Kennedy Bakery
Kennedy Bakery | |
The building's exterior in 2010 | |
29°45′46″N 95°21′41″W / 29.76278°N 95.36139°W / 29.76278; -95.36139 | |
Area | less than one acre |
---|---|
Built | 1860 |
NRHP reference No. | 79002963[1] |
RTHL No. | 10712 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | July 27, 1979 |
Designated RTHL | 1981 |
Kennedy Bakery, located at 813 Congress Street in Houston, Texas, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 27, 1979.[2] The historic property in downtown Houston faces Market Square and lies within the Main Street Market Square Historic District. It is probably the "oldest Houston building existing on its original site."[3]: 2
History
The Kennedy Bakery is named for John Kennedy, a baker born in Ireland. He resided in New Jersey and Missouri before immigrating to the Republic of Texas in 1842. He arrived in Houston with no savings, but opened his first bakery in the fall on Franklin Street. He accumulated and developed property at the corner of Congress and Travis streets, though he lost these buildings to a fire in August 1860. He did not hesitate in rebuilding; however, it is only conjecture that the Kennedy Bakery is this 1860 building.[3]: 3
Kennedy was already successful leading up to the American Civil War, converting his bakery to steam power, operating as a grocer, and establishing his own grist mill. He had already amassed thousands of acres of land within the Houston region in addition to his urban properties. He owned many slaves and offered material support to the Confederate States of America (CSA). He sold hard tack to the CSA Army and converted one of his buildings into an arsenal. After the war he divested of his rural land at great financial loss.[3]: 3 By 1873, Kennedy's building operated as a drug store, and various druggists were tenants through 1932. It continued to operate as a retail location after 1932. In 1960, there were renovations to the structure and grillwork was added. Ownership remained within the Kennedy family until 1970, when it was sold to William V. Berry, who opened La Carafe.[3] La Carafe was one of the oldest bars operating in Houston as of 2012.[4]
Building description
In 1979, the NRHP nomination form described the Kennedy Bakery as a two-story brick building with a first floor window of wooden sash broken into 24 light. The lot to its east was bordered by a five-foot alley, while abutting a retail building to the west. The façade had fifteen feet of frontage and its brick was a structural feature. Pilasters flanked the front entry, a single door under a "bracket-supported architrave." The upper windows were double-sashed with nine lights each. The alley led to an interior courtyard.[3]: 2
See also
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ "National Register Listings" (PDF). Texas Historical Commission. p. 48. Retrieved December 28, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e "National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Kennedy Bakery" (PDF). Texas Historic Sites Atlas. May 16, 1979. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
- ^ Brubaker, Marc (July 18, 2012). "La Carafe is rich with Texas history". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
External links
Media related to Kennedy Bakery at Wikimedia Commons
- v
- t
- e
- Houston Skyline District
- Houston Theater District
- Main Street/Market Square Historic District
Primary and secondary schools |
|
---|---|
Colleges and universities |
|
Libraries |
|
complexes
- 609 Main at Texas
- 919 Milam
- 1000 Main
- 1200 Travis
- 1500 Louisiana Street
- 1600 Smith Street
- Allen Center
- Devon Energy Tower
- 1400 Smith Street
- Bank of America Center
- Bayou Place
- BG Group Place
- Calpine Center
- CenterPoint Energy Plaza
- Club Quarters Hotel
- Cullen Center
- El Paso Energy Building
- Enterprise Plaza
- Esperson Buildings
- ExxonMobil Building
- First City Tower
- GreenStreet (Houston Pavilions)
- Heritage Plaza
- Hess Tower
- Houston Center
- Houston House Apartments
- Houston Post-Dispatch Building
- Hyatt Regency Houston
- JW Marriott Downtown Houston
- Bob Lanier Public Works Building
- JPMorgan Chase Building
- JPMorgan Chase Tower
- Magnolia Hotel
- One City Centre
- One Park Place
- One Shell Plaza
- Pennzoil Place
- Total Plaza
- Wedge International Tower
- Wells Fargo Plaza
public plazas
Historic Places
- Houston Cotton Exchange Building
- Annunciation Church
- Antioch Missionary Baptist Church
- Battelstein's
- Beaconsfield
- James Bute Company Warehouse
- Christ Church
- City National Bank Building
- W. L. Foley Building
- Gulf Building
- Hogg Building
- Houston City Hall
- Houston Post-Dispatch Building
- Humble Oil Building
- Julia Ideson Building
- Kennedy Bakery
- Kress Building
- Main Street/Market Square Historic District
- McKee Street Bridge
- Merchants and Manufacturers Building
- National Biscuit Company Building
- Palace Hotel
- Paul Building
- Rice Lofts
- The Sam Houston Hotel
- San Jacinto Street Bridge
- Scanlan Building
- South Texas National Bank
- State National Bank Building
- Stowers Building
- Sweeney, Coombs, and Fredericks Building
- Texas Company Building
- Texas State Hotel
- US Customhouse
- Union Station (Houston)
- Willow Street Pump Station
- 1910 Harris County Courthouse
- Alley Theatre
- Bayou Place
- George R. Brown Convention Center
- Capitol Lofts
- Downtown Aquarium
- Federal Detention Center, Houston
- Franklin Lofts
- Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart
- Great Jones Building
- Harris County jails
- Hobby Center for the Performing Arts
- Houston Club
- Hotel Icon
- Houston tunnel system
- Jones Hall
- Joe Kegans State Jail
- Kiam Building
- Minute Maid Park
- Petroleum Club of Houston
- Pillot Building
- Texas Company Annex
- Toyota Center
- Wortham Theater Center
- Bell
- Central Station
- Convention District
- Downtown Transit Center
- Main Street Square
- Preston
- Theater District
- UH–Downtown
Sam Houston Math, Science, and Technology Center was in Downtown until 1955