Belvin Street Historic District
Why it's listed
Belvin Street in San Marcos is a tree-shaded avenue of 21 houses across three blocks, with one more house facing Mitchell Street. Fifteen were built between 1878 and 1910 and are mostly frame Victorian homes with broad porches, hipped and gabled roofs, and jigsawn trim. Carpenter Gothic, Second Empire and Eastlake details appear, along with a grand Colonial Revival house. Two houses have mansard towers, the only ones in town. The street grew from the Belvin Addition, developed by Methodist minister Robert Hixon Belvin, a former president of Coronal Institute. Belvin Street has been linked with education since a school operated there around 1860. Farmers and stockmen moved to town to be near Coronal, and later residents included teachers and presidents of Southwest Texas Normal School. The John Francis McGehee House, with Eastlake gallery trim, is called the best house of the district. Six later or heavily altered houses do not contribute, but none are considered intrusions.
Significance in brief: The district is a tree-shaded street of mostly frame Victorian houses showing Carpenter Gothic, Second Empire and Eastlake detail, with one grand Colonial Revival house. The street has long been tied to San Marcos' educational tradition through Coronal Institute and Southwest Texas Normal School. It also reflects early community planning through the Belvin Addition laid out by Robert Hixon Belvin.
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 83003792, listed December 1, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 700, 800, 900 blocks of Belvin St., and 227 Mitchell St., San Marcos |
|---|---|
| County | Hays County |
| Listed | December 1, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83003792 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899, 1900- |
| Architect / builder | S.B. McBride, Charles W. Sinz, Northcraft, Donalson and Malone (builders); Fehr and Granger (architects, 1951 noncontributing house) |
| Architectural style | Victorian (Carpenter Gothic, Second Empire, Eastlake) with Colonial Revival |
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition described as good but altered; all houses are private residences and all but one are owner-occupied. |
| Acreage | 15 |
| Coordinates | 29.87886, -97.95138 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 83003792.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q109999802
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.