Downtown Houston in Harris County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Sweeney, Coombs & Fredericks Building
Photographed by Jim Evans, November 9, 2012
1. Sweeney, Coombs & Fredericks Building Marker
This late-Victorian commercial building with a 3-story corner turret and Eastlake decorative elements was designed by George E. Dickey in 1889. Evidence indicates that the 1889 construction may have been a renovation of an 1861 structure built by William A. Van Alstyne and purchased in 1882 by John Jasper Sweeney and Edward L. Coombs. Gus Fredericks joined the Sweeney and Coombs Jewelry firm before 1889.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1974
Erected 1974 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 10786.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Buildings. A significant historical year for this entry is 1889.
Location. 29° 45.724′ N, 95° 21.644′ W. Marker is in Houston, Texas, in Harris County. It is in Downtown Houston. It is at the intersection of Main Street and Congress Avenue, on the right when traveling north on Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 301 Main Street, Houston TX 77002, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American South and on the Gulf Coast. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Republic of Texas, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Pillot Building (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Harris County 1910 Courthouse (about 300 feet away); Houston Bar Association (about 400 feet away); Republic Building (about
this page online
Other markers no longer nearby. First White House of the Republic of Texas (was about 400 feet away but has been confirmed missing); Harris County Courthouse of 1910 (was about 400 feet away but has been reported to have been replaced with another marker now near it).
Regarding Sweeney, Coombs & Fredericks Building. This building is in the National Register of Historic Places.
Victorian architect George E Dickey was trained in Boston and had worked in Toronto. He relocated to Houston in 1878, where he became a prolific local architect, designing several buildings in Houston and Galveston. This is one of only two of his buildings surviving in Houston.
The building, with its elaborate Eastlake ornamentation, is thought to be a radical remodeling of the plain, 3-story 1861 brick Van Alstyne Building. When the jewelry firm of Sweeney, Coombs & Fredericks
Photographed by J. Makali Bruton, September 29, 2019
2. Sweeney, Coombs & Fredericks Building and Marker
This one building, more than any other, crystallized efforts to preserve Houston's Main Street/Market Square Historic District. In 1974, Harris County planned on demolishing the building for the erection of a nine-story County Administration Building. Community opposition forced the county to modify the plan. The Administration Building was still erected (its right across the courtyard), but the Sweeney, Coombs and Fredericks Building was preserved.
Also see . . . Sweeney, Coombs, and Fredericks Building. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on March 27, 2024, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Photographed by Jim Evans, November 9, 2012
3. Sweeney, Coombs & Fredericks Building Marker
Photographed by Jim Evans
4. Sweeney, Coombs & Fredericks Building Sidewalk Inlaid
This is inlaid in the brick sidewalk in front of the building. The arrow points to the building.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 27, 2024. It was originally submitted on November 10, 2012, by Jim Evans of Houston, Texas. This page has been viewed 1,417 times since then and 63 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on November 10, 2012, by Jim Evans of Houston, Texas. 2. submitted on September 29, 2019, by J. Makali Bruton of Washington, District of Columbia. 3, 4. submitted on November 10, 2012, by Jim Evans of Houston, Texas. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
