{"nrhp_refnum":"92000016","name":"Roberts Building","other_names":["City Cafe","Site No. 221"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"216 E. Pilar St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Nacogdoches","county":"Nacogdoches County","state":"TX","lat":31.602146753000056,"lon":-94.65491056999997,"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 one-story brick commercial building at 216 E. Pilar Street in Nacogdoches, Texas, built around 1904 by the Roberts family on the southwest corner of Pilar and Fredonia streets near the old Principal Square.","why_significant":"The building is one of the least-altered historic buildings facing the old Principal Square and a noteworthy early 20th century commercial example. Many similar downtown buildings have lost their integrity to false facades or removed fabric. It also reflects local commercial expansion during Nacogdoches' community development from 1830 to 1940.","narrative":"Built around 1904 at 216 E. Pilar Street in Nacogdoches, this one-story brick commercial building occupies a corner lot in the central business district, just south of the old Principal Square. It is classed as a one-part commercial block, with a rectangular plan and a partial basement at the rear where the lot slopes. Its most distinctive features are segmental-arched openings on the front and side walls, and the three-bay front has double doors, two-light transoms and a parapet with inset panels. The Roberts family built it on the old homestead site of John S. Roberts, a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, but apparently leased it to others. Tenants included a grocery, a warehouse, a plumbing shop, a barber shop and an automotive repair shop. It is best known as the City Cafe, where Bonnie Parker reportedly worked as a waitress. It was listed for its architecture because few comparable downtown buildings retain so much of their original character.","period_of_significance":"ca. 1904","architect_builder":"Unknown","architectural_style":"OTHER: One-Part Commercial Block","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Described as in good condition, with the only insensitive alteration being a frame shed addition at the rear; historic and current use is commerce/trade.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:21.586555-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/70/9698/40969870/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/92000016.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/92000016/3e3d33a5af-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/92000016/3e3d33a5af-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Renelibrary","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Roberts_Building1_(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:Roberts_Building1_(1_of_1).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/40969870","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107321693"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/nacogdoches-county/roberts-building-92000016/"}