Cuero High School
Why it's listed
Cuero High School is a two-story brick school building at 405 E. Sarah, built in 1928 on a full city block in a mostly residential area northeast of downtown Cuero. It has load-bearing masonry walls, a flat roof, and a double-door entrance set within a pointed archway. Cast-stone trim marks the center bay, decorative brickwork appears in the end bays, and a pedimented parapet caps the entry. Paired wood-sash windows with nine-over-nine lights remain on the second floor, while ground floor windows are covered with plywood. The building served as the town's high school until a new facility was built several blocks east in 1970. It is Cuero's oldest surviving school building financed with public money and the only pre-1936 public educational facility still standing in the community. Reviewers valued it as a local example of Gothic Revival architecture and as a resource tied to the city's educational history. The inventory lists it as vacant and in fair condition.
Significance in brief: It served as Cuero's high school from 1928 until a new facility opened several blocks east in 1970. It is the city's oldest surviving school building financed with public money and the only pre-1936 public educational facility still standing. It is also a noteworthy local example of an institutional building with Gothic Revival detailing.
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 88001990, listed October 31, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 405 E. Sarah, Cuero |
|---|---|
| County | DeWitt County |
| Listed | October 31, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88001990 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival school |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as vacant and in fair condition on the inventory form; the significance text mentions poor condition, and ground floor windows are covered with plywood. |
| Acreage | 1.7 |
| Coordinates | 29.09877, -97.28484 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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 88001990.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5192608
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.