Did you know that cotton was once king in Houston? The 1884 Houston Cotton Exchange Building stands as a testament to that era. It reminds us of Houston’s economic past.
Back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries cotton was everything here. The Houston Cotton Exchange was the most important economic institution. It was the heart of the city’s financial life. Many prominent business leaders were cotton factors. They shaped banking and railroading too.
The Houston Cotton Exchange and Board of Trade organized in 1874. Just nine years later they were ready for a grand headquarters. Prominent local architect Eugene Heiner designed the three-story building. It stood proudly on Travis Street at Franklin. Contractors Max Kosse and James S Lucas built it in 1884 and 1885.
Imagine the bustling activity inside the 1884 Houston Cotton Exchange Building. The exchange room and galleries occupied the second and third floors. The first floor held offices and the exclusive Houston Club. A plush saloon operated in the basement.
The building’s style is Victorian Renaissance Revival. It features red brick and white limestone. This made it an exceptional structure in its time. Its location was strategic too. It stood just two blocks from the public wharf on Main Street. This wharf was vital for cotton transit.
In 1907 the 1884 Houston Cotton Exchange Building was remodeled. A fourth floor was added. Yet even with the expansion the Cotton Exchange moved in 1924. They needed a larger space so they relocated to Prairie and Caroline.
But the original building wasn’t forgotten. In 1973 John Hannah and Jesse Edmundson III purchased it. They began a massive restoration. Preservation Houston acknowledged Hannah’s work with a Good Brick Award in 1979.
Today the 1884 Houston Cotton Exchange Building is a designated Texas Historic Landmark. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. You can find it at 202 Travis Street. It shares its block with other historic buildings like the former W L Foley Dry Goods Company Building.
If you visit you might enjoy the Wine and Whisky bar on site. It offers great service in a beautiful historic setting. The 1884 Houston Cotton Exchange Building remains a symbol of Houston’s cotton era. It connects us to the city’s rich economic past.