Humble Oil Building
a.k.a. Main Building
1212 Main St., Houston, TXWith the formation of the Humble Oil and Refining Company in 1917, the course of the Texas oil industry and the Houston economy shifted profoundly. Established to exploit discoveries at Humble Field near Houston, the modest oil company evolved during the early 20th century into one of the world's largest petroleum conglomerates, now known as Exxon. Its founding coincided with demands for oil and gas generated by World War I. Contemporaneous improvements to the Houston Ship Channel soon secured the city's position as the focus of the regional oil market. By 1920 three quarters of the region's oil production emanated from the company's fields around Houston. Capitalizing on these developments, the company commissioned the New York architectural firm of Clinton and Russell to design its headquarters building in 1921. In the subsequent two decades, the company's practice of vertical integration of exploration, production, transportation, refinement, purchasing, and marketing concerns established it as a leader among 1200 oil-related firms in the city known as the World's Oil Capital. As a result, annual net income skyrocketed from $878,000 in 1917 to $186 million by 1948, with a corresponding increase from 541 to 18,954 employees during the same period. To accommodate this tremendous growth, the headquarters building experienced a series of additions that significantly expanded its presence in downtown Houston's commercial center.
Local significance of the building:Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1999.
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.