{"nrhp_refnum":"79002921","name":"Whitaker House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"517 Whitaker St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Texarkana","county":"Bowie County","state":"TX","lat":33.42196883500003,"lon":-94.05725976299999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-11-07","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story frame Victorian house at 517 Whitaker Street in Texarkana, Bowie County, Texas, built by Benjamin F. Whitaker before 1890.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as an excellent example of late Victorian architecture in Texas, with carved gables, stained glass, Eastlake-influenced walnut woodwork and imported Italian mantles. It is also tied to Benjamin Whitaker, a Texarkana commercial figure and state legislator who helped finance the first bridges across the Red River for the railroad. It was known as a local showplace by 1904.","narrative":"Built before 1890 by lumberman and legislator Benjamin F. Whitaker, this two-story frame house at 517 Whitaker Street in Texarkana is an elaborate example of late Victorian design. The irregular plan includes multiple gables, highly carved trim, bracketed cornices, wraparound porches and an imbricated-shingle belt course. Inside, ornate plaster molding, Eastlake-influenced carved walnut woodwork, a free-standing staircase, stained glass windows and Italian slate and marble mantles with gold leaf trim reflect the quality of the original construction. Whitaker moved to Texarkana in 1877, entered the lumber business with his brother, and helped fund the first two Red River bridges for the railway later part of the Kansas City Southern Line. He served in the Texas Legislature in the 1890s. A souvenir book from about 1904 called the house the showplace of Texarkana. Later changes include new siding and added bathrooms, yet the house remains a residence and keeps its original iron fence along Whitaker Street.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Benjamin Franklin Whitaker","architectural_style":"Late Victorian (Eastlake influenced)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Remains in use as a private residence; altered by siding, added bathrooms and some missing stained glass, but described as retaining integrity.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:18.628976-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/48/9713/40971348/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/79002921.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79002921/51704c2e78-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79002921/51704c2e78-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Renelibrary","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WhitakerHouse1.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Renelibrary</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:WhitakerHouse1.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40971348","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q110000985"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/bowie-county/whitaker-house-79002921/"}