{"nrhp_refnum":"97000543","name":"Lewis, Ella, Store and Rental Houses","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"3404--3406--3408 Courtland St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Houston","county":"Harris County","state":"TX","lat":29.817442334000077,"lon":-95.39590613499996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1997-06-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Black","Commerce"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A complex of three buildings at 3404-3406-3408 Courtlandt Street in the Independence Heights neighborhood of Houston, Harris County, Texas: a 2-story general store and two 1-story rental houses, all built about 1920.","why_significant":"The complex is tied to Ella Lewis, one of several independent business owners in Independence Heights. It is described as the only remaining complex that combines a general store, restaurant, dressmaking shop and residence with rental houses. It is significant locally under Criterion A for Ethnic Heritage (Black) and Commerce.","narrative":"Three buildings on Courtlandt Street in Houston's Independence Heights neighborhood make up a small business complex dating to about 1920: a 2-story general store and two 1-story rental houses. Ella Lewis opened the store as a neighborhood grocery offering groceries and confectionery items. She apparently lived upstairs, ran a dressmaking shop and operated a small café in the same building. The store has a large gable roof, a shed-roof awning on decorative iron columns and a small corner bay window. The rental houses are identical, following a basic shotgun form with bungalow-influenced porches and siding. They are the last two of four houses Lewis had built. The complex is regarded as the only remaining one in the community that combined a store, restaurant, dressmaking shop and residence with rental housing. It reflects the pattern of small Black-owned businesses in the early twentieth century and was recognized locally for its role in Commerce and Ethnic Heritage.","period_of_significance":"c. 1920-1947","architect_builder":"Unknown","architectural_style":"No style; Vernacular Shotgun with Bungalow Features","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"The form lists current functions as vacant (not in use) and single dwelling, and describes all buildings as in good condition.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.297988-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/93/9694/40969493/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/97000543.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"97000542","name":"Independence Heights Residential Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/texas/independence-heights-residential-historic-district-97000542/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40969493","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ella_Lewis_Store_and_Rental_Houses","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q60750159"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/harris-county/lewis-ella-store-and-rental-houses-97000543/"}