Houston historic commission backs three National Register referrals, including First City National Bank

The Houston Archaeological and Historical Commission voted to forward three staff-backed nominations to the Texas Historical Commission for consideration on the National Register of Historic Places.

Staff presented the nominations for the 1961 First City National Bank complex at 1021 Main Street and 1101 Fannin Street, Inwood Manor at 3711 San Felipe Street (completed 1964), and Margaret Root Brown College at Rice University, 6100 Main Street (completed 1965). Commission staff described each as retaining sufficient integrity to merit nomination at the local level under the National Register criteria cited in the staff reports.

For the First City National Bank complex, staff said the 32‑story office tower, the hyphen and the nonhistoric parking garage remain functionally related and retain a high level of integrity of location, setting, design, workmanship, feeling and association despite some exterior material changes. Staff recommended support of a referral under criterion C for architectural significance at the local level.

Staff recommended that Inwood Manor, a 16‑story New Formalist residential tower in River Oaks designed by Newhouse and Taylor Architects and converted to condominiums in 1977, be referred under criterion C for architecture with a period of significance of 1964. Staff noted the building’s cruciform plan, exposed cast concrete frame, original aluminum windows and historic landscaping as surviving features.

For Margaret Root Brown College at Rice University, staff recommended referral under criterion A (education) and criterion C (architecture) at the local level, noting the building’s role in expanding on‑campus housing for women in the 1950s–60s era and that Brown College “is the only building that can convey the history of women’s education at Rice University.” Preservation Houston offered public support for the Brown College nomination during the hearing.

Commission members did not register objections when staff asked whether the referrals could proceed; staff indicated it would send the referral packages to the Texas Historical Commission for formal review. Several commissioners asked procedural questions about what National Register listing does and does not do at the local level; staff and commissioners noted that National Register listing is an honorary designation and does not, by itself, establish local landmark protections but can be a prerequisite for state and federal tax‑credit reviews that carry specific preservation standards.

The decisions clear the way for state review; final National Register listing is handled by the Texas Historical Commission and the National Park Service.

Director’s report: at the start of the meeting staff flagged a separate administrative change — House Bill 1522’s amendment to the Texas Open Meetings Act will change the commission’s public notice schedule effective Sept. 1, 2025. The change reduces a time‑of‑posting rule to three business days and prohibits counting city holidays when computing the posting window, which staff said will alter the commission’s internal deadline for posting agendas.