{"nrhp_refnum":"83004492","name":"Cape House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"316 W. Hopkins St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"San Marcos","county":"Hays County","state":"TX","lat":29.883134625000025,"lon":-97.94452208899997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-08-26","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Commerce","Law","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story frame Victorian house with attic at 316 West Hopkins Street in San Marcos, Hays County, Texas, built about 1898 for John (J.M.) Cape. Local contractor Horace Leffingwell and his sons did the work.","why_significant":"The house is described as one of the most spectacular Victorian residences in San Marcos, with asymmetrical massing, abundant wooden detail and a double-level porch on three sides. It is also tied to the Cape family, prominent in cotton ginning, law and civic affairs. Areas of significance are architecture, commerce, industry and law.","narrative":"Built around 1898 at 316 West Hopkins Street in San Marcos, this two-story frame house with attic is a fine local example of Victorian domestic design. Contractor Horace Leffingwell and his sons built it for John Cape. A double-level porch wraps three sides, with a porte-cochere on the east and plain and beaded boards in place of elaborate gingerbread trim. Inside, a heavy carved and coffered stair, pocket doors, bullseye moldings and beaded walls and ceilings survive. Exterior alterations are almost nonexistent. Cape walked from New York to Texas at age 15, inherited a miller's property in 1880, and became San Marcos' first postmaster and a major cotton ginner. His son Edward, an attorney, helped form the Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority and helped bring Gary Air Force Base to town. Lyndon Johnson was a frequent overnight guest. The house remains a private residence, with a nonsignificant garage apartment on the lot.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899, 1900-","architect_builder":"Horace Leffingwell and sons, contractors","architectural_style":"Victorian","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied as a private residence; condition good, slightly altered, on its original site.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:18.654172-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/43/9695/40969543/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/83004492.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83004492/c7e76ea367-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83004492/c7e76ea367-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 4.0","author":"Larry D. Moore","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cape_house_san_marcos_2013.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:Cape_house_san_marcos_2013.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40969543","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q110002239"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/hays-county/cape-house-83004492/"}