Parramore Historic District

Northwest of Abilene's central business district, this 13-acre neighborhood holds 27 contributing and seven noncontributing buildings, mostly single-family houses from the late 1910s through 1941. It takes its name from James H. Parramore, a cattleman and local businessman who acquired the land in 1881 and built a French Second Empire mansion there in 1885; that house was razed in 1959 and its block is now vacant. Most homes follow bungalow or Prairie School traditions, including a row of two-story Prairie School-influenced brick houses along the 700 block of Beech Street, each with a garage apartment. A few show Colonial or Tudor Revival influence. Houses have been well maintained and are largely unaltered, and only two contributing properties are no longer purely residential. The district was recognized for its architecture as the city's finest and most cohesive group of early 20th century houses, with a period of significance from 1917 to 1941.