Petroleum Building
Also known as: Great Southwest Building
Why it's listed
Rising 14 stories at the corner of Throckmorton and Sixth streets in downtown Fort Worth, this 1927 office tower was built to house businesses tied to the region's oil industry. Wyatt C. Hedrick designed it with a brick-over-steel frame and stone ornamentation on its two street-facing sides, including narrow pilaster strips, stone owl carvings and shield-and-banner panels, giving it a Commercial Gothic character. The Dulaney-Johnston Investment Company financed construction, and over the following decades oil companies such as Gulf Oil, along with lawyers and other professionals, leased space, while shops occupied the ground floor. Later owners renamed it the Life of America, Schick, Finevest and Executive Plaza buildings. A 1968-69 remodeling removed the crockets, replaced the windows and swapped the stone base for concrete panels. A restoration that began in 2006 returned the base, windows and awning to their original look. It is recognized for its role in Fort Worth commerce and its architecture.
Significance in brief: The building is significant locally under Criteria A and C. It reflects the oil industry's influence on Fort Worth's commercial growth, housing oil-related firms for decades. It is also an early example of Hedrick's Commercial Gothic style, with stone owl carvings and vertical pilaster strips.
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). NRHP reference 100004250, listed August 8, 2019. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1314 Texas Avenue, Houston |
|---|---|
| County | Harris County |
| Listed | August 8, 2019 |
| Reference number | 100004250 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1927-1959 |
| Architect / builder | Wyatt C. Hedrick |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements: Skyscraper (Commercial Gothic) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Commerce |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Currently operates as an office building; restoration begun in 2006 reversed 1969 modernization alterations. |
| Acreage | 0.85 |
| Coordinates | 29.75773, -95.35949 (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.
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 100004250.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives)
- Wikidata Q110000276
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.