Eddingston Court
Why it's listed
Eddingston Court is an apartment complex on Proctor Street in Port Arthur, Texas, beside the Sabine-Neches Ship Channel. Tugboat captain Ambrose T. Eddingston built it around 1929 to meet the housing needs of a fast-growing oil-refining city. Two pairs of two-story Tudor-style brick buildings face each other across a central garden, with wood-frame garages behind. Eddingston hired sculptor Dionicio Rodriguez and a group of San Antonio artisans to decorate the grounds. They produced a 98-foot conch shell wall, a shell-covered Sound Cave, rock fountains, a fishpond, log-style seats, a table and a cement basket. The shells were brought from Grand Cayman, Eddingston's birthplace. The complex is considered significant as a major Rodriguez work and as an intact early residential development, said to be the first of its type in Port Arthur. Today the pond is dry, the garden is overgrown, and the property is listed as vacant.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the complex is a monumental work by noted sculptor Dionicio Rodriguez, significant in art and landscape architecture under Criterion C. It is also significant as an intact early 20th century residential development, described as the first four-building apartment complex of its type in Port Arthur, under Criterion A in community planning and development.
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 04001175, listed October 22, 2004. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 3300 Proctor St., Port Arthur |
|---|---|
| County | Jefferson County |
| Listed | October 22, 2004 |
| Reference number | 04001175 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1929 |
| Architect / builder | Dionicio Rodriguez (sculpture); building architect unknown |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Tudor, Classical Revival; faux bois sculpture |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Art, Landscape Architecture, Community Planning and Development |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Current function listed as vacant/not in use. The fountain and pond no longer operate, the grounds are overgrown, and the Sound Cave is in danger of tipping over. |
| Coordinates | 29.89735, -93.91143 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 04001175.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q107317927
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.