{"nrhp_refnum":"78002971","name":"Texas Hall, Old Trinity University","other_names":["Westminster College"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"College and Westminister Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Tehuacana","county":"Limestone County","state":"TX","lat":31.74411474900006,"lon":-96.54559833699994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-07-12","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Texas Hall is a four-story limestone college building on a hilltop at the corner of College and Westminster Streets in Tehuacana, Limestone County, Texas. It was built in stages between 1871 and 1892 on the former Trinity University campus.","why_significant":"The building served as the main building for three church-supported colleges: Trinity University, Westminster College, and Westminster Junior College and Bible Institute. It is described as an excellent example of collegiate architecture combining Second Empire and Gothic details. It also reportedly held Texas' first indoor college basketball court.","narrative":"Texas Hall is a four-story limestone building on a tree-covered hilltop in Tehuacana, Texas. Built in stages from 1871 to 1892, it combines Second Empire massing, including a bell-cast mansard roof and a central tower, with Gothic arched windows and tracery. Stonemason Joseph Schuster built the original block and auditorium wing, and William Rees built the flanking pavilions to designs by Dallas architect J. W. Flanders, who also designed the 1892 tower. The hall served as the main building of Trinity University until 1902, then Westminster College, one of the state's first accredited junior colleges, and later Westminster Junior College and Bible Institute until 1972. A basketball court added on the fourth floor in 1916 was reportedly the first indoor college court in Texas. The building has been empty since 1972 and suffered vandalism and roof damage, though its structure remains sound. A 1976 purchaser planned restoration as a museum and conference center.","period_of_significance":"1871-1892","architect_builder":"Joseph Schuster, William Rees, arch. - J. W. Flanders","architectural_style":"Second Empire with Gothic details","criteria":[],"status_note":"Vacant since 1972; structurally sound but with vandalized windows and a damaged roof. A new owner has purchased it and is restoring it, planning a museum and conference center.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:19.028853-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/42/9728/40972842/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/78002971.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002971/3a1bab30b0-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78002971/3a1bab30b0-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Renelibrary","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Texas_Hall,_Old_Trinity_University4.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Renelibrary</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Texas_Hall,_Old_Trinity_University4.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40972842","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Hall,_Old_Trinity_University","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q48810637"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/limestone-county/texas-hall-old-trinity-university-78002971/"}