Flatiron Building
Why it's listed
Rising seven stories above a basement at 1000 Houston Street in Fort Worth, this commercial building follows the wedge shape of its lot, giving it the flatiron form. Built in 1907 of reinforced concrete over a steel frame and faced with brick, it has a two-story base, a five-story body and a heavily ornamented cast-iron cornice. Piers rise through six bays on each wide facade to arches at the top, in the manner of Louis Sullivan, and contrasting brick lozenges decorate the walls. Sanguinet and Staats, a firm that designed courthouses, schools, banks and department stores across Texas and beyond, built it for Dr. Bacon Saunders, a surgeon and medical educator, who wanted offices for himself and other doctors. The building was listed because it is Fort Worth's answer to the flatiron towers of New York and Chicago, shows Chicago School traits, and is a good example of the firm's work. It was also recorded as a Texas Historic Landmark in 1970.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as Fort Worth's version of the large Flatiron buildings in New York and Chicago. It is a good example of the work of the architects Sanguinet and Staats, who were prominent across the Southwest. It also shows characteristics of the Chicago School and is regarded as a local landmark.
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 71000964, listed March 31, 1971. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1000 Houston St., Fort Worth |
|---|---|
| County | Tarrant County |
| Listed | March 31, 1971 |
| Reference number | 71000964 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 20th Century (specific date 1907) |
| Architect / builder | Sanguinet and Staats (Marshall R. Sanguinet and Carl Staats) |
| Architectural style | Chicago School influence; Sullivan-manner piers and arches with Modernistic ornament |
| Areas of significance | Health/Medicine, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in good condition, altered, occupied; the interior was planned for remodeling while keeping the exterior substantially as it is. |
| Acreage | 0.2 |
| Coordinates | 32.75052, -97.32971 (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 71000964.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5457910
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.