Solon, John, House
Why it's listed
Built in 1894, this two-story stone house at 617 Solon Road in Waxahachie was the home of its builder, John Solon, an Irish immigrant stone mason. Solon erected many stone buildings in downtown Waxahachie, including the 1874 courthouse, which no longer stands. His own house has a hip roof with gables, turned wood porch posts, corbeled stone caps, a horseshoe-arched window, arched sandstone window surrounds, jig-sawn bargeboard and finials along the ridgeline. Its Romanesque influence is unusual for a rural residence, since that style and its materials were more often used for city commercial and institutional buildings in Texas. The property was listed for the quality of its craftsmanship and as one of the few stone structures in the area. The grounds hold a small first dwelling, said to date from the 1880s and to have sheltered Solon during construction, along with early twentieth-century board-and-batten outbuildings and historic landscape features.
Significance in brief: The house is regarded as one of Waxahachie's most architecturally noteworthy buildings and one of the few stone-built structures in the area. It shows Romanesque stylistic influence, which is unusual for a rural residence in Texas. It also reflects the craftsmanship of John Solon, an Irish immigrant stone mason.
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 86002453, listed September 11, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 617 Solon Rd., Waxahachie |
|---|---|
| County | Ellis County |
| Listed | September 11, 1987 |
| Reference number | 86002453 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Builder--John Solon |
| Architectural style | Romanesque stylistic influence |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition is listed as excellent, and the house is in residential use. The first dwelling is used for storage, and the outbuildings remain functional. |
| Acreage | 1.5 |
| Within district | West End Historic District |
| Coordinates | 32.39065, -96.85366 (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 86002453.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110001973
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.