National Register of Historic Places

Ideson, Julia, Building

Houston, Harris County, Texas
Listed
November 23, 1977
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
77001447

About this property

The Julia Ideson Building is a Houston Public Library facility in Downtown Houston, Texas, United States. It is named for Julia Bedford Ideson, who served as the system's first head librarian for 40 years. The Spanish Renaissance-style building is part of the Central Library, and houses its archives, manuscripts, and Texas and Local History departments. It is also the site of the Houston Metropolitan Research Center. From 1926 to 1976 it was Houston's sole main library building. Designed by Ralph Adams Cram of Cram and Ferguson, Boston, the Ideson Building opened in 1926 as HPL's Central Library. Designed in a Spanish Revival style, it replaced the prior Carnegie building. In 1976 the Jesse H. Jones Building (as it was named in 1989) opened, and the main portion of the Central Library moved to it. The building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. The Ideson building reopened in 1979. Lana Berkowitz of the Houston Chronicle described a local legend that the Ideson Building was haunted by the ghosts of library caretaker Jacob Frank Cramer and his dog Petey. About the Julia Ideson Building - Houston Public Library A Walk Through Houston’s History- Julia Ideson Library on YouTube - Downtown Houston organization The Ghost of Jacob, the real story of Jacob Cramer who haunts the Julia Ideson Library.

Location

500 McKinney St.
Houston, Harris County, Texas
29.75888, -95.36906

Categories

COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENTARTEDUCATIONARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Native Heritage
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Nearby Historic Sites

Houston City Hall
Industrial
0.1 mi
Kellum-Noble House
Industrial
0.2 mi
City National Bank Building
Pre Contact
0.3 mi
Humble Oil Building
Industrial
0.3 mi
Battelstein's
Industrial
0.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Ideson, Julia, Building listed on the National Register?

Ideson, Julia, Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 23, 1977.

What type of historic resource is Ideson, Julia, Building?

Ideson, Julia, Building is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Ideson, Julia, Building?

The period of significance for Ideson, Julia, Building is recorded as the industrial era.

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