{"nrhp_refnum":"98000691","name":"Robinson Bank Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"213 W. Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Palestine","county":"Anderson County","state":"TX","lat":31.76247783900004,"lon":-95.63296876699997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1998-06-11","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story brick commercial building at 213 W. Main Street in downtown Palestine, Anderson County, Texas, built in 1890 as a bank. Its architect and builder are unknown.","why_significant":"It is a tangible link to the commercial growth that followed the railroad's arrival in Palestine in 1872, and it housed the Robinson Bank until the 1937 merger with Royall National Bank. It is also considered the city's premier commercial example of Romanesque Revival and one of its most intact historic commercial buildings.","narrative":"Built in 1890 on West Main Street in downtown Palestine, this one-story brick building was home to the Robinson Bank, an early banking institution in the city. Bankers Dr. James Isaac Bonner and William Brice Robinson founded the bank around 1880, and it operated under several names, always including Robinson, until it merged with Royall National Bank in 1937. Later businesses used the space, the best known being the Rushing Jewelry Store, which added the neon sign on the facade. The building reflects the commercial boom that followed the railroad's arrival in 1872. Its three-bay front has a large round arch with a keystone, contrasting red and buff brick, and a stepped, corbeled parapet. These features make it the city's leading commercial example of Romanesque Revival. Alterations are limited mainly to replaced doors and a layer of stucco at the base. The building is currently not in use but remains in good condition.","period_of_significance":"1890","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Late Victorian: Romanesque Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Currently not in use, but in good condition and retaining many original architectural features; alterations are largely limited to the entrance and base.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.840266-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/68/9678/40967868/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/98000691.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/98000691/a9a4dfd2fa-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/98000691/a9a4dfd2fa-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Renelibrary","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Robinsonbank2.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Renelibrary</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Robinsonbank2.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"100007058","name":"Palestine New Town Commercial Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/texas/palestine-new-town-commercial-historic-district-100007058/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40967868","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107321106"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/anderson-county/robinson-bank-building-98000691/"}