{"nrhp_refnum":"94000354","name":"Clarke & Courts Building","other_names":["TriBeca Lofts"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1210 W. Clay Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Houston","county":"Harris County","state":"TX","lat":29.75577048100007,"lon":-95.39417920699998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1994-04-14","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 1-story Moderne commercial and printing plant building at 1210 West Clay Avenue in Houston, Harris County, Texas, built in 1935-1936 with a 1950-1951 rear addition, now used as loft apartments.","why_significant":"The building housed the headquarters and production plant of Clarke & Courts, a printing and stationery firm founded in Galveston in 1857 that moved to Houston. It is argued to be a leading example of modernistic architecture in Houston and the work of architect Joseph Finger. It reflects Houston's 1930s commercial and industrial growth.","narrative":"Located on a corner lot just west of downtown Houston, this Moderne building at 1210 West Clay Avenue was built in 1935-1936 as the offices and printing plant of Clarke & Courts, a printing and stationery company organized in Galveston in 1857. Architect Joseph Finger designed a streamlined structure with a cast-in-place concrete shell, continuous steel sash windows, and a 3-story central tower bearing the company name. A brick rear addition by Finger & Rustay followed in 1950-1951, enlarging the building from 40,000 to 57,000 square feet. The company moved to Houston to take advantage of its port, rail and trucking links, and it stayed there until 1990. The building was published in Architectural Forum in 1936 and included in a 1938 exhibit of modern American architecture. A 1993 rehabilitation converted the interior to apartments while keeping the exterior appearance largely intact, including new door openings cut into the perimeter windows with careful detailing.","period_of_significance":"1935-1943","architect_builder":"Finger, Joseph; Southwestern Construction Company","architectural_style":"Modern Movement: Moderne","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Rehabilitated in 1993 and converted to residential use (25 units, per the plans); also planned to serve as a branch exhibition facility for the Museum of Printing History.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:24.065836-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/70/9724/40972470/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/94000354.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/94000354/db7dc70f57-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/94000354/db7dc70f57-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Jujutacular","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Clarke_%26_Courts_Building_-_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:Clarke_%26_Courts_Building_-_Jujutacular.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40972470","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107317809"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/harris-county/clarke-and-courts-building-94000354/"}