Dowell, J. S., House
Why it's listed
Built in 1886 at 608 Parker Street in McKinney, this two-story frame house follows an L plan, a vernacular form common in the city in the late 19th century. John Martin, a successful local builder of that era, is believed to have constructed it for J.S. Dowell, and the property remained in the Dowell family until 1968. The house has weatherboard siding, a gable roof with box eaves, and wood double-hung windows with two-over-two lights. A single-door entrance with a transom and a three-bay shed-roofed porch with chamfered wood posts face east, where twin gables with dormers rise above cornice molding over the windows. A rear addition was completed around 1927. It sits in a residential area of mostly late 19th-century houses about five blocks southwest of the central business district. It was recognized as one of McKinney's best surviving examples of the L-plan house type, and it remains in residential use in good condition.
Significance in brief: The house is considered one of McKinney's best examples of a 1 1/2-story L-plan dwelling, a common late 19th-century vernacular house type in the city. It is also tied to local builder John Martin and stayed in the Dowell family until 1968. The reviewer recommended acceptance under Criterion C.
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 87001699, listed October 8, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 608 Parker, McKinney |
|---|---|
| County | Collin County |
| Listed | October 8, 1987 |
| Reference number | 87001699 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Martin, John |
| Architectural style | L-plan dwelling |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present condition is listed as good, and the present use is residential. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 33.19320, -96.62257 (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 87001699.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110001795
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.