Pickering House
Why it's listed
This two-story frame house at 403 N. Glass in Victoria, Texas, reflects two phases of local history. The original dwelling was built for sea captain A. F. Higgs, an entrepreneur behind the Texas Continental Meat Co., using materials moved from the Lavaca Bay area near Texana or Placedo. The form suggests this may have happened as early as the 1850s. In 1908 Joe M. Pickering, a prominent businessman and co-founder of the Anchor Lumber Co., bought the property. He hired architect Jules Leffland to design a major renovation around 1911, which gave the house its Neoclassical Revival character. Features include a two-story, four-bay porch with fluted columns and composite capitals, a second-floor balcony with turned balusters, a hip roof with gabled dormers, a denticulated cornice, and beveled leaded glass in the entrances. A wooden round-picket fence surrounds the lot, and a garage/apartment stands at the northwest corner. The house is in a residential area north of downtown and remains in residential use.
Significance in brief: The nomination cites architecture and commerce. The original dwelling was built for sea captain A. F. Higgs, who was behind the Texas Continental Meat Co., using materials moved from Lavaca Bay. Joe M. Pickering, a businessman and co-founder of the Anchor Lumber Co., bought it in 1908 and had it remodeled around 1911.
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 86002553, listed December 9, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 403 N. Glass, Victoria |
|---|---|
| County | Victoria County |
| Listed | December 9, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86002553 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Jules Leffland (remodeling) |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical Revival |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State, Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as residential in both original and present use; outbuildings include a garage/apartment and small frame structures. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 28.80295, -97.00696 (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 86002553.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14711245
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.