{"nrhp_refnum":"82000991","name":"Moir Building","other_names":["St. James Hotel"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"227-247 N. 1st St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"San Jose","county":"Santa Clara County","state":"CA","lat":37.33956148000004,"lon":-121.89328469999998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-10-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story brick commercial and residential building at 227-247 North First Street, San Jose, California, built in 1893 and later known as the St. James Hotel. It combines Queen Anne and Romanesque Revival elements, with a round corner tower and slanted bay windows.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is a locally significant, excellent example of late 19th century commercial architecture and one of the last of its type and period in San Jose. It housed the San Jose Board of Trade, forerunner of the Chamber of Commerce, which promoted the Santa Clara Valley. It is also tied to developer-entrepreneur William Moir.","narrative":"Completed in 1893, this three-story brick building at 227-247 North First Street in San Jose mixed ground-floor shops with upstairs flats and later served as the St. James Hotel. Its design blends Queen Anne and Romanesque Revival features, including a round corner tower, slanted bay windows, sandstone piers with acanthus capitals, cast iron storefront columns and a bracketed cornice. Inside are turned-baluster stairways, paneled wainscot, plaster rosettes and cherubs, with light shafts and a large skylight. The building was erected by William Moir, a young businessman in his early twenties, in the expanding commercial area north of downtown. Its main tenant was the San Jose Board of Trade, which advertised the Santa Clara Valley's agricultural and business potential through publications and fair displays. Moir also ran a bicycle shop there and served as a Board director. The building is regarded as a locally significant, surviving example of late nineteenth century commercial architecture.","period_of_significance":"1893-94","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Eclectic combination of Queen Anne and Romanesque Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied until recent years, when the upper floors were closed; described as in good condition, with some alterations such as c. 1950 storefronts and c. 1938 fire escapes.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:27.309024-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/82000991.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82000991/f98a868b25-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82000991/f98a868b25-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Elan5","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CA-San_Jose-Moir_Building.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Elan5</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:CA-San_Jose-Moir_Building.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123861744","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moir_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q122949865"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/santa-clara-county/moir-building-82000991/"}