Cock House
Why it's listed
Built in 1867 by Charles S. Cock, this modest limestone house at 402 E. Hopkins Street is the oldest remaining residential building in San Marcos. It is a vernacular late Greek Revival design with two main rooms, a central hall, six-over-six windows and simple moldings. A pedimented portico once covered the central doorway, and small galleries with square posts and wooden brackets were added before 1886. Cock came to Texas from Mississippi in 1851, farmed, and served as mayor from 1881 to 1883. His family occupied the house until 1906, and the City of San Marcos bought it in 1970. The house is a typical example of Central Texas stone building from the years after the Civil War. It sits at a pivotal corner of Veramendi Plaza, between the downtown and a planned river greenbelt, and was slated for restoration as a house museum with period furnishings.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it the oldest remaining residential building in San Marcos and a typical example of Central Texas stone residential architecture of the decade after the Civil War. It is also an important local landmark and one of the last historic buildings in the city, located in the Veramendi Plaza urban renewal project.
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 73001966, listed April 2, 1973. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 402 E. Hopkins St., San Marcos |
|---|---|
| County | Hays County |
| Listed | April 2, 1973 |
| Reference number | 73001966 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1867 |
| Architect / builder | Charles S. Cock (builder/owner) |
| Architectural style | Vernacular late Greek Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Owned by the City of San Marcos and described as deteriorated and altered at nomination, with restoration planned for use as a house museum; later notes say it serves as a house museum and meeting place, with restoration begun. |
| Coordinates | 29.88327, -97.93695 (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 73001966.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110002224
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.