Cassinelli Gin House
Why it's listed
Built by 1908 near San Felipe Creek in Del Rio, this two-story gin house was the work of Giovanni Batista Cassinelli, an Italian immigrant stonemason and businessman. The rectangular building measures about 25 by 50 feet. Its first story is quarry-faced limestone and its second story is handmade brick, with segmentally arched openings placed irregularly. Cassinelli bought the land in 1903 and mortgaged the finished building in 1908. The ground floor held cotton-ginning equipment, but the venture apparently struggled against competing gins and local production problems. The upper floor served for receptions and dances from at least 1909 into the late 1920s, became an apartment by the early 1930s, and in 1952 the whole building became a single residence. A 1977 fire gutted the interior, which was later rehabilitated with replacement doors and windows based on the originals. The building is listed as an example of turn-of-the-century masonry work by Del Rio's Italian stonemasons, and old irrigation canals form part of its boundary.
Significance in brief: It contains elements typical of brick and stone commercial buildings made by immigrant Italian stonemasons during Del Rio's turn-of-the-century boom, and it is relatively unaltered. Its builder, Giovanni Batista Cassinelli, was a prominent stonemason and businessman. The second-floor hall hosted many local gatherings and social functions in the early decades of the century.
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 86002188, listed September 4, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Corner of Pecan and Academy Sts., Del Rio |
|---|---|
| County | Val Verde County |
| Listed | September 4, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86002188 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900-; specific dates before 1908 |
| Architect / builder | G.B. Cassinelli, builder |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as unoccupied and vacant; the interior was damaged by fire in 1977 and has since been rehabilitated. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 29.35366, -100.89679 (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.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
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 86002188.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q107322743
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.