Rhea, John C., House
Why it's listed
This two-and-a-half-story frame house at 801 N. College in McKinney was built around 1890 for John C. Rhea, a member of a prominent Collin County pioneer family who, with his brother, founded a flour mill at the nearby community of Rhea Mills. The architect and builder are unknown. The house has an asymmetrical plan, weatherboard siding, and a hip roof with gables. Decorative features include stick brackets, turned wood posts, a sunburst motif in the gable ends, cresting, two inset second-story porches, an eyebrow dormer, imbricated shingles, and jig-sawn detailing. A five-bay porch runs across the east elevation. It was listed for its architecture, as Queen Anne detailing applied to a traditional L-plan form and as one of the most outstanding late-nineteenth-century dwellings in McKinney. It remains in residential use and is reported to be in excellent condition with few alterations.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house combines Queen Anne detailing with a traditional L-plan form and is one of the best local examples. It is described as one of the most outstanding late-nineteenth-century dwellings in McKinney. A reviewer noted that an earlier claim of commercial significance for Rhea was removed from the resubmission.
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 87001749, listed June 27, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 801 N. College, McKinney |
|---|---|
| County | Collin County |
| Listed | June 27, 1988 |
| Reference number | 87001749 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is listed as good, and the resubmitted form says it remains in excellent condition with remarkably few alterations. Present use is residential. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 33.20400, -96.62121 (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 87001749.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110001761
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.