Lichtenstein, S. Julius, House
Why it's listed
Built in 1905 for Corpus Christi merchant S. Julius Lichtenstein and his wife Carrie, this one-story frame house combines Colonial Revival and Queen Anne details. Features include a three-part bay window topped by a small octagonal-roofed tower, a front door with transom and sidelights patterned as a St. George's cross, and a porch with Doric columns under a cedar-shingle hipped roof. Lichtenstein managed his family's long-running dry goods business. The couple kept the house until 1926, and about 1929 a realtor moved it nine blocks north from 715 to 1617 North Chaparral Street, where the Ritz Theatre was later built on the original site. It served as rental housing for decades. The city acquired it in the 1970s and had it restored as a creative arts center for children, with new landscaping added in 1982. Hurricanes and demolition have claimed most of the city's turn-of-the-century homes, so this ordinary house now carries added local importance.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is a good example of middle-class housing common in Corpus Christi around 1900 but now very scarce, since hurricanes and demolition have erased much of the city's early architecture. It was built for merchant S. Julius Lichtenstein and his wife Carrie Weil. It has also been rehabilitated as a children's creative arts center.
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 83003156, listed March 10, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1617 N. Chaparral St., Corpus Christi |
|---|---|
| County | Nueces County |
| Listed | March 10, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83003156 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- |
| Architect / builder | unknown |
| Architectural style | Transitional Colonial Revival/Queen Anne |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Rehabilitated and in use as a creative arts center for children, owned by the City of Corpus Christi; condition listed as excellent, altered and moved. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 27.80329, -97.39617 (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 83003156.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110001278
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.