House at 201 N. Graves
Why it's listed
Built around 1900 at 201 N. Graves in McKinney, this 1 1/2-story frame house follows the L-plan, the most common vernacular house type in the city in the late 19th century. It has weatherboard siding, a hip roof with gabled extensions, box eaves with brackets, a gabled dormer, and wood double-hung windows. An L-shaped porch wraps the east and south sides, with turned-wood posts and a decorative frieze. Imbricated shingles and paired windows fill the gable ends. The house was listed because it is considered one of the best local examples of this house type. Although it has been converted to offices, it keeps nearly all of its original exterior detailing, and the porch frieze and brackets remain in good condition. It sits in a mixed residential and commercial area of mostly early and mid 20th-century houses, and the form notes it is not on its original site. The designer and builder are unknown.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is architecturally significant as one of the best local examples of the L-plan, the dominant vernacular house type of late 19th-century McKinney. Despite conversion to offices, it retains virtually all of its original exterior detailing, including the turned wood porch frieze and brackets. The reviewer accepted it 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 87001718, listed October 8, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 201 N. Graves, McKinney |
|---|---|
| County | Collin County |
| Listed | October 8, 1987 |
| Reference number | 87001718 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | L-plan dwelling (vernacular) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is commercial offices; condition is described as good to fair and virtually unaltered. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 33.19875, -96.62993 (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 87001718.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110001809
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.