{"nrhp_refnum":"79003013","name":"Rather House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"3105 Duval St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Austin","county":"Travis County","state":"TX","lat":30.29311752500007,"lon":-97.73264008999996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1979-10-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story residence with attic and cellar at 3105 Duval Street in Austin, Texas, north of the University of Texas campus. It was designed in 1910 by the Boston firm Brigham, Coveney, and Bisbee and built in 1910-1911 for Charles Taylor Rather.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house was hailed as one of the finest homes in the South when built. Its clean-lined, asymmetrical design, reminiscent of Bernard Maybeck's West Coast architecture, was uncommon in Austin, as was the use of an eastern architecture firm. It combines Spanish Colonial Revival references with high-quality materials and craftsmanship.","narrative":"Set on a hillside in the Duval Heights neighborhood north of the University of Texas, this two-story brick residence with attic and cellar was designed in 1910 by the Boston firm Brigham, Coveney, and Bisbee for Charles Taylor Rather, who had made a fortune in cotton, cattle, and oil in Gonzales. Built for about $25,000, it has light-colored brick walls, white cut stone trim, a red tile roof with deep bracket-supported eaves, and screened sleeping porches. Its asymmetrical, clean-lined design recalls Bernard Maybeck's West Coast work and was unusual for Austin, as was the hiring of an eastern firm. Spanish Colonial Revival touches include a tower once capped by a copper dome, since removed intact. The house hosted many social events from the 1910s to the 1930s. The family deeded it to the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest in 1952, and it remains in good condition and in use.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":"Brigham, Coveney, Bisbee","architectural_style":"Spanish Colonial Revival elements in an asymmetrical design reminiscent of Bernard Maybeck","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in good condition and well maintained; used by the seminary for temporary boarding, meetings, seminars and school-related social functions. The copper dome was removed intact.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:18.809317-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/83/9736/40973683/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/79003013.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79003013/662be48926-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/79003013/662be48926-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Renelibrary","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RatherHouse1.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:RatherHouse1.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40973683","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q110002384"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/travis-county/rather-house-79003013/"}