{"nrhp_refnum":"96000587","name":"Lewis Apartment Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2815--2817 Smith St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Houston","county":"Harris County","state":"TX","lat":29.745578117000036,"lon":-95.37910263799995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1996-05-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story, frame, brick-veneered apartment building at 2815-2817 Smith Street, at the corner of Smith and Tuam Streets in Houston's South End, built in 1923 by Simon and Ella Lewis.","why_significant":"The building is nominated under Criterion C in Architecture as a representative 1920s multi-family apartment building in Houston. It was typical when built, but after heavy demolition in the neighborhood its survival and largely unaltered exterior and interior make it exceptional. Its intact floor plan and original interior details illustrate apartment life of the 1920s.","narrative":"Six apartments occupy this two-story, brick-veneered frame building at the corner of Smith and Tuam Streets in Houston's South End. Russian Jewish immigrants Simon and Ella Lewis built it in 1923 as an income-producing property for middle-class tenants near the trolley line. Its front and side facades have patterned red brickwork, ogee-arched entrances, a parapet with inset plaques, and a flat roof. Inside, two separate stairwells serve the units, which keep oak woodwork, hardwood floors, French doors, and tiled bathrooms with Art Deco features. The building was a typical 1920s apartment house when new. Large-scale demolition in the neighborhood over the past three decades has left it one of the few survivors of its type in the Houston area. Its exterior and floor plan remain largely unchanged, and it is still used as apartments. The Lewis family kept ownership until the 1980s. The architect or builder is unknown.","period_of_significance":"1923-1946","architect_builder":"unknown","architectural_style":"Eclectic (listed as Mixed)","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Still used as multiple dwellings, the building is in good condition with very few alterations.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.60312-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/56/9722/40972256/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/96000587.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40972256","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q110002192"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/harris-county/lewis-apartment-building-96000587/"}