Schreiner, Capt. Charles, Mansion
Why it's listed
Built in 1879 of native limestone, this two-story house at 216 Earl Garrett Street in Kerrville was the first limestone structure in Kerr County. Alfred Giles, a prominent Texas architect, designed it for Captain Charles Schreiner, a French-born merchant and banker who built one of the largest mercantile and banking enterprises in the Southwest. The house was originally plain on the exterior. In 1895 Giles, working with the Giles-Guidon firm, added a grand porch with rounded limestone arches, twin conical tile-roofed ends, and pink granite columns from Italy, using craftsmen brought from Germany. After Schreiner's death in 1927, his heirs gave the house to the Kerrville Masonic Lodge, which removed the central staircase and opened the second floor into a meeting room. Original gas fixtures, mantels, wallpaper and parquet floors survive on the first floor. A local preservation society hoped to restore it as a house museum.
Significance in brief: The house was the first limestone structure built in Kerr County and combines Romanesque and Chateauesque styles. It was the home of Captain Charles Schreiner, an immigrant who built one of the largest mercantile-banking enterprises in the Southwest and supported Kerrville with many philanthropic gifts.
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 75001997, listed April 14, 1975. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 216 Earl Garrett St., Kerrville |
|---|---|
| County | Kerr County |
| Listed | April 14, 1975 |
| Reference number | 75001997 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1879, 1895 |
| Architect / builder | Alfred Giles (Giles-Guidon firm for the 1895 porch) |
| Architectural style | Romanesque-Chateauesque (Richardsonian Romanesque and Chateauesque elements) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Used as a Masonic Temple from 1927 to 1972, then sold to a private owner; the data sheet lists it as currently vacant, and a preservation society planned to acquire and restore it as a house museum. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 30.04621, -99.13994 (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.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 75001997.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5036414
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.