Roper Hotel
Why it's listed
Built around 1888 by George Calvin and Elizabeth Huckenhull Roper, this two-story brick hotel sits at Hwy. 281 and 3rd Street in Marble Falls. It has a hip roof, a full-length double front gallery, and walls of locally made buff brick, with granite sills and architraves from nearby quarries. Side and rear trim was covered in stained mastic to imitate brownstone. The interior has a central hall, six rooms on the ground floor and twelve upstairs. Marble Falls was then being developed as a manufacturing center, and the hotel became one of its earliest. It hosted Texas governors and politicians, served as a stage stop, and housed traveling salesmen who displayed their wares there. From 1926 it passed through new owners and became Central Hotel and then Francis House, run by the Smith family until 1963. Townspeople kept calling it the Roper Hotel. Later alterations removed chimneys and changed the roof and interior, and new owners planned a restoration for commercial use.
Significance in brief: The hotel was one of the earliest in Marble Falls, a town promoted in the 1870s and 80s as a manufacturing center. It served as a weekend stopover for Texas governors and politicians, a stage stop, and headquarters for traveling salesmen. It later operated as the elegant Francis House, and was in continuous use from 1888 to at least 1963.
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 80004083, listed January 8, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | TX 281 and 3rd St., Marble Falls |
|---|---|
| County | Burnet County |
| Listed | January 8, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80004083 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1888 |
| Architect / builder | George Calvin and Elizabeth Huckenhull Roper (builders/original owners) |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Commerce, Transportation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as altered, in fair condition and unoccupied; owners were planning a restoration for commercial use and had applied for a grant. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 30.57132, -98.27554 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 80004083.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14711287
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.