Luther Hotel
Also known as: Bay View Hotel; Palacios Hotel
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Why it's listed
Facing Tres Palacios Bay in Palacios, Texas, this long white frame hotel began as the Bay View Hotel, designed in 1903 by architect Jules C. Leffland for the Palacios Bay Townsite Company to draw investors to the new town. In 1905 it was cut into three sections and pulled by mules about a half-mile to face South Bay, where wings and a 400-foot porch were added. The hotel became a center of town life, with dances, banquets, swimming, fishing and hunting. It has survived hurricanes and a fire. Renovations between 1939 and 1941 replaced the long porch with a two-story columned portico and added an 11-unit Art Moderne motor court for automobile travelers. The hotel is still in operation, while the motor court is vacant. It is recognized for its role in coastal town development, its resort and recreation history, and its architecture, including the classical porch that gained significance of its own during the historic period.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the hotel is one of the few surviving tourist and residential hotels built along the Texas Gulf Coast as part of early 20th-century land development schemes. It is significant under Criterion A for Community Planning and Development and for Entertainment and Recreation, and under Criterion C for Architecture, at the local level. The 1939-1941 classical portico and the motor court added for automobile tourists are also noted as significant in their own right.
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 10000251, listed May 10, 2010. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 408 S Bay Blvd, Palacios |
|---|---|
| County | Matagorda County |
| Listed | May 10, 2010 |
| Reference number | 10000251 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1905-1960 |
| Architect / builder | Jules C. Leffland, Architect; D.D. Rittenhouse, Builder; O.J. Howard, Architect (1941 renovation and motor court addition) |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Classical Revival |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development, Entertainment/Recreation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The 1905 hotel building is in fair to good condition and remains in operation as a hotel; the 1941 motor court is in fair condition and vacant. |
| Acreage | 2 |
| Coordinates | 28.70128, -96.21623 (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 10000251.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q107318216
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.