P. A. Smith Hotel
Why it's listed
Built in 1876 on Railroad Street in Navasota, this three-story hotel combines rough limestone rubble walls with a cast iron ground-floor facade, cast iron sills, arched decorative lintels and a pressed tin cornice. The walls are about two feet thick at the first floor, thinning to twelve inches at the third. Upstairs, the original layout survives: a central hallway lit by a skylight and lightwell, rooms on both sides, wainscoting, a balustrade and feather-grained doors with painted room numbers. Captain Philip Aurene Smith built it and ran it as a hotel until his wife died in 1890, after which the Smith family lived on the upper floors and the ground floor was leased for commercial use. Smith also founded a newspaper and built the Navasota Opera House. The building was listed for its architecture, a rare Texas pairing of local stone and cast iron, and for its link to Smith's role in the town's commercial and cultural growth. A local historical committee planned restoration.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is a distinctive Texas blend of native limestone construction and sophisticated cast iron detailing, unusual among 19th century commercial buildings in the state. It is also tied to P. A. Smith, a Navasota businessman and civic figure who built the hotel, a newspaper and the opera house.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 76002036, listed April 16, 1976. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Railroad St., Navasota |
|---|---|
| County | Grimes County |
| Listed | April 16, 1976 |
| Reference number | 76002036 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1876 |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Owned by the Grimes County Historical Survey Committee, which was raising funds for restoration; a data sheet notes it as not in use, with restoration in progress. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Navasota Commercial Historic District |
| Coordinates | 30.38769, -96.08848 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 76002036.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q107317623
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.