{"nrhp_refnum":"90001869","name":"Baylor Female College Historic District","other_names":["University of Mary Hardin-Baylor"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Bounded by King, College and W. Ninth Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Belton","county":"Bell County","state":"TX","lat":31.067116665500038,"lon":-97.46423053852209,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1990-12-26","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A private college campus historic district of about 30 acres at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, Bell County, Texas, with Georgian Revival brick buildings mostly from the 1920s-30s, a gazebo and the ruins of the first college building (1886).","why_significant":"The district is argued to be significant under Criterion A for its role in the development of women's colleges in Texas and in Belton's education history. It also meets Criterion C as an example of Georgian Revival educational architecture and of a Beaux-Arts-influenced college plan, laid out by architect Rubin M. Hunt.","narrative":"This 30-acre campus at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton centers on red brick Georgian Revival buildings arranged around two large commons. Founded as Baylor Female College, the school moved to Belton in 1886 after local citizens offered $31,000 and land. Its first building, Luther Hall, burned in 1929, and part of its stone arches was kept as a memorial at the campus center. In the late 1910s, Chattanooga architect Rubin M. Hunt prepared a master plan with a rectangular green, symmetrical buildings and crisscrossing walkways. Under President John Crumpton Hardy, enrollment grew from 411 in 1912 to over 1,000 by 1918, and buildings such as Wells Science Hall, Burt Hall, Ruth Stribling Dormitory, Hardy Hall, Pressler Hall and Hughes Recital Hall followed between 1920 and the 1930s. Eight resources contribute to the district, and later buildings largely follow Hunt's plan. The campus was listed for its place in women's education and its architecture and planning.","period_of_significance":"1886 - 1940","architect_builder":"Rubin M. Hunt","architectural_style":"Georgian Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still used as a college campus; Luther Hall survives only as stabilized ruins preserved as a memorial.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:21.071492-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/91/9682/40968291/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/90001869.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90001869/36f9cf16f7-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/90001869/36f9cf16f7-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Billy Hathorn","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mabee_Student_Center,_UMHB,_Belton,_TX_IMG_5541.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Billy Hathorn</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:Mabee_Student_Center,_UMHB,_Belton,_TX_IMG_5541.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40968291","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q65557976"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/bell-county/baylor-female-college-historic-district-90001869/"}