Burford, R. F. and Lena, House
Also known as: #31
Why it's listed
Built around 1909 at 920 North Penelope in Belton, this two-story frame house was built for R. F. and Lena Venable Burford. It follows the foursquare plan, with roughly square massing and four rooms per floor, and carries Prairie School details: a low hipped roof, broad closed eaves with paired brackets, and a wide two-story L-shaped porch wrapping the front and south sides. Paired boxed columns and porch joinery echo the Arts and Crafts style. Inside, oak woodwork survives in the entry hall, living room, dining room and stairway. A one-car frame garage stands at the northwest corner of the lot. The house was listed for its architecture, as an excellent local example of Prairie School design applied to a foursquare house. Mrs. Burford's family, the Venables, were partners in the Belton New Lumber Company, which may explain the house's classic form. It also reflects the early twentieth century growth in middle-class housing, and it remains in very good condition as a single-family home.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls the house a textbook example of a Prairie School foursquare and an early local example of the American Foursquare type. It illustrates the early 20th century boom in middle-class house construction. It is significant locally under Criterion C in the area of Architecture.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 90001893, listed December 26, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 920 N. Penelope St., Belton |
|---|---|
| County | Bell County |
| Listed | December 26, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90001893 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1909 |
| Architect / builder | unknown |
| Architectural style | Prairie School |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as in very good condition with most original architectural features intact; still used as a single dwelling. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 31.06443, -97.45872 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 90001893.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110000889
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.