{"nrhp_refnum":"74002075","name":"U.S. Customhouse","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"San Jacinto at Rusk St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Houston","county":"Harris County","state":"TX","lat":29.757444216000067,"lon":-95.36129003899998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-08-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story gray limestone federal building at San Jacinto and Rusk Streets in downtown Houston, Harris County, Texas. It was designed in 1907 under Supervising Architect James Knox Taylor and completed in 1911 as a post office and courts building.","why_significant":"The original 1911 portion is presented as an outstanding example of Second Renaissance Revival architecture and as typical of the massive federal buildings built under James Knox Taylor. When built, it was the only monumental Second Renaissance Revival building in Houston and remains the most significant of that style. It also contributes to the architectural fabric of a rapidly changing downtown.","narrative":"Standing at San Jacinto and Rusk Streets in downtown Houston, this three-story gray limestone building was designed in 1907 under James Knox Taylor, Supervising Architect of the Treasury Department, and finished in 1911. It first served as a post office and courts building, with mail facilities on the ground floor, offices above and a two-story central courtroom. The Second Renaissance Revival design features a rusticated ground story with arched windows, Ionic engaged columns on projecting entranceways, decorated pediments and a balustraded parapet. In 1931 a large addition in near-identical style provided more federal office space, enlarging the building to roughly 240 feet across the front and 185 feet deep. Original windows were later replaced with fixed glass in aluminum frames. The original section was valued as the only monumental example of its style in Houston and as a typical product of Taylor's federal building program, and it adds character to a downtown dominated by high-rise towers.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"James Knox Taylor, Supervising Architect of the Treasury Department","architectural_style":"Second Renaissance Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition listed as excellent and altered; the 1931 addition and replacement of original windows with fixed glass in anodized aluminum frames are noted. Federally owned, occupied, and in government use.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:18.990852-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/30/9723/40972330/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/74002075.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74002075/fb11d3f5c0-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74002075/fb11d3f5c0-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"General Services Administration Uploaded by Pubdog at en.wikipedia","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:U.S._Custom_House,_Houston,_TX_Aug_03.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">General Services Administration Uploaded by Pubdog at en.wikipedia</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:U.S._Custom_House,_Houston,_TX_Aug_03.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40972330","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Customhouse_(Houston)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7889703"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/harris-county/u-s-customhouse-74002075/"}