{"nrhp_refnum":"71000938","name":"1884 Houston Cotton Exchange Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"202 Travis St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Houston","county":"Harris County","state":"TX","lat":29.76375816700005,"lon":-95.36133470199997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1971-05-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story red pressed brick Victorian commercial building on a raised basement at 202 Travis Street, at the southwest corner of Travis and Franklin streets in Houston, Texas. Built in 1884 for the Houston Cotton Exchange to designs by Eugene Heiner.","why_significant":"The building housed the Houston Cotton Exchange, an organization that shaped the city's cotton trade and pushed for the ship channel, railroads and telegraph lines. It is also valued as an elaborately decorated example of Victorian brickwork and stonework. The nomination ties it to cotton's central role in the growth of Houston and Texas.","narrative":"Built in 1884 at the corner of Travis and Franklin streets in Houston, this three-story brick building was designed by Eugene Heiner for the city's Cotton Exchange. Max Kosse was the contractor, the Masons laid the cornerstone in June 1884, and the building was finished that November. Its red pressed brick walls carry buff, black, white and blue brick accents, stone trim, pilasters with Ionic-style capitals, and a galvanized iron cornice. The trading floor first occupied the second and third floors. Around 1907 the floor moved to the first level, a fourth floor was added, and the main entrance shifted to the south corner. The Exchange, founded in 1874, promoted the ship channel, railroads and telegraph lines, and cotton marketing produced many early Houston fortunes. The Exchange outgrew the building and sold it by 1922. It was later vacant and for sale, then restored and reused for offices, a restaurant and shops.","period_of_significance":"1884","architect_builder":"Eugene Heiner, architect; Max Kosse, contractor","architectural_style":"Victorian commercial, described in 1884 as \"modern renaissance style\" with Romanesque Revival and Ionic-derived details","criteria":[],"status_note":"At the time of nomination the building was vacant and for sale, with rehabilitation planned by a Houston historical organization. A 1974 letter reports exterior restoration and interior renovation for offices, a restaurant and shops.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:19.447911-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/68/9723/40972368/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/71000938.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/71000938/af08690ac7-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/71000938/af08690ac7-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"Ed Uthman, Houston, Texas, USA","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1884_Houston_Cotton_Exchange.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Ed Uthman, Houston, Texas, USA</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1884_Houston_Cotton_Exchange.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"83004471","name":"Main Street/Market Square Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/texas/main-street-market-square-historic-district-83004471/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40972368","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houston_Cotton_Exchange_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4555996"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/harris-county/1884-houston-cotton-exchange-building-71000938/"}