{"nrhp_refnum":"98000280","name":"Briones, Genaro P. and Carolina, House","other_names":["Casa de Suenos"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1204 E. 7th St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Austin","county":"Travis County","state":"TX","lat":30.265458840000065,"lon":-97.72954406299999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1998-08-07","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Art"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story, concrete block duplex at 1204 East 7th Street in East Austin, Travis County, Texas, begun in 1947 and known locally as Casa de Sueños. It was designed and built by Genaro P. Briones in a modified Four Square form with sculpted, tinted stucco.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is an excellent example of modern Texas folk architecture and a unique work of art, under Criterion C in Architecture and Art at the local level. Its sculpted and tinted stucco, faux wood and stone details, and concrete yard furniture show techniques Briones learned from craftsman Dionicio Rodriguez. The house also retains a high degree of integrity and reflects Mexican-influenced culture in East Austin.","narrative":"Casa de Sueños, or House of Dreams, at 1204 East 7th Street in Austin is a two-story concrete block duplex that bricklayer and plasterer Genaro P. Briones began building in 1947. Working only evenings and weekends, he finished the main house in 1953 and kept adding rooms until the late 1970s. The form is a modified Four Square with a double porch, but the surfaces are what set it apart: brightly tinted, sculpted stucco carved to look like stone and wood, with flowers, stars and horseshoes, and interiors with log-style moldings and a grotto. Briones also made concrete yard furniture, a basket planter and flamingoes. He learned the tinting and molding methods from Mexican craftsman Dionicio Rodriguez, though his bold colors on low relief were likely his own approach. The house was listed for its architecture and artistic value at the local level. Its original floor plan, windows and decoration remain intact, and it is still used as a duplex in a predominantly Hispanic East Austin neighborhood.","period_of_significance":"1947-1948","architect_builder":"Genaro P. Briones","architectural_style":"Other: Four Square (modified)","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Still used as a duplex, the same function as historically; the nomination says the decoration is intact and the original floor plan and windows are unaltered.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.34497-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/31/9703/40970331/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/98000280.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/98000280/7b8867bcfe-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/98000280/7b8867bcfe-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 4.0","author":"Larry D. Moore","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Briones_house_austin_2009.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:Briones_house_austin_2009.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40970331","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genaro_P._and_Carolina_Briones_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5530881"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/travis-county/briones-genaro-p-and-carolina-house-98000280/"}