{"nrhp_refnum":"84000388","name":"Palmer, Edward Albert, Memorial Chapel and Autry House","other_names":["Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church and Autry House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"6221 and 6265 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Houston","county":"Harris County","state":"TX","lat":29.71621661300003,"lon":-95.39649509599997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-10-31","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A group of Italian-influenced buildings on South Main Street in Houston, Texas, made up of Autry House (1921), Edward Albert Palmer Memorial Chapel (1927, now Palmer Memorial Episcopal Church) and a parish house (1930), set between Hermann Park and the Rice campus.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the buildings are distinguished examples of 1920s eclectic architecture that combine several Italian precedents. They also helped shape South Main Street as a landscaped district of civic institutions. The designs came from Cram and Ferguson of Boston and Houston architects William Ward Watkin and John F. Staub.","narrative":"Autry House and Palmer Memorial Chapel form a small campus on South Main Street in Houston, facing Rice University across the road and bordered by Hermann Park. The project began in 1919, when an Episcopal priest persuaded the Diocese of Texas to buy a block of land for a student community house. Boston architects Cram and Ferguson drew a master plan in 1920, and Houston architect William Ward Watkin supervised construction of Autry House in 1921. Watkin also designed the chapel, dedicated in 1927, which blends Lombard Romanesque massing with Venetian Early Renaissance detail drawn from Santa Maria dei Miracoli. John F. Staub designed the parish house, finished in 1930, and tied the group together with a tile-roofed cloister. Stucco walls, tile roofs and artificial sandstone trim unify the buildings. Autry House was altered in the 1970s, and Farish Hall was added in 1978-1979. Both buildings remain in use and good condition.","period_of_significance":"1900- (specific dates given: 1920 Master Plan)","architect_builder":"Cram and Ferguson, architects; William Ward Watkin (Autry House and Palmer Church); John F. Staub (Parish House); Tellepsen Construction Co., builder","architectural_style":"Eclectic Italian-influenced (Lombard/Italian Romanesque with early Renaissance detail)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Autry House is maintained in good condition and still serves as a student religious and community center; Palmer Memorial Chapel remains in use as an Episcopal church and is in good condition.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:21.235487-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/52/9722/40972252/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/84000388.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84000388/4758f7bc61-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84000388/4758f7bc61-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Jujutacular","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Autry_House_-_Jujutacular.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jujutacular</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Autry_House_-_Jujutacular.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40972252","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Albert_Palmer_Memorial_Chapel_and_Autry_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q14710534"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/harris-county/palmer-edward-albert-memorial-chapel-and-autry-house-84000388/"}