{"nrhp_refnum":"70000849","name":"Fort House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"503 E. 4th St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Waco","county":"McLennan County","state":"TX","lat":31.554098958000054,"lon":-97.12679699699999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1970-10-15","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick late Greek Revival residence at 503 East 4th Street in Waco, McLennan County, Texas, built for Colonel Fort; the exact construction date is uncertain, with evidence pointing to 1854, 1859 or as late as 1868.","why_significant":"The nomination presents the house as an example of the mansions built by men who were building Texas during the cotton and cattle boom from 1860 to 1900. It is noted for its architecture, including the Ionic portico, bold entablatures and brick hood molds. It is also tied to Colonel Fort, a wealthy farmer, merchant, banker and early Waco civic figure.","narrative":"Fort House, at 503 East 4th Street in Waco, is a two-story brick residence in the late Greek Revival style, laid out in an ell-shaped plan. A two-story portico with giant Ionic columns shelters paneled double doors, and the windows carry segmental arched brick hood molds beneath bold wooden entablatures. A wide double gallery runs along the back and the ell. The date of construction is uncertain: marks reading 1854 and 1859 have been found, though the house may date to 1868. It was built for Colonel Fort, a wealthy man born in Alabama in 1826 who farmed near Waco, worked in merchandising, and later opened a private bank that merged with the Waco National Bank. He also owned the city's first public transit line, a mule-drawn street car. The house was listed as an example of the mansions of the post-1860 cotton and cattle era. It now serves as a museum, restored by the Junior League.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (specific date 1868)","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Late Greek Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Used as a museum; restored by the Junior League, which removed a second-story balcony and reopened the fireplaces. Condition marked excellent and altered.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:18.881216-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/79/9729/40972979/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/70000849.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/70000849/b3a74cc0fe-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/70000849/b3a74cc0fe-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 4.0","author":"Larry D. Moore","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fort_house_waco_2009.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Larry D. Moore</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fort_house_waco_2009.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40972979","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q107317677"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/mclennan-county/fort-house-70000849/"}