{"nrhp_refnum":"92000008","name":"Cotton Exchange Building, Old","other_names":["Site No. 109"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"305 E. Commerce St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Nacogdoches","county":"Nacogdoches County","state":"TX","lat":31.60342302600003,"lon":-94.65387916699996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1992-02-14","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick commercial building at 305 E. Commerce Street in Nacogdoches, Texas, first built as a single story by 1891 and enlarged by 1900. Local architect and builder Dietrich A. W. Rulfs reportedly designed it.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is a good local example of late 19th-century commercial architecture, with masonry construction and segmental-arched windows. It is also one of the few non-retail commercial buildings in Nacogdoches, and it housed the local cotton exchange that helped farmers market their cotton.","narrative":"Located at 305 E. Commerce Street in downtown Nacogdoches, this massive brick building began as a one-story structure in 1891 and gained a second floor and a rear extension by 1900, according to Sanborn maps. It is a two-part commercial block with two storefronts facing south. Segmental-arched windows with hoodmolds and inset corbeled brick panels in the parapet are its main decorative features. Dietrich A. W. Rulfs, a local architect and builder, reportedly designed it. The building housed the local cotton exchange, a central clearinghouse that helped farmers market cotton after the railroad increased production. It was listed for its architecture as a good local example of late 19th-century commercial design, and as one of the few non-retail commercial buildings in the city. Many similar downtown buildings have been demolished or heavily altered. Some changes, such as a modern door on the western storefront and replaced parapet bricks, detract slightly from its character, but the brick patterns were repeated.","period_of_significance":"ca. 1891 - ca. 1900","architect_builder":"Rulfs, Dietrich A. W.","architectural_style":"Other: Two-Part Commercial Block","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Historic and current use is commerce/trade (business); the building is privately owned and has been altered, including a partly enclosed first-floor opening with a modern door.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:20.751605-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/78/9698/40969878/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/92000008.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/92000008/2f5a968d5a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/92000008/2f5a968d5a-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Rwminix","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CottonExchange.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Rwminix</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:CottonExchange.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"08000478","name":"Nacogdoches Downtown Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/texas/nacogdoches-downtown-historic-district-08000478/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40969878","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107321746"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/nacogdoches-county/cotton-exchange-building-old-92000008/"}