{"nrhp_refnum":"98001226","name":"Victory Grill","other_names":["Kovac Lounge (Theater)"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1104 E. 11th St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Austin","county":"Travis County","state":"TX","lat":30.269057546000056,"lon":-97.72845823899996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1998-10-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Performing Arts","Entertainment/Recreation"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-part commercial block building at 1104 E. 11th Street in East Austin, Travis County, Texas, built in 1947 with a 1948 patio addition enclosed in 1951, used as a restaurant and live music club.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the building is significant under Criterion A for music and entertainment at the local level. It was a leading blues and jazz venue for the East Austin Black community and a stop on the segregation-era \"Chitlin Circuit.\" It is described as the last extant building from East Austin's live-music era on 11th Street, and it is tied to promoter and owner Johnny Holmes.","narrative":"Built in 1947 at 1104 E. 11th Street in East Austin, this brick commercial building began as a restaurant and dry cleaner and grew into one of the city's best-known blues and jazz clubs. Owner Johnny Holmes added a patio in 1948 and enclosed it in 1951 as the Kovac Lounge, where live acts performed. The venue served East Austin residents and Black soldiers from Forts Hood and Swift, and it was part of the Chitlin Circuit, the network of clubs open to Black performers during segregation. Musicians associated with the Grill include B.B. King, Bobby \"Blue\" Bland and Roosevelt T. Williams. Competing clubs, changing musical tastes and the end of segregation contributed to its decline by the early 1970s. A 1988 fire destroyed the original roof, and the facade has been altered, but the building retains its brick construction, 1950s furnishings and its association with East 11th Street's music history. It is the last surviving building from that era on the street.","period_of_significance":"1947-1973","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Other: One-Part Commercial Block","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Currently used as a blues/jazz lounge with live theater performances; the building is described as in good repair and undergoing restoration since a 1988 fire.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.691529-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/15/9738/40973815/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/98001226.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/98001226/6c104ebc77-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/98001226/6c104ebc77-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 4.0","author":"Larry D. Moore","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victory_grill_2011.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Larry D. Moore</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Victory_grill_2011.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40973815","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victory_Grill","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7927499"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/travis-county/victory-grill-98001226/"}