Miller, Fannie Moss, House
Why it's listed
Set on a corner lot two blocks south and five blocks west of the Texas Capitol, this one-story Queen Anne house at 900 Rio Grande Street in Austin is a surviving example of the frame cottages once common in the city's western neighborhoods. The form dates it to 1898, when Fannie Moss Miller, widow of a physician from LaGrange, bought the property from the Campbell family, who had built a home there in the early 1870s. The white clapboard house has a metal roof, a dominant front gable, lower cross gables with fish scale shingles, and a porch with turned spindle railings and a spindlework frieze. Inside are high ceilings, paneled doors, fluted surrounds and a double-sided fireplace. A concrete block wall cast to resemble cut stone surrounds the lot. Later owners adapted the building for offices, and it now houses a tea shop. It was listed for its architecture, at the local level of significance.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house embodies the distinctive characteristics of late 19th-century Queen Anne architecture typical of Austin, under Criterion C at the local level. It cites the multi-gabled roof, asymmetrical bays with shingled gables, turned balusters, spindle friezes and decorative eave braces, along with a high degree of integrity.
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 08000318, listed April 16, 2008. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 900 Rio Grande St., Austin |
|---|---|
| County | Travis County |
| Listed | April 16, 2008 |
| Reference number | 08000318 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1898 |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian: Queen Anne |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Currently in commercial use as a tea shop and headquarters of the Tea Embassy; the form describes the exterior as well maintained and the interior as restored. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Within district | West Downtown Austin Historic District |
| Coordinates | 30.27474, -97.74899 (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 08000318.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110002658
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.