Laas, Dr. Charles, House
Also known as: Site No. 8
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Why it's listed
Standing at the corner of Live Oak and Colorado Streets in Burton, this two-story frame house follows the vernacular L-plan tradition and carries Queen Anne detailing. It began as a one-story L-plan cottage built for Henry M. Wolters sometime between 1879 and 1905. Dr. Laas bought it in 1905 and the house was enlarged under his ownership. He practiced medicine in Burton from 1890 and was the town's only physician when he died in 1914. His son lived there afterward. The house has weatherboard siding, a gable roof, and a three-bay porch with turned posts, balusters and a spindlework frieze. Diamond-shaped shingles and jigsawn bargeboards decorate the gables, and pedimented trim tops the two-over-two windows. Few Burton houses of its scale survive, and it forms a visual pair with the Kneip residence at the other end of the block. It was listed for its architecture and its well-preserved condition. A garage on the east side is noncontributing.
Significance in brief: Nominated under Criterion C as a locally important example of a vernacular L-plan house with Queen Anne detailing. It is rare in Burton for having two stories. It shows how Queen Anne style was applied to folk architecture in the late Victorian period, and it retains a high level 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 91000717, listed June 11, 1991. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | NE corner of Live Oak and Colorado Sts., Burton |
|---|---|
| County | Washington County |
| Listed | June 11, 1991 |
| Reference number | 91000717 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c.1879-c.1905 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne (vernacular L-plan) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as vacant under current function; described as in good condition with a high degree of historic integrity. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 30.18460, -96.59572 (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 91000717.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110002473
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.