Cranfill, Thomas, House
Why it's listed
Perched at the end of Cliff Street on a steep bank above the Shoal Creek basin, this 1955 house was built for University of Texas English professor and art collector Thomas Cranfill. Architect Harwell Hamilton Harris designed it in 1952 while serving as the first director of the university's School of Architecture. Two single-story pavilions, a house and a garage, form an L-plan around a courtyard, with cypress board-and-batten walls, a shallow hip roof with deep overhangs, and a north-facing clerestory. The plan follows a three-foot grid, with custom cypress cabinetry, a limestone wall separating the living room from a former art gallery, and French doors linking indoor and outdoor spaces. The design resembles Harris's early California wooden houses but uses local cypress instead of redwood. Its listing rests on its standing as an outstanding example of mid-century Modern design by a master architect and as one of his few Austin works. Construction was supervised by architect Eugene George, and the house remains a single-family home.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is an outstanding example of mid-century Modern design by a master architect, Harwell Hamilton Harris. It is one of the few projects he completed in Austin while he was the first Director of the School of Architecture at the University of Texas. Its design echoes his early California wooden houses but uses local cypress. It is nominated at the local level under Criterion C.
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 04001416, listed December 29, 2004. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 1901 Cliff St., Austin |
|---|---|
| County | Travis County |
| Listed | December 29, 2004 |
| Reference number | 04001416 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1955 |
| Architect / builder | Harwell Hamilton Harris, Architect/J. M. Odom, General Contractor |
| Architectural style | Modern Movement: Ranch Style |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in use as a single-family dwelling; the original wood shingle roof has been replaced with asphalt shingles. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Old West Austin Historic District |
| Coordinates | 30.28707, -97.75199 (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 04001416.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q107317448
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.