House at 500 North Main, East
Why it's listed
Built around 1905 in Ennis, Texas, this one-story frame house follows a T-plan layout, with a gable roof, weatherboard siding and double-hung wood windows. A hip-roofed porch wraps around the front-projecting wing, supported by turned wood posts and decorated with jig-sawn brackets and turned spindles. Imbricated shingles fill the gable end, and the porch visually dominates the house while following its contours. The house was listed because it is regarded as the best local example of its type. Its intact porch details distinguish it from the few other T-plan houses in the city and from the simple two-room vernacular structures from which the plan developed. Records show Mrs. Sarah A. McKay owned the property in the 1920s and 1930s. The architect or builder is unknown. When surveyed in 1985, the house was in fair condition and still used as a residence, in a neighborhood northeast of the central business district.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is architecturally significant as the best local example of the T-plan house type. Its intact wrap-around porch, with turned posts and jig-sawn brackets, sets it apart from the few other T-plan houses in town and from the simple two-room vernacular structures from which the plan evolved.
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 86002439, listed September 25, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 500 N. Main E, Ennis |
|---|---|
| County | Ellis County |
| Listed | September 25, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86002439 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | T-plan |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Recorded in fair condition in 1985 and still used as a residence. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 32.33179, -96.62859 (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 86002439.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110000713
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.