{"nrhp_refnum":"78003378","name":"Kell, Frank, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"900 Bluff St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Wichita Falls","county":"Wichita County","state":"TX","lat":33.90764673700005,"lon":-98.49735875199997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-11-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Transportation","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story brick Neo-Classical Revival house at 900 Bluff Street in Wichita Falls, Wichita County, Texas, built in 1909 for merchant and railroad builder Frank Kell and designed by the local firm Jones and Orlopp.","why_significant":"The house is significant mainly as the home of Frank Kell (1859-1941), a pioneer Wichita Falls grain merchant and railroad builder. His rail work helped make the town a transportation hub and a regional center of trade and commerce. He also founded or developed other early civic and business enterprises there.","narrative":"Built in 1909 at 900 Bluff Street in Wichita Falls, this two-story brick house reflects the Neo-Classical Revival style. It has a hipped roof, wide bracketed eaves, limestone lintels and sills, and a symmetrical east facade dominated by a two-story portico with four Doric columns. Rounded one-story bays with Ionic columns and balustrades flank the portico. Local firm Jones and Orlopp designed it, apparently elaborating a center-hall pattern-book plan. Inside, an oak-paneled entry with a fireplace and large staircase contrasts with a light-colored formal living room. A library wing was added about 1925, and the original drawings survive. The house was built by Frank Kell (1859-1941), a grain merchant who moved to Wichita Falls in 1897. With partner J.A. Kemp he helped extend rail lines in all directions, turning the town into a transportation hub. He also organized the first electric company and developed the first street railway. He lived in the house until his death.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":"Jones and Orlopp, Wichita Falls","architectural_style":"Neo-Classical Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in excellent condition and occupied (by two daughters of the original owner at the time of nomination).","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:18.744067-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/73/9739/40973973/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/78003378.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78003378/687313114f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78003378/687313114f-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Michael Barera","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wichita_Falls_October_2015_56_(Kell_House_Museum).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Michael Barera</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wichita_Falls_October_2015_56_(Kell_House_Museum).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40973973","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kell_House_Museum","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16988850"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/wichita-county/kell-frank-house-78003378/"}