{"nrhp_refnum":"82004843","name":"State National Bank Building","other_names":["State National Building"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"412 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Houston","county":"Harris County","state":"TX","lat":29.76140444500004,"lon":-95.36179646699998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-08-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A twelve-story early 20th century skyscraper with Beaux Arts detailing at 412 Main Street in downtown Houston, Harris County, Texas. It was built in 1922-24 as a bank and office building to designs by architect Alfred C. Finn.","why_significant":"The building is significant as an early commercial work by Alfred C. Finn, one of the Southwest's most respected early 20th century architects. It is also one of the few surviving Neo-Classical skyscrapers in Houston. Much of its Beaux Arts detailing survives, and missing elements were being reconstructed.","narrative":"Rising twelve floors above Main Street in downtown Houston, this former bank and office building was designed by architect Alfred C. Finn and built between 1922 and 1924. Its base is rusticated granite, carved with the motto \"Frugality is the Mother of Virtues,\" and its upper floors carry fluted pilasters, arched windows and a tiled penthouse topped by a copper-spired lantern. Inside, the banking lobby and mezzanine had ornately carved plaster ceilings, and the vaults were placed in the basement. The State National Bank, founded in 1915 as the State Bank and Trust Company, occupied the building until a 1946 merger. A 1948 renovation covered the facade in limestone and filled in the mezzanine. In 1981 the limestone was removed so restoration could begin. The building is valued as an early work by Finn and as one of the few surviving Neo-Classical skyscrapers in Houston, with much of its Beaux Arts detail intact.","period_of_significance":"1900- (specific dates 1922-24)","architect_builder":"Alfred C. Finn, architect","architectural_style":"Beaux Arts / Neo-Classical skyscraper","criteria":[],"status_note":"Altered over the years, including removal of the original stone facade in 1948 and of the limestone facade in 1981; restoration to its original appearance was beginning, with efforts to vacate the building for the work.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:18.7332-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/14/9723/40972314/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/82004843.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82004843/997db21a5a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82004843/997db21a5a-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Farragutful","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:State_National_Bank_Building_(Houston,_Texas).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Farragutful</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:State_National_Bank_Building_(Houston,_Texas).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/40972314","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_National_Bank_Building_(Houston,_Texas)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q21016230"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/harris-county/state-national-bank-building-82004843/"}