Sealy, J.L., Building
801 S. Main St., Fort Worth, TXThe Sealy Building is nominated to the National Register at the local level of significance under Criterion C in the area of Architecture as a good local example of a 2-part commercial block building in the near South Side of Fort Worth, Texas. The building was constructed in 1916 and displays the characteristics of this building type: a multi-story building (in this case, two-story constructed of brick) with a differentiated façade reflecting the private and public uses of the building. Contractor C. H. Messer constructed the building for J. L. Sealy, a butcher, who operated a grocery in one of the façade's two storefronts. The storefronts are separated by a centered entrance that leads to the second story. The second story was used for apartments or as a transient hotel. This private function is reflected through the use of smaller window openings that were filled with 1/1 wood windows. The rear of the first floor was also used for apartments. A unique feature is an integral porch on the east end of the north elevation that provided access to the first floor apartments and a stairwell that leads to the apartments on the second floor. The building is located on South Main Street, less than a mile from the Central Business District. The period of significance is 1916, the year the building was constructed.
Local significance of the building:Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 2013.
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.