Seelhorst, W. E., House
Also known as: Lehrmann,Henry,House; #737
Why it's listed
Built around 1880 for the Seelhorst family, German immigrants, this two-story masonry house faces north on roughly six acres in southeast Brenham, Texas. It has a center-passage, double-pile plan, five bays, and a hipped standing-seam metal roof on brick piers. The walls are three bricks deep, about 13 inches thick, and plastered inside and out. Italianate details include narrow two-over-two windows with arched moldings and shutters, small eave brackets, denticulation below the cornice, and a projecting two-story portico with slender Doric columns and a cross-hatched wooden balustrade. Mature ash, pine, magnolia, and cedar trees surround the house. In 1891 the property passed to Adolph and Louisa Seelhorst, a nephew of the original owner and his wife, who lived there until 1944. It was listed for its architecture as an excellent, highly intact example of late nineteenth-century Victorian design and one of the finest Italianate buildings in Brenham.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the house is an excellent example of late 19th-century Victorian architecture, with largely Italianate features, and one of the best in Brenham. Its vertical, symmetrical emphasis is typical of the Italianate style, and it retains a high degree of integrity. It is tied to the local context of community development and regional expansion, 1870-1941.
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 90000470, listed March 29, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 702 Seelhorst, Brenham |
|---|---|
| County | Washington County |
| Listed | March 29, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90000470 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c.1880 |
| Architectural style | Victorian/Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a single-family dwelling; the form notes a high degree of integrity. |
| Acreage | 6.2 |
| Coordinates | 30.16591, -96.39147 (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 90000470.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q110002491
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.