Oliver, Dr. William Holt, House
Why it's listed
Dr. William Holt Oliver had this two-and-a-half-story frame house built at 602 W. 26th Street in Bryan, Texas, around 1904-1905. The Parker Lumber Co. served as contractor, and William Nash is listed as architect or builder. Designed in the Classical Revival style, it has a hip roof with gables, wood double-hung windows, and a nine-bay porch wrapping the south, east and west sides. A full-height entry portico carries paired fluted Ionic columns and box columns with Ionic capitals, topped by a gabled dormer with a Palladian motif. Leaded glass fills the door, sidelights and transom. The design shows a move away from strict symmetry, since the paired columns do not line up with the off-center entrance. The house is also linked to medicine in Bryan. In 1913 Dr. Oliver is credited as a leader in founding the city's first hospital, which he financed and staffed on West 28th Street. It later expanded and in 1954 became St. Joseph's Hospital. The house was in good condition and still residential when surveyed.
Significance in brief: The house shows a Classical Revival design that departs from strict symmetry and conventional use of classical motifs, with paired, dissimilar giant-order columns not aligned with the off-center entrance. It is also tied to Dr. Oliver, credited as a leader in founding Bryan's first hospital in 1913, which later became St. Joseph's Hospital.
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 87001640, listed September 25, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 602 W. Twenty-sixth, Bryan |
|---|---|
| County | Brazos County |
| Listed | September 25, 1987 |
| Reference number | 87001640 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Nash, William (architect/builder); Parker Lumber Co. (contractor) |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| Areas of significance | Health/Medicine, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed in good condition and in residential use at the time of the 1986 survey. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 30.67452, -96.37872 (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 87001640.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110001701
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.