Fisk Medical Arts Building
Also known as: Fisk Building
Why it's listed
Rising ten stories above downtown Amarillo at South Polk Street and Southwest Eighth Avenue, this 1928 skyscraper was built by banker Charles A. Fisk to house the Amarillo Bank and Trust Company on the ground floor and medical offices above. Architect Guy Anton Carlander gave it a reinforced concrete frame, red brick walls, and terra cotta and cast stone ornament, including pointed arches, tracery, finials and gargoyle-like details. It went up during the oil and gas boom that brought the city's first skyscrapers to Polk Street, and it was the second-tallest modern commercial building downtown when completed. It is considered the only tall building in Amarillo finished in the Commercial Gothic style. Although its original windows were lost in an earlier remodeling, the exterior retains a high level of integrity. A recent rehabilitation turned the former offices into hotel rooms while preserving features such as the mail chute and the open ground-floor plan. It is recognized for its architecture at the local level.
Significance in brief: The building is presented as an excellent example of an early 20th century skyscraper with Gothic Revival detailing, built during Amarillo's 1920s oil and gas boom. It is described as the only tall building in Amarillo ornamented in the Commercial Gothic style. It is also the work of Guy Carlander, an architect who played a large role in the city's architectural development. It is nominated at the local level under Criterion C for Architecture.
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 12001003, listed December 4, 2012. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 724 S. Polk St., Amarillo |
|---|---|
| County | Potter County |
| Listed | December 4, 2012 |
| Reference number | 12001003 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1928 |
| Architect / builder | Guy Anton Carlander, Architect / Charles A. Fisk, Builder |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements: Gothic Revival/Skyscraper |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Rehabilitated using federal tax incentives and reopened in December 2010 as a 107-room Courtyard Marriott hotel; the central penthouse remains an office. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 35.20745, -101.83834 (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 12001003.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q107320541
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.