{"nrhp_refnum":"80004143","name":"Sims House","other_names":["Heritage House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"905 Division St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Orange","county":"Orange County","state":"TX","lat":30.089781170000037,"lon":-93.73838596399997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-03-26","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Community Planning and Development","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 2½-story frame house at 905 Division Street in Orange, Texas, built in 1902 for Jimmy Ochiltree Sims, enlarged in 1919 and moved one block in 1977 from 809 Front Street. It now operates as Heritage House, a museum.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as one of the few remaining turn-of-the-century middle-class residences in Orange. Its pine and cypress construction reflects the lumber boom that shaped southeast Texas. It also represents the lives of business people whose professions grew from the lumber industry. The house is part of a downtown revitalization and arts center effort.","narrative":"Built in 1902 for Jimmy Ochiltree Sims, this frame house in Orange, Texas, is a 2½-story example of early twentieth century vernacular design. It rests on brick piers and is clad in cypress siding over pine shiplap, with a U-shaped front porch, upstairs porticos, five porches and 52 windows suited to the warm, humid climate. A major 1919 addition, designed by W.R. Griffin, added a kitchen, bathrooms and sun porches. Sims was born in Orange in 1874 and spent about 75 years at First National Bank, retiring as Chairman of the Board. His house represents the middle-class homes built as the local lumber industry flourished, using easily obtained native pine and cypress. In 1977 the house was moved one block, from Front Street to Division Street, to make way for a road-widening project. It has since been largely restored and serves as the Heritage House museum within a downtown arts and civic district.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":"Builder/architect unknown; 1919 additions by W.R. Griffin","architectural_style":"Early twentieth century vernacular","criteria":[],"status_note":"Restored about 95 percent, in excellent to good condition, moved in 1977 and used as a museum (Heritage House).","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:18.611003-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/34/9731/40973134/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/80004143.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80004143/ad62d788b3-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80004143/ad62d788b3-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 4.0","author":"Larry D. Moore","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jimmy_sims_house_orange_tx.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Larry D. Moore</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jimmy_sims_house_orange_tx.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40973134","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q110001289"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/orange-county/sims-house-80004143/"}