Boardman-Webb-Bugg House
Why it's listed
Built around 1880 on an original Austin city lot, this two-story wooden Victorian house at 602 West 9th Street was probably the first in its neighborhood. Dentist Dr. George T. Boardman commissioned Carl Drake of Drake Brothers Lumber Company to build it. The frame structure has cypress siding, a double veranda, a five-sided projecting bay, pedimented four-over-four windows and a central hall plan with fireplaces in the front rooms. A board-and-batten carriage barn and a cistern remain at the rear. In 1925 the house was bought by Walter Prescott Webb, the University of Texas historian whose book The Great Plains won the Loubat Prize. Webb also directed the Texas State Historical Association and helped produce the Junior Historian program and the Handbook of Texas. He lived here for more than thirty years. The house has seen only minor alterations and is valued both as an example of Victorian residential architecture and for its link to Webb.
Significance in brief: The house is presented as a solid example of a Victorian residence built by prosperous families in early Austin, and probably the first house in its vicinity. It is also significant as the home for over a third of a century of Walter Prescott Webb, an internationally known historian and author of The Great Plains. The two associations together make it a valuable link to Austin's past.
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 80004152, listed January 8, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 602 W. 9th St., Austin |
|---|---|
| County | Travis County |
| Listed | January 8, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80004152 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Carl Drake, co-owner of Drake Brothers Lumber Company (builder) |
| Architectural style | Victorian |
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied as a private residence since 1934; described as sound and in good condition, with an ongoing restoration program. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | West Downtown Austin Historic District |
| Coordinates | 30.27256, -97.74775 (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 80004152.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110000434
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.