Ragland, John B., Mercantile Company Building
Also known as: Raglands
Why it's listed
Raglands is a two-story brick commercial building on the corner of Kleberg Avenue and 6th Street in downtown Kingsville, Texas. Designed by Victoria architect Jules Carl Leffland and built in 1909, it replaced a small frame store opened in 1904 by John B. Ragland, one of the town's earliest merchants. Its Italianate design includes brackets, a denticulated and crenellated cornice, limestone belt courses and a corner tower with a cupola, with touches of Gothic Revival and Mission Revival. Large display windows and plain, rectangular upper windows mark it as an early 20th-century transitional building. A one-story grocery addition followed in 1910. The store became the leading mercantile business in town and later a major department store, remodeled in 1950 under designer Raymond Loewy and closed in 1979. King Ranch, Inc., restored the building in 1989 using original drawings. It was listed for its architecture and its role as a local landmark.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is a locally significant example of transitional early 20th-century commercial architecture. It is an Italianate two-part commercial block with Gothic Revival and Mission Revival influences. It also served as the leading mercantile store in the young town of Kingsville.
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 92001820, listed January 21, 1993. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 201 E. Kleberg Ave., Kingsville |
|---|---|
| County | Kleberg County |
| Listed | January 21, 1993 |
| Reference number | 92001820 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1909-1910 |
| Architect / builder | Leffland, Jules Carl |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Restored in 1989 by King Ranch, Inc., and now houses the King Ranch Saddle Shop; the department store closed in 1979. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Kingsville Downtown Historic District |
| Coordinates | 27.51639, -97.86606 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
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 92001820.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6220095
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.