Cummings House
Why it's listed
Built in 1921 at 1418 Heights Boulevard in Houston, this two-story frame house represents the Prairie Style as it was built in the years around World War I. It has clapboard walls, a composition roof and a hipped roofline with a porte-cochere extending from one side. The attached porch and the porte-cochere roof rest on battered half-columns set on brick piers, and large rectangular balusters surround the porch. The single front door has sidelights, and a large front window has double sidelights with many panes and a long transom of small lights. Windows elsewhere use six-over-one sash. The survey records no alterations and a good condition, and the house sits in the middle of a residential block on less than one acre. Its original owner, O. S. Cummings, was part of Houston's new and growing oil industry of that period. The property was recognized locally for its architecture, and it remains a rental residence.
Significance in brief: The house is considered a good example of Prairie Style architecture as built around World War I. Its original owner, O. S. Cummings, was part of Houston's new and growing oil industry during that era. Significance is recorded at the local level under architecture.
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 83004432, listed June 22, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1418 Heights Blvd., Houston |
|---|---|
| County | Harris County |
| Listed | June 22, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83004432 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900-- |
| Architectural style | Prairie Style |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Physical condition is listed as good, with no alterations; the house is in use as a rental residence. |
| Acreage | 9 |
| Coordinates | 29.79657, -95.39779 (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 83004432.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110002120
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.