{"nrhp_refnum":"99000068","name":"Humble Oil Building","other_names":["Main Building"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1212 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Houston","county":"Harris County","state":"TX","lat":29.755358828000055,"lon":-95.36692737799996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1999-01-27","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A commercial office complex occupying a full city block at 1212 Main Street in downtown Houston, Harris County, Texas. It began as a 9-story headquarters designed in 1921 by Clinton and Russell and grew through four later construction phases.","why_significant":"The building is nominated at the local level under Criterion A in the area of Commerce. Its successive additions directly reflect the growth of the Humble Oil and Refining Company and Houston's rise as the 'World's Oil Capital.' It retains most of its historic exterior despite later alterations.","narrative":"Occupying nearly a full block of downtown Houston at 1212 Main Street, this office complex began in 1921 as the corporate headquarters of the Humble Oil and Refining Company. New York architects Clinton and Russell designed the original 9-story building with Italian Renaissance Revival detailing, a steel frame, tapestry brick and cast stone. Houston architects John F. Staub and Kenneth Franzheim added a 17-story cruciform tower in 1934-36 and a 9-story northwest wing in 1938-39. George Pierce and Abel B. Pierce made further changes in 1948, including a tenth floor and infill of the entry courtyard. A 1960s plaza and oval pavilion are classed as noncontributing. The building was listed for its link to commerce: each expansion tracked the company's growth as Houston became a leading oil center. Storefront and interior alterations occurred over time, but most historic exterior fabric remains. The property is currently vacant.","period_of_significance":"1921-1948","architect_builder":"Clinton and Russell; Staub and Franzheim; Pierce and Pierce","architectural_style":"Other: 3-part vertical block; Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals - Italian Renaissance","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Current function is listed as vacant/not in use; the form also mentions planned rehabilitation through the Investment Tax Credit program.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:24.198544-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/64/9724/40972464/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/99000068.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/99000068/dc39e5b69d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/99000068/dc39e5b69d-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Jujutacular","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Humble_Tower.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Jujutacular</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:Humble_Tower.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40972464","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humble_Oil_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5940200"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/harris-county/humble-oil-building-99000068/"}