Moore, W. B., House
Why it's listed
Built around 1895 at 912 E. Marvin in Waxahachie, this one-story frame house follows a U-plan, a vernacular form that is now uncommon in the city. It has weatherboard siding, a hip roof with gables, wood double-hung windows, and a five-bay porch on the north side with turned posts, turned balusters, brackets and a spindlework frieze. Pent roofs and imbricated shingles decorate the gable ends, and the window surrounds show classical detailing alongside Eastlake-inspired porch work. The massing is symmetrical. The house is one of only two unaltered U-plan buildings in Waxahachie, the other being nearby at 712 E. Marvin. W. B. Moore, who ran a grocery store at 211 N. College, owned it as his residence from the early 1900s to the 1940s. It was listed for its architecture, as a rare local example of a vernacular type that keeps a high degree of integrity. The house remains in residential use and is in good condition.
Significance in brief: The house is one of only two unaltered U-plan structures in Waxahachie; the other stands nearby at 712 E. Marvin. Reviewers called it a rare, locally significant example of a vernacular U-plan type that retains a high degree of integrity. It was nominated under the architecture criterion.
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 86002447, listed September 24, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 912 E. Marvin, Waxahachie |
|---|---|
| County | Ellis County |
| Listed | September 24, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86002447 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | U-plan |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is listed as good; present use is residential. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 32.38776, -96.83247 (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 86002447.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110001980
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.