Southern Hotel
Why it's listed
Rising three stories beneath a hipped mansard roof, this hotel at 201 West Main Street in Llano was built in 1881 for early residents J.K. Finlay and John Goodman. Its two-foot-thick rubble stone walls are stuccoed on the first two floors, and three dormers with triangular pediments mark each facade of the shingled third floor. A two-story veranda with jigsaw decoration once wrapped two sides but has been removed. Inside, a central hall on each floor separates three rooms on either side. The ground floor served public needs and meetings, while the upper floors held boarding rooms. Located near the public square, it served travellers and businessmen during a mining boom in the 1880s, first as a stagestop and later as a hotel and boarding house. It also functioned as a social center, and the Llano Lions Club met there as late as the 1950s. It is valued as a rare Texas example of Second Empire design. The building is vacant but structurally sound, and its interior remains largely intact.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it a fine and rare provincial interpretation of the Second Empire style, one of few surviving examples in Texas. It served Llano as a stagestop, hotel and boarding house, and for many decades as a social center, including meetings of the Llano Lions Club into the 1950s.
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 79002992, listed October 10, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 201 W. Main St, Llano |
|---|---|
| County | Llano County |
| Listed | October 10, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79002992 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architectural style | Second Empire (provincial interpretation) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Vacant but structurally sound; the two-story veranda has been removed and the roof was recently re-shingled. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Llano County Courthouse Historic District |
| Coordinates | 30.75048, -98.67754 (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.
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 79002992.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7570004
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.