Keith House
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Why it's listed
Standing on a hilltop at the entrance to Austin's Pemberton Heights neighborhood, this two-story house was completed in 1933 for Maggie Mae and Jacque Nicholas Keith. Her brother, William Dixon Anderson, a longtime Calcasieu Lumber Company employee, designed it, and the company built it during the depths of the Great Depression. The house is an example of the Monterey style, which combines English Colonial features, such as brick, gable-end chimneys and paired shutters with double-hung windows, and Spanish Colonial features, such as a cantilevered wooden balcony and a low-pitched roof. Inside, a 180-degree spiral staircase and a carved mantelpiece stand out, and original woodwork, doors, hardware and bathroom tile survive. The brick veneer over a wood frame kept costs below solid masonry, and the orientation and balconies help cool the house. It was among the first Monterey houses in Austin and retains a high degree of integrity, which supports its local significance for architecture.
Significance in brief: The house is argued to be a well-crafted, intact example of the Monterey style, blending Colonial Revival and Spanish Colonial elements. It was among the first Monterey style houses built in Austin and, standing at the neighborhood gateway, probably influenced later houses nearby. It is significant locally in the area of architecture.
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 98000448, listed May 8, 1998. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 2400 Harris Blvd., Austin |
|---|---|
| County | Travis County |
| Listed | May 8, 1998 |
| Reference number | 98000448 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1933-1948 |
| Architect / builder | William Dixon Anderson, designer / Calcasieu Lumber Co., builder |
| Architectural style | Monterey (Other) |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a single-family dwelling; restoration work on shutters, windows and the kitchen was underway at the time of the form. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 30.29117, -97.75708 (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 98000448.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6384520
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.