Carrington-Covert House
Why it's listed
Built between about 1853 and 1857 at 1511 Colorado Street in Austin, this two-story limestone house was commissioned by Leonidas Davis Carrington, a Mississippi merchant who turned to Austin land speculation. Its walls are twenty inches thick, and it originally held twelve principal rooms and two large halls. The symmetrical facade has a paneled double door with fanlight, a round-arched opening with radiating and stepped voussoirs, and a low hip roof with bracketed eaves. The quoins, flat arches and sills show especially fine stonework. Later owners, the Covert family, removed the fireplaces and staircase and added frame sections around 1900. A state agency bought the property in 1968 and intended to demolish the house for a modern building, but protests halted that plan until the Legislature could protect it. It is one of the few 1850s houses remaining on State property, and plans called for restoration and use as offices and museum rooms.
Significance in brief: It is one of the few remaining houses on State property dating to the 1850s. It is notable for its exceptionally fine stonework, especially the quoins, flat arches and sills. A state agency bought the property in 1968 and planned demolition, but protests halted this until legislation protected the house.
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). NRHP reference 70000765, listed August 25, 1970. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1511 Colorado St., Austin |
|---|---|
| County | Travis County |
| Listed | August 25, 1970 |
| Reference number | 70000765 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c. 1853-1857 |
| Architect / builder | Leonidas Davis Carrington (builder/owner) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | State-owned; condition listed as good and altered. Plans called for restoring the exterior, removing the 1900 wooden addition, and using the house for state offices with museum rooms downstairs. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Coordinates | 30.27802, -97.74040 (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 70000765.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives)
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5046430
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.