Navasota Commercial Historic District

Navasota's downtown commercial core is a district of about seventy-five limestone and brick buildings, along with some manufacturing and cotton processing complexes, centered on Washington Avenue and Railroad Street. Most date from the 1870s through the early 20th century and are vernacular in character, with scored stucco facades, segmental or round arched openings, belt courses and corbelled cornices. Many of the stone buildings were built by one mason, James Davern. The town grew from a stage stop around 1852 into a boom town after the railroad arrived in 1859. After a great fire in 1874, an ordinance required fireproof materials, and a surge of building between 1873 and 1885 produced much of the stone streetscape. Another fire in 1915 led to fireproof brick and concrete buildings in 1919. Storefronts have been altered over time, but the district's overall integrity remains. Restoration work includes the P. A. Smith Hotel, which was listed separately in 1975.