{"nrhp_refnum":"84001614","name":"Stevens Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"315 E. Commerce St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"San Antonio","county":"Bexar County","state":"TX","lat":29.424199604000023,"lon":-98.48896729199998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-05-10","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story masonry commercial building at 315 East Commerce Street in downtown San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, built in 1891 for John J. Stevens to designs by architect J. Riely Gordon.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it one of the most important 19th-century commercial buildings remaining in downtown San Antonio. It shows the work of J. Riely Gordon, a noted Texas architect, in its contrasting materials and mixed stylistic elements. It also reflects the growth of East Commerce Street, the city's leading business address, around the turn of the century.","narrative":"Completed in 1891 at 315 East Commerce Street, this three-story commercial building in downtown San Antonio combines street-level shops with upper-floor offices. Architect J. Riely Gordon designed it for businessman John J. Stevens. Its main facade mixes red granite, pressed brick and carved limestone, with oriel windows on the second floor and a recessed loggia and projecting balcony on the third. Romanesque forms, classical anthemia ornament and Queen Anne-style bays appear together. Gordon later became best known for Texas county courthouses, including the Bexar County Courthouse. Twentieth-century remodeling, especially in the 1950s, stripped much of the exterior detail and the original interior. In 1979 a hospital bought the building intending to demolish it for parking, but the San Antonio Conservation Society helped save it. The new owner restored the facade using historic photographs and rebuilt the lost oriels and balcony. It stands beside the Staacke Building, another late 19th-century commercial landmark.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":"James Riely Gordon, Architect","architectural_style":"Late 19th-century commercial; Romanesque elements with classical details and Queen Anne oriel windows","criteria":[],"status_note":"Exterior restored from historic photographs after 20th-century alterations; interior is contemporary. Houses commercial tenants. The form's status boxes mark it both occupied and unoccupied.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:18.639039-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/37/9712/40971237/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/84001614.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84001614/31e9faf270-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84001614/31e9faf270-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"25or6to4","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Staake_Stevens_Buildings.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">25or6to4</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:Staake_Stevens_Buildings.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40971237","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevens_Building_(San_Antonio,_Texas)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7615461"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/bexar-county/stevens-building-84001614/"}