House at 807 North Preston
Why it's listed
Built around 1905, this one-story frame house at 807 North Preston in Ennis, Texas, is a variation on the modified L-plan, the most common house plan in the region. It sits at a 45-degree angle to the street, with the main entry placed where two equally sized ells meet. A decorative gable and a curved five-bay porch mark that entrance. The porch wraps around the south and east sides on square wood posts and has been screened. Other details include weatherboard siding, a hip roof with gables, double-hung windows, a carved tympanum in the center gable, imbricated gable ends, and a sunburst motif on the east gable. A frame garage stands on the lot. The house was moved to its present site and remains in residential use in good condition. It was the home of Dr. W. E. Campbell, a physician and surgeon who kept his office in the Moore Building on North Main Street. Its unusual local take on a common plan is the basis for its listing.
Significance in brief: The house is argued to be significant for architecture as an unusual local variation of the modified L-plan, the most common plan type in the region. It is set at a 45-degree angle to the street, with its entry at the junction of two equally massed ells, marked by a decorative gable and a curved five-bay porch. It was also the home of Dr. W. E. Campbell, a physician and surgeon.
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 86002529, listed September 25, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 807 N. Preston, Ennis |
|---|---|
| County | Ellis County |
| Listed | September 25, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86002529 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Modified L-plan |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition listed as good; present use is residential. The form notes the house was moved to its current site in a residential area northwest of the central business district. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 32.33282, -96.63536 (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 86002529.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110001928
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.