{"nrhp_refnum":"97000541","name":"Johnson, Morris and Mary, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"3818 Spencer St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Houston","county":"Harris County","state":"TX","lat":29.775336810000056,"lon":-95.39965971099997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1997-06-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story wood-frame L-plan vernacular cottage at 3818 Spencer in Houston, Harris County, Texas, built around 1920 on the south bank of White Oak Bayou for Morris and Mary Johnson.","why_significant":"The house is a representative example of a vernacular L-plan cottage, showing the shift from late 19th-century building forms to early 20th-century popular trends. It was built for an African-American family and reflects the growing financial independence of Black railroad workers in the area. It was among the most substantial houses in its neighborhood.","narrative":"Built around 1920, this one-story wood-frame cottage at 3818 Spencer in Houston sits on a small parcel that was once part of the Sessums Fourteen Acre Tract beside White Oak Bayou. It has an L-plan form, a hip roof with three cross gables, painted beveled wood siding, and a wraparound porch with tapered columns. Morris Johnson, who worked at the Southern Pacific Railroad shops, bought the land in 1914, and he and his wife Mary lived here until the early 1950s. The house is considered significant for its architecture. It shows the move from late 19th-century building traditions toward early 20th-century trends, and its detailing suggests a skilled carpenter. It was also one of the most substantial homes in the area for an African-American family, reflecting prosperity linked to the railroads. Alterations in 1986 changed the porch bases and east side, but the house was judged to retain its integrity.","period_of_significance":"c.1920","architect_builder":"UNKNOWN","architectural_style":"L-plan Vernacular Cottage","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Described as in good condition but vacant, with some weather deterioration; 1986 alterations included porch column veneer and east-side French doors and deck.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.44986-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/4/9723/40972304/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/97000541.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40972304","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q110002194"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/harris-county/johnson-morris-and-mary-house-97000541/"}