{"nrhp_refnum":"85002299","name":"Polhemus, Joseph O., House","other_names":["Site #6"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"912 E. 2nd St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Austin","county":"Travis County","state":"TX","lat":30.26171587300007,"lon":-97.73437367299994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-09-17","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story, red brick, T-plan residence at 912 East 2nd Street in East Austin, Travis County, Texas, built about 1901 and probably constructed by its first owner, Joseph O. Polhemus.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is the best and most finely crafted example of an early twentieth-century brick residence in East Austin. Its refined brickwork, rusticated stone details and stepped parapet gable ends set it apart. Polhemus was active in Austin as a contractor and bricklayer.","narrative":"Located at 912 East 2nd Street in Austin, this one-story brick house dates to about 1901. It has a T-shaped plan, a gabled roof, a projecting front bay and a mansard roof topped by a stepped brick parapet. The red brick walls have very thin mortar joints, and split, rusticated bricks form a belt course at the floor line and inset medallions on the front facade. Rusticated stone appears in the lintels, sills and porch coping, and Doric columns on plinths support the porch roof. The most distinctive features are the stepped parapet walls at each gable end, corbeled to receive the eaves, with an arched window in each gable. The house was listed because it is considered the best and most finely crafted early twentieth-century brick residence in East Austin. It was probably built by its first owner, Joseph O. Polhemus, a contractor and bricklayer. It remains in residential use and in excellent condition, with a frame addition at the rear.","period_of_significance":"1900-","architect_builder":"Probably built by its first owner, Joseph O. Polhemus, contractor and bricklayer","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Physical condition is excellent and the house is still in residential use; a frame rear addition partially obscures the original plan.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:21.483046-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/63/9702/40970263/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/85002299.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85002299/83122b1fa5-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85002299/83122b1fa5-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Happywaffle at en.wikipedia","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joseph_O._Polhemus_House.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Happywaffle at en.wikipedia</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Joseph_O._Polhemus_House.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40970263","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q110000421"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/travis-county/polhemus-joseph-o-house-85002299/"}