de Montel, Charles, House
Why it's listed
Built in stages between 1848 and 1850 beside the Medina River northwest of Castroville, this one-story limestone rubble farmhouse began as a two-room frontier dwelling and grew into a larger Greek Revival home. Later additions included a two-room wing, a carriage breezeway and a five-room central-hall block with high ceilings, large twelve-over-twelve windows and a simple columned south portico. Apart from a galvanized metal roof and the loss of three of four chimneys, the house remains much as it was built. Its builders were Charles de Montel and a man named Schott. De Montel guided Henri Castro's colonists to the site of Castroville, helped plan the town, and later helped found Bandera, served as a county judge and commanded Confederate units. The house is notable for preserving early construction methods and for a Greek Revival style uncommon in an area known for Alsatian buildings. At the time of listing the property was unoccupied and on the market.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the house as a nearly untouched pre-Civil War building showing both early frontier construction and a later, more refined vernacular Greek Revival design, which is rare in an area dominated by Alsatian building types. It is also tied to Charles de Montel, who guided the Castro colonists, helped lay out Castroville and founded Bandera, and held other regional roles.
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 80004142, listed November 25, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | NW of Castroville, Castroville |
|---|---|
| County | Medina County |
| Listed | November 25, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80004142 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Charles de Montel, Mr. Schott |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival vernacular |
| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Described as unoccupied and offered for sale; the original portions are largely unaltered apart from a metal roof, lost chimneys and a deteriorating slave-quarters section. |
| Acreage | 2.7 |
| Coordinates | 29.36837, -98.90201 (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 80004142.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110002285
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.