House at 912 Magoffin Avenue
Why it's listed
Located at 912 Magoffin Avenue in El Paso, this two-story red brick house was first built around 1895 and reworked into its present form around 1904. It sits in the Magoffin neighborhood, the city's first elite residential district, laid out in the 1880s east of downtown. Load-bearing brick walls rest on a granite foundation, and an intricate arrangement of hipped roofs and gables covers its asymmetrical massing. A curved central wall wrapped by a two-story porch, elaborate brickwork around an elliptical-arched triple window, turned wood columns, spindlework and cornice dentils combine Queen Anne and Colonial Revival details. The house was recognized for architecture at the local level. It illustrates how El Paso's wealthy residents built fashionable brick mansions after the railroad arrived, replacing traditional adobe construction. After decades of decline, apartment conversion and neglect, it was carefully rehabilitated in 1999 as an office and retains a high degree of integrity.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is an excellent, high-style example of late Victorian residential architecture in El Paso, combining Queen Anne and Colonial Revival features. Its brick construction reflects the shift from traditional adobe building to national trends after the railroad arrived. It meets Criterion C in Architecture at the local level.
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 03000557, listed June 23, 2003. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 912 Magoffin Ave, El Paso |
|---|---|
| County | El Paso County |
| Listed | June 23, 2003 |
| Reference number | 03000557 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c.1904 |
| Architect / builder | unknown |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian: Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Rehabilitated in 1999 and used as an office; it was once divided into apartments and neglected for years. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Magoffin Historic District |
| Coordinates | 31.76138, -106.47922 (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 03000557.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q65121335
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.