{"nrhp_refnum":"85003658","name":"Hilton Hotel","other_names":["Windsor Hotel"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"986 N. Fourth St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Abilene","county":"Taylor County","state":"TX","lat":32.45326165000006,"lon":-99.71532823099994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1993-12-23","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A ten-story light-tan brick hotel at 986 North Fourth Street in downtown Abilene, Taylor County, Texas, built in 1927 and designed by local architect David S. Castle, together with an adjacent two-story brick parking garage built in 1926.","why_significant":"The hotel reflects the economic expansion and boosterism in West Texas after the oil discoveries of 1918. It is also noted for its Classical Revival detailing, its link to prominent local architect David S. Castle, and its long role as a social gathering place for Abilene residents. The adjacent garage, built as a Ford dealership, is tied to the growth of automobile transportation.","narrative":"Rising ten stories above the northern edge of downtown Abilene, this light-tan brick hotel opened in September 1927 with 260 rooms. Local investors, about 300 of them, financed it to serve the traders and wildcatters who arrived after oil strikes began in 1918. Architect David S. Castle gave it simple Classical Revival detailing in cream-colored glazed terra-cotta, including a bracketed cornice and decorative window surrounds. Conrad Hilton operated it until 1947, when it became the Windsor. Its ballroom and restaurant served generations of residents for dances, club meetings and dinners, and the band of a young Lawrence Welk played in the dining room in the early 1930s. Next door, a two-story brick building put up in 1926 as a Ford dealership became the hotel garage in 1937, and it keeps an original automobile lift. Alterations include a covered lobby atrium, a late-1930s penthouse and 1950s storefront and awning changes. The building remains a visual landmark of the city's skyline.","period_of_significance":"1900- (specific date 1927)","architect_builder":"David S. Castle","architectural_style":"Classical Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed as occupied and in excellent condition at the time of the form; the interior and ground floor have been altered, and the original owner objection was later removed.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.979473-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/74/9735/40973574/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/85003658.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85003658/2c2aa650fa-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85003658/2c2aa650fa-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Renelibrary","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HiltonHotel1_(1_of_1).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Renelibrary</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:HiltonHotel1_(1_of_1).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40973574","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q110001332"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/taylor-county/hilton-hotel-85003658/"}