{"nrhp_refnum":"83003144","name":"Hygieostatic Bat Roost","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"E of Comfort","address_restricted":false,"city":"Comfort","county":"Kendall County","state":"TX","lat":29.97087655200005,"lon":-98.88639906299994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-03-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Health/Medicine","Science","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A pyramidal frame tower built in 1918 about 1.5 miles east of Comfort, Kendall County, Texas, to attract and colonize bats. It was built for Albert Steves on his family's ranch to a plan by Dr. Charles A. R. Campbell.","why_significant":"It is an architectural rarity built in an experimental attempt to control malaria naturally. Only 16 such roosts are reported to have been built in the U.S. and Italy between 1907 and 1929. It is apparently the last survivor of seven Texas roosts and the oldest of three known surviving roosts in the nation.","narrative":"Rising about 30 feet on a raised concrete platform east of Comfort, Texas, this shingled pyramidal tower was built in 1918 as a home for bats. Its form echoes the cupolas of late Victorian buildings, with a louvered dormer for bat access, false dormers, a finial and a wooden guano hopper inside. Albert Steves, a former San Antonio mayor, commissioned it on his family's ranch using plans by San Antonio physician Charles A. R. Campbell, who believed colonies of bats could reduce mosquitoes and the spread of malaria. Campbell's earlier experiments included a roost at Mitchell Lake, where malaria was widespread. Only 16 such roosts are reported to have been built in the United States and Italy between 1907 and 1929. This one appears to be the last survivor of seven built in Texas and the oldest of three known in the country. It remains in good condition, still hosts bats, and has only tin rodent guards added to its original form.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":"Charles A. R. Campbell","architectural_style":"Shingle style influence; modelled on the Victorian cupola form","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in near-perfect, well-maintained condition, with the only alteration being tin rodent guards, and still inhabited by bats.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:18.7284-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/56/9727/40972756/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/83003144.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83003144/adf49a491c-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83003144/adf49a491c-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 4.0","author":"Larry D. Moore","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hygieostatic_bat_roost_comfort_2009.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:Hygieostatic_bat_roost_comfort_2009.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40972756","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygieostatic_Bat_Roost","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18207937"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/kendall-county/hygieostatic-bat-roost-83003144/"}