National Register of Historic Places

Rice Hotel

Houston, Harris County, Texas
Listed
June 22, 1978
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
78002947

About this property

The Rice, formerly the Rice Hotel, is a historical building at 909 Texas Avenue in Downtown Houston, Texas, United States. The current building is the third to occupy the site. It was completed in 1913 on the site of the former Capitol of the Republic of Texas, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The old Capitol was operated as a hotel until it was torn down and replaced by a new hotel around 1881. Jesse H. Jones built a new seventeen-story, double-winged hotel in 1913, also called "The Rice Hotel." This building underwent major expansions: adding a third wing in 1925, adding an eighteenth floor in 1951, and adding a five-story "motor lobby" in 1958. In addition, there were several renovations during its life as a hotel. It continued to operate as a hotel before finally shutting down in 1977. After standing vacant for twenty-one years, The Rice was renovated as apartments and reopened in 1998 as the Post Rice Lofts. It was sold in 2014 and renamed simply The Rice.

Location

Houston, Harris County, Texas
29.76066, -95.36292

Categories

COMMERCEENGINEERINGPOLITICS/GOVERNMENTARCHITECTURESOCIAL HISTORY
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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Overview
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The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
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Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
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Literature
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Spotlight
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Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
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Nearby Historic Sites

State National Bank Building
Industrial
0.1 mi
Scanlan Building
Industrial
0.1 mi
Paul Building
Industrial
0.1 mi
Kress Building
Industrial
0.1 mi
Christ Church
Civil War
0.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Rice Hotel listed on the National Register?

Rice Hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 22, 1978.

What type of historic resource is Rice Hotel?

Rice Hotel is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Rice Hotel?

The period of significance for Rice Hotel is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Rice Hotel?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Rice Hotel will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

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