House at 109 N. Sterling
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Why it's listed
This 1 1/2-story frame house at 109 N. Sterling in Bryan, Texas, is dated by estimate to 1905. It has a modified L plan, weatherboard siding, and a hip roof with gables. A three-bay porch on the west side has turned-wood posts, squared balusters and a panelled frieze with jig-sawn sunburst motifs forming segmental arches. A polygonal turret with a bell roof and metal finial is centered on the facade. Imbricated shingles cover the turret and gable ends, and the gables carry panelled bargeboards with stick detailing. The front door is elaborately carved. The record calls the house an impressive and unusually intact Victorian dwelling and lists architecture as its area of significance. It may have been moved to the site around 1914 or 1920. Later owners included E.J. Fountain until 1920, then Helen Swift, a county demonstration agent for A&M, in the 1930s. The house is in good condition and remains residential, in a neighborhood near West Side School.
Significance in brief: The inventory form describes it as an impressive and unusually intact Victorian dwelling with an engaged turret and finely crafted jig-sawn and turned ornament. Its significance is recorded under architecture. It may have been moved to the site around 1914 or 1920.
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 87001623, listed September 25, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 109 N. Sterling, Bryan |
|---|---|
| County | Brazos County |
| Listed | September 25, 1987 |
| Reference number | 87001623 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Modified L-plan |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present condition is listed as good, and present use is residential. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 30.67539, -96.37682 (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 87001623.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110000733
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.