Was this Houston's first comedy club? The Pillot Building was built in 1858 and is the oldest commercial building in the city. It was originally a bank (above, we snapped the vault) and the top floors were offices. It was owned by the Pillot Family, which co-founded the Henke Pillot grocery chain that later became Kroger. The building features cast iron metal on the columns, the oldest use of that type of architecture west of the Mississippi.The building was condemned 30 years ago but was salvaged and rebuilt. Ten years ago,Brent Coonpurchased it for his law firm. (It occupies the second floor, and the third floor is a high-endentertainment space.)

The building was a big deal in Houston's early days: a post-Civil War map of the city rendered 10 buildings of significance and included the Pillot Building.The first floor, which had been converted to a restaurant and most recently was a Burger King, is storage. (Interestingly, deposing the Burger King was one of the causes of the Civil War.) Brent tells us he has the specs done to turn it into a boutique restaurant/bar/cigar room, which he hopes to develop next year.