House at 523 Highland
Why it's listed
This one-story frame house at 523 Highland sits in a residential neighborhood west of Waxahachie's central business district, in the University addition south of the old Trinity University campus. Dated to 1902, it is a modified L-plan dwelling clad in weatherboard, with a hip roof broken by gables, wood double-hung windows, and an interior brick chimney with a corbeled cap. A five-bay porch with Ionic columns wraps around the south and east sides, and a secondary entry lies at the rear of the porch. The house was recorded as an architectural example. The L-plan is one of the most common house types in the city, but this one is described as among the finest and best preserved. Its steeply pitched roof with intersecting gables, imbricated shingles in the gable ends, sunburst motif, jig-sawn corner brackets and entry details reflect late Victorian Queen Anne style, while the curved Ionic porch reflects Neoclassical Revival. The house was in good condition and used as a residence when surveyed in 1985.
Significance in brief: The inventory form describes it as one of the city's finest and best preserved examples of a modified L-plan house with Queen Anne and Neoclassical Revival embellishments. Although the L-plan is among the most common types in Waxahachie, this house shows late Victorian details alongside a curved Ionic-columned porch.
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 86002416, listed September 24, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 523 Highland, Waxahachie |
|---|---|
| County | Ellis County |
| Listed | September 24, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86002416 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Modified L-plan with Queen Anne and Neoclassical Revival elements |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as good; present use residential. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 32.40136, -96.85723 (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 86002416.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110000592
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.