National Biscuit Company Building (City View Lofts)

Significance

Nabisco, founded in 1898, expanded rapidly across the country, and in 1910 it built this Houston bakery and distribution plant to designs by its in-house architect, Albert G. Zimmerman. The red brick industrial building, with its tall corner tower and regular grid of windows, reflects the Chicago School approach to efficient, well lit factory design. Nabisco operated here until 1949, when furniture wholesaler Purse & Co. took over the building. In the 2000s it was converted into more than 50 loft apartments known as City View Lofts, an early example of adaptive reuse on the east side of downtown. It was listed on the National Register and designated a City of Houston Landmark in 1998.

Climate risks tracked

The building sits east of downtown near Buffalo Bayou, in an area of older streets and drainage that struggles in heavy rain. As a residential building, the priorities are keeping ground floor units and building systems out of floodwater, with raised equipment and a flood plan for the lowest level. The big industrial windows are character defining and can be protected with interior storm panels or carefully matched impact glazing. Solid brick walls hold moisture, so keeping mortar joints repointed with a compatible lime based mortar and managing interior humidity prevents mold and deterioration. The brick mass slows heat gain, but a reflective roof helps keep top floor lofts cooler in summer.

Use the preservation assistant to talk through retrofit strategies for these specific threats.

Location

Nearby landmarks

• 1917 · Early Commercial

  Cheek-Neal Coffee Company Building