Yzaquirre-Longoria House
Also known as: Dr. John Campbell House
Why it's listed
Built around 1852 on Water Street in Rio Grande City, this two-story brick house was the home of Dr. John G. Campbell and his family, who left the area around 1860. Its side-gabled I-house form, low parapets at the gable ends, and iron balcony with exterior stair combine Anglo-American, Northern European and Spanish-derived ideas. The walls are buff brick made from local clay, with heavy timber beams said by family tradition to have come from a wrecked steamboat. Rear additions date to about 1857 and 1935, and a courtyard is enclosed by outbuildings, a brick wall and a cistern. The house stood beside the steamboat landing that anchored the town's commerce. In the early twentieth century it passed to the family of Encarnacion Yzaguirre-Longoria, who had fled the Mexican Revolution, and it was later divided into apartments. It is now vacant and deteriorating, but it remains a record of the cultural mixing of mid-nineteenth-century border life.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house reflects Anglo-American influence in the Lower Rio Grande Valley after the Mexican-American War, while blending Anglo-American, Northern European and Spanish-derived building traditions. It also notes its link to the steamboat-era commercial center of Water Street and its later association with the Yzaguirre-Longoria family. It is considered significant at the local level.
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 05001462, listed December 22, 2005. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 107 W. Water St., Rio Grande |
|---|---|
| County | Starr County |
| Listed | December 22, 2005 |
| Reference number | 05001462 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Builders not documented; census suggests Irish carpenter Andrew Noad and New York brickmason Lyman D. Phillips lived with the Campbell family |
| Architectural style | No style |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Exploration/Settlement |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Vacant, unoccupied and in disrepair, neglected as a result of property disputes. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 26.38049, -98.82214 (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 05001462.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110002741
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.