Day, Edwin and Hattie, House
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
This story-and-a-half frame house at 302 North Broadway in Ballinger, Texas, was completed by 1907 as the home of businessman J. Edwin Day and his wife Hattie. Its ground floor is fairly conventional, but the roofline is unusual. Bellcast towers, a belvedere, finials, concave-roofed dormers and gables rise from an essentially pyramidal roof. A wraparound veranda on Ionic columns, with a sunburst gable over the entry and a conical-roofed corner gazebo, adds Colonial Revival touches. Inside are nine rooms on the first floor, five bedrooms upstairs, corner fireplaces, and tall pocket doors that open the main rooms into one space. A two-story carriage house stands to the northeast. Day came to Ballinger in 1897, ran a successful cotton gin and served several terms as Runnels County Tax Assessor. The house is described as one of the most distinctive turn-of-the-century houses in the town and a long-standing visual landmark. It was in fair condition when documented in 1984, with some alterations at the rear.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it a locally significant and unusual example of an early 20th-century Queen Anne dwelling. Its roofline has bellcast towers, belvederes, finials and concave dormers, and it has been a visual landmark since it was built. It was also the home of Edwin Day, a prominent Ballinger businessman and cotton gin owner who served as county tax assessor.
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 85000047, listed January 3, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 302 N. Broadway, Ballinger |
|---|---|
| County | Runnels County |
| Listed | January 3, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85000047 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Late Queen Anne, with Colonial Revival elements in the veranda |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as unoccupied and vacant in the 1984 form; condition described as fair, with alterations to the rear but historical integrity maintained. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 31.74203, -99.94860 (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 85000047.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q107320298
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.