Littlefield Building, Austin, Texas
historical marker
The Littlefield Building, located in Austin, Travis County, Texas, stands at the corner of Sixth Street and Congress Avenue. This historical marker was erected in 2002 by the Texas Historical Commission. The building is named for Major George Washington Littlefield, a Confederate Army officer, cattleman, and banker. Littlefield established the American National Bank in 1890. Groundwork for his new building began in 1910. Designed in the Beaux Arts Classical style by architect C. H. Page, Jr., the Littlefield Building opened in 1912. It was Austin's first office building. Initially eight stories, a ninth story was later enclosed, making it the tallest commercial building in Austin for nearly two decades. The building briefly held the distinction of being the tallest between New Orleans and San Francisco. The ground floor housed the American National Bank, which included a ladies' banking department. Bronze, bas-relief doors, commissioned from Tiffany's of New York, adorned the corner entrance. Lyndon Baines Johnson was a tenant in 1935, heading the Texas chapter of the National Youth Administration. The Littlefield Building represents a key period of Austin's early 20th-century commercial growth and architectural ambition.