Sam Houston Hotel
Why it's listed
Built in 1924 at Prairie and San Jacinto Streets, the Sam Houston Hotel is a ten-story reinforced concrete building faced in variegated brown brick. Architects Sanguinet, Staats, Hedrick & Gottlieb designed it, and contractor Don Hall built it. It stands on what Houstonians called "Hotel Row," the route from Union Station to the heart of downtown. The hotel offered 200 rooms, each with a bath, at modest rates aimed at business travelers, and relied on transoms, panelled doors and screens for ventilation. Its facades follow a tripartite scheme of base, shaft and cornice, with cast stone ornament including urns and an egg-and-dart cornice. Alterations include lost storefronts and aluminum replacement windows, yet the form, materials and character survive. The hotel closed in 1975 and has been empty since, leaving a damaged interior with original floor tile and plaster remnants. It is considered significant for its architecture as a representative 1920s high-rise hotel, and plans call for its rehabilitation as a hotel.
Significance in brief: The hotel is argued to be a representative example of early twentieth-century high-rise construction and moderately priced 1920s hotel design for business travelers. It was designed by a notable Texas architectural firm and sits on Houston's "Hotel Row" between Union Station and downtown. Despite alterations, its form, materials and overall character remain.
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 02000276, listed April 17, 2002. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1117 Prairie St., Houston |
|---|---|
| County | Harris County |
| Listed | April 17, 2002 |
| Reference number | 02000276 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1924 |
| Architect / builder | Sanguinet, Staats, Hedrick & Gottlieb (architects); Don Hall (contractor) |
| Architectural style | Other: 2-part vertical block |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Closed in 1975 and unoccupied since; the ground floor interior is mostly demolished and storefronts are boarded. Rehabilitation as a hotel is planned. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Main Street/Market Square Historic District |
| Coordinates | 29.76197, -95.36047 (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 02000276.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4713551
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.