{"nrhp_refnum":"88002530","name":"Brooks, Samuel Wallace, House","other_names":["Big Brothers and Big Sisters Program"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"623 E. St. Charles St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Brownsville","county":"Cameron County","state":"TX","lat":25.904120254000077,"lon":-97.50317644899997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1988-11-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 1 1/2-story wooden frame I-plan house, built in 1888 for its architect and first owner Samuel W. Brooks, now at 623 East St. Charles Street, Brownsville, Texas, after being moved in 1951 and 1987.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is a rare Rio Grande Valley example of an I-house, probably the only surviving 19th-century structure of its style in Brownsville. It is also tied to Brooks, a prominent late 19th-century Brownsville architect, builder and engineer. It qualifies under Criterion C for architecture, and the 1987 move placed it in a setting close to its original one.","narrative":"Built in 1888 for Samuel Wallace Brooks, this 1 1/2-story wooden house in Brownsville, Texas, follows a modified I-plan and is notable for its sawn fretwork veranda and ornamental gables with shingle bands and king-post braces. Brooks was an architect, builder and engineer credited with many local buildings, including county courthouses. The house was modern for its time in a city whose typical 1880s homes followed Mexican or older American traditions. It was moved five blocks in 1951 to make way for a school, then declined until it was condemned. In 1987 it was moved again to a vacant lot on East St. Charles Street that resembles its original setting. Missing details, including the veranda fretwork and newel post, were reconstructed from historic photographs, and the interior was adapted for offices. It is considered probably the only surviving 19th-century structure of its style in the city, and it was listed for its architecture.","period_of_significance":"1888","architect_builder":"Samuel W. Brooks (1888); Roberto Ruiz/Hector Garcia (1987 rehabilitation)","architectural_style":"Wooden I-plan house (modified I-plan, 1880s American stylistic traditions with sawn fretwork)","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Rehabilitated in 1987 and adapted for office use by a philanthropic organization; listed as occupied and in excellent condition.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:20.868943-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/50/9714/40971450/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/88002530.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88002530/a51789224d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/88002530/a51789224d-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"25or6to4","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Samuel_Wallace_Brooks_House.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">25or6to4</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:Samuel_Wallace_Brooks_House.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40971450","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q110001742"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/cameron-county/brooks-samuel-wallace-house-88002530/"}