of Division and Center Streets in downtown Arlington, this two-story buff-brick building was designed by Fort Worth architect Harve D. Withers for local car dealer J.C. Thannisch. Its classical-inspired, symmetrical facades feature cast stone trim and large ground-floor display windows, while a one-story section at the east originally housed the service department. It is the oldest surviving commercial building within the city limits. In 1938 W.T. \"Hooker\" Vandergriff purchased it for his Chevrolet dealership, which operated there until 1966. His son Tom, later the city's mayor, and the family helped persuade General Motors to build an assembly plant in Arlington in 1952. The building also hosted civic events and informal city council gatherings. A recent rehabilitation converted the showroom into offices, preserving original features such as the quarry tile floor, exposed wood columns, and the Diebold vault. It was recognized for its role in the city's automotive and commercial growth between 1928 and 1960.","period_of_significance":"1928-1960","architect_builder":"Architect: Withers, Harve D.; Builder: Churchill-Humphreys Company","architectural_style":"Late 19th- and Early 20th-Century American Movements: Commercial Style","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Rehabilitated and in commercial use as leased office space; retains a high degree of physical integrity.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.532098-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/94/9734/40973494/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/10000500.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/10000500/d8e744adb2-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/10000500/d8e744adb2-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Renelibrary","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vandergriff_Building1_(1_of_1).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Renelibrary</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:Vandergriff_Building1_(1_of_1).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40973494","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107319626"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/tarrant-county/vandergriff-building-10000500/"}