Hicks-Gregg House
Why it's listed
Built in 1909 on three lots at the corner of West Washington and 13th streets, this two-and-one-half-story wood-frame house sits in Brownsville's first suburb, West Brownsville. Frederick and Zuleika Hicks built it in the American Foursquare form, with a pyramidal hipped roof, full-width porch with Tuscan columns, a central dormer and numerous multi-pane windows. Details borrowed from other styles include a Queen Anne-like bay window and decorative rafter tails. Around 1925 the Gregg family added a glass-walled sunroom with terrazzo flooring that changed the front facade. A two-story servants' quarters and a two-car garage stand behind the house and are counted as contributing buildings. John Gregg, a Brownsville bank president, and his wife Lily owned the home for more than forty years. It was listed for its architecture, as a well-preserved example of a modified Foursquare, with a period of significance from 1909 to about 1925.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is an excellent example of a modified American Foursquare that shows the style's flexibility, blending Queen Anne, Craftsman, Italianate and Colonial Revival touches. It also retains a high degree of architectural integrity. It is also one of the last intact two-story homes of the early 20th century in West Brownsville.
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 09000486, listed July 1, 2009. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1249 W. Washington St., Brownsville |
|---|---|
| County | Cameron County |
| Listed | July 1, 2009 |
| Reference number | 09000486 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1909-c. 1925 |
| Architect / builder | unknown |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and Early 20th Century Movements: Other/American Foursquare |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a single-family dwelling with a secondary structure; the living room and sunroom have been restored to their original design. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 25.91847, -97.51553 (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 09000486.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110002673
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.