Alexander-Campbell House
Also known as: Campbell House; Site No. 645
Why it's listed
This two-story stucco house at 1546 North 5th Street in Abilene was built around 1901 for Dr. James M. Alexander, founder of the Alexander Sanitarium, which was believed to be the first hospital between Fort Worth and El Paso. The original Victorian house was later bought by merchant T. C. Campbell, who in 1919 hired local architect David S. Castle to redesign it. Work was completed in 1921. The result is a Prairie School-influenced home with bold asymmetrical massing, a low-pitched roof, deep bracketed eaves, massive capped porch columns, and a porch and porte cochere wrapping the southeast corner. Castle reused some earlier windows, doors and the rear porch, and the floor plan still follows the original footprint. The house remained in the Campbell family until 1987. It was listed for its architecture, as an excellent example of a style widely used in Abilene homes of the period, and it retains strong integrity from the 1921 work.
Significance in brief: The house is an excellent local example of Prairie School-influenced residential design and retains a high degree of integrity from its 1921 renovation. It is one of a handful of large dwellings Castle designed in this style in Abilene. It is listed under Criterion C for Architecture 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 96000308, listed March 29, 1996. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1546 N. 5th St., Abilene |
|---|---|
| County | Taylor County |
| Listed | March 29, 1996 |
| Reference number | 96000308 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c. 1901; 1921 |
| Architect / builder | Castle, David S. |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and Early 20th Century Movements/Prairie School |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as a private single dwelling, with a current function of domestic/single dwelling. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 32.45439, -99.73938 (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 96000308.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q107320227
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.