{"nrhp_refnum":"99000614","name":"Hilliard Hall","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"A.G. Cleaver St., building #0537","address_restricted":false,"city":"Prairie View","county":"Waller County","state":"TX","lat":30.095403589000057,"lon":-95.98033660599998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1999-06-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Black"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Hilliard Hall is a two-story brick building with a basement at Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, Waller County, Texas. It was built in 1939 as the campus student dining hall.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the hall reflects the expansion of the student body and campus facilities that followed curriculum changes in the 1930s. It served as a dining facility, a channel for farm products grown on campus and a place for student vocational experience. It is tied to the university's development and to Black educational heritage, and it is one of three surviving campus works by architect Frederich Ernst Giesecke.","narrative":"Hilliard Hall is a brick building on A.G. Cleaver Street at Prairie View A&M University, completed in 1939 as the student dining hall. Its symmetrical wings, block massing and modest geometric detailing suggest the Moderne style, and its rambling plan held a cafeteria, private dining room, kitchens and storage across two floors and a basement. Architect Frederich Ernst Giesecke, a Texas A&M educator, designed it with the campus mechanical engineer. It is one of three surviving Giesecke works on the campus. The hall mattered because the college tried to feed itself with vegetables, meats, poultry and dairy products raised on site, and the dining hall processed that produce while giving students practical vocational experience. It was later named for Roby W. Hilliard, an early graduate and campus administrator. A 1979 renovation removed the kitchen equipment and turned the space into classrooms and offices, including telecommunications facilities. The building was recognized for its role in the growth of the university and in Black education in Texas.","period_of_significance":"1939 - 1948","architect_builder":"Giesecke, Frederich Ernst (Architect)","architectural_style":"Moderne","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Still in educational use. A 1979 renovation removed the kitchen facilities and converted the building to classroom and office space, including telecommunications offices, and an elevator was added for accessibility.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.176792-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/99/9705/40970599/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/99000614.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40970599","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107317528"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/waller-county/hilliard-hall-99000614/"}