Missouri, Kansas and Texas Land Co. House
Why it's listed
Built around 1909 at 3908 Avenue C in Austin's Hyde Park neighborhood, this small 1 1/2-story house follows the L-plan vernacular form. Its decoration is concentrated on a three-bay porch with turned balusters, square posts and jigsawn brackets under a shed roof. Windows are double-hung wood sashes, and the roof combines hipped and gable forms, with a louvered lunette in the projecting gable. County deed records show the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Land and Town Co. owned the property until September 1909, when two lots with a dwelling worth about $900 were sold. This suggests the company built the house to help market Hyde Park. Later owners included a real estate dealer and shipping clerk, a widow who lived there until 1921, and a family that rented it out. The house is recognized for its local architectural value as a well-preserved example of vernacular building traditions and one of few largely unaltered historic homes on its block.
Significance in brief: The house is nominated for local architectural significance under Criterion C as a good example of vernacular architectural traditions with modest Victorian detailing. It shows the persistent popularity of the L-plan form and retains a high level of historic integrity. Deed records suggest the land company built it as part of its strategy to promote Hyde Park.
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 90001179, listed August 16, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 3908 Ave. C, Austin |
|---|---|
| County | Travis County |
| Listed | August 16, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90001179 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c.1909 |
| Architect / builder | Missouri, Kansas and Texas Land Co. (?) |
| Architectural style | Vernacular, L-plan |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Currently used as a single dwelling; described as virtually unaltered with a high level of historic integrity. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 30.30358, -97.73425 (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 90001179.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110000850
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.