{"nrhp_refnum":"94000677","name":"Bute, James, Company Warehouse","other_names":["Dakota Lofts"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"711 William St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Houston","county":"Harris County","state":"TX","lat":29.76785476500004,"lon":-95.35419284899996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1994-07-07","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Commerce","Industry","Transportation"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A four-story brick warehouse at 711 William Street in Houston's warehouse district north of Buffalo Bayou, built in 1909-1910 for the James Bute Company, a wholesale paint business, and designed by architect Olle J. Lorehn.","why_significant":"It was the largest warehouse in Houston when completed and reflects the city's growth as a regional wholesale distribution center tied to the railroads. It is also the main surviving property tied to founder James Bute's career and an example of early 20th-century warehouse design by an important Houston architect.","narrative":"Rising four stories beside the railroad tracks north of downtown Houston, this brick warehouse was built in 1909-1910 for the James Bute Company, a wholesale paint and manufacturing firm. Architect Olle J. Lorehn designed it with a reinforced concrete platform and basement, heavy timber framing and hollow tile infill. Brick banding, arched fourth-floor windows and two rooftop sprinkler water tanks give it modest ornament and a landmark profile. It was the largest warehouse in Houston when finished. The building matters for its link to rail-based wholesale trade, which shaped the city's warehouse district, and for its association with James Bute, a Scottish-born businessman whose company operated from 1869 until 1990. It also stands as a well-preserved example of early twentieth-century warehouse architecture by a respected local architect. Rehabilitated in 1992-1993, it now holds apartments called Dakota Lofts, with exposed timber structure and original features retained.","period_of_significance":"1909-1944","architect_builder":"Lorehn, Olle J./ Lucas & Smith","architectural_style":"Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements: Commercial Style","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Rehabilitated in 1992-1993 and converted to apartments known as Dakota Lofts; current function is multiple dwelling.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.636406-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/78/9723/40972378/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/94000677.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/94000677/e038af4710-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/94000677/e038af4710-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"Ed Uthman, Houston, Texas, USA","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:James_Bute_Company_Warehouse_Houston.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Ed Uthman, Houston, Texas, USA</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:James_Bute_Company_Warehouse_Houston.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40972378","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Bute_Company_Warehouse","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q19880957"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/harris-county/bute-james-company-warehouse-94000677/"}