City National Bank Building
a.k.a. Southern National Bank Building; Texas American Building
1001 McKinney Ave., Houston, TXDuring the early years of the twentieth century, Houston gained economic maturity with a rapid rise in bank deposits, the full development of its railroads and ship channel, the discovery of nearby oil fields, and a municipal government supportive of progressive and civic growth. By 1930, Houston ranked as the largest city in Texas in population. Federal monies financed the construction of chemical plants and refineries, which then received large government contracts to produce synthetic rubber and other war commodities. The burgeoning growth of City National Bank, represented by the construction of a new building in 1947, reflects the economic prosperity of post-War Houston. The bank played an important role in the stimulation of that economy, making the building eligible under Criterion A for its historical associations with the post-war economy of Houston in the area of economics. Judge James A. Elkins, the bank's president and an important leader in Houston's powerful elite, played an influential role in the development of Houston's booming economy. The City National Bank building is the resource most strongly associated with his role in Houston banking, making it eligible under Criterion B in the area of economics at the local level of significance. Elkins' exceptional significance in the development of high finance in Houston at the foremost level requires the period of significance to be extended to 1956 in order to encompass the full length of occupation of the building by the City National Bank. A formidable influence upon the post-war skyline of Houston and a representation of Alfred Finn's later skyscraper design, the building also is nominated under Criterion C in the area of architecture at the local level of significance.
Local significance of the building:Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 2000.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.