Frobese, William, Sr., House
Why it's listed
This two-story frame house at 305 E. Newman in Cuero is one of the city's oldest surviving residences. It has an L-plan form, weatherboard siding, a standing-seam metal gable roof, six-over-six wood windows, and a main entrance with transom and sidelights. Decorative features include box columns with molded caps, jig-sawn balusters and eave aprons, stick detailing and finials in the gables, and a polygonal bay topped by a balustraded porch. William Frobese, Sr., a German immigrant and principal partner in the regionally prominent firm H. Runge & Co., had the house dismantled at Indianola after the 1875 storm, with the planks numbered, and rebuilt in Cuero. It appears on an 1881 bird's-eye map of the city. Frobese died in 1911, and the house stayed in the family until recent years. It was listed for its architecture, as the outstanding local example of the L-plan, and for its link to Frobese's commercial prominence. The house remains in good condition and is virtually unaltered.
Significance in brief: It is described as one of Cuero's oldest surviving residences and one of its finest, thanks to its grand scale and fine craftsmanship. It is the outstanding local example of the L-plan form. It is also associated with William Frobese, Sr., a principal partner in the prominent firm H. Runge & Co.
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 88001980, listed October 31, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 305 E. Newman, Cuero |
|---|---|
| County | DeWitt County |
| Listed | October 31, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88001980 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | L-plan |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present condition is described as good and virtually unaltered; present use is residential. |
| Acreage | 1.5 |
| Coordinates | 29.08549, -97.29041 (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 88001980.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110001894
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.