House at 217 E. 5th Street

This one-story frame cottage at 217 East 5th Street in Houston Heights dates to about 1904. It has clapboard walls, a composition gable roof with a projecting front gable, and decorative shingles at the base of the pediment. An inset porch rests on turned posts and is trimmed with squared fretwork, balusters, and scalloped trim with pendants. Windows have two-over-two lights framed by simple molded architraves, the single front door has a transom, and brick piers support the house. The architect and builder are unknown, and the style is described as having Eastlake detailing, though the porch detailing may be a later addition. The cottage sits in the middle of its block, facing a residential area, with its lot backing onto an alley. It was recorded in 1980 as being in good condition and used as a rental residence. It was listed because it is a handsomely detailed, well-kept example of the small early cottages that are common in the Heights, with significance at the local level in architecture.