Round Rock Commercial Historic District
Why it's listed
Round Rock's downtown commercial core is a group of about 25 small stone buildings along East Main Street, with one on South Mays Street, built mostly between 1876 and the early 1900s. The town was platted in 1876 as New Round Rock, south of Brushy Creek, to coincide with the southern end of a railroad line, and a building boom produced stone stores, offices, saloons and lodge halls. Load-bearing limestone walls and simply detailed parapets give the street a consistent look that differs from the brick towns elsewhere in Central Texas. Notable examples include the Old Broom Factory, whose maker won a gold medal at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, the Otto Reinke Building, the Masonic Lodge building of 1878, and the Economy Drug Store with its intact early interior. Nelson Hardware has a cast-iron and pressed-tin front dated 1900. Fires and storefront remodeling altered many buildings, yet the district keeps much of its original character and scale.
Significance in brief: The district holds a concentrated group of vernacular and Italianate stone commercial buildings from the railroad town founded as New Round Rock in 1876. Their stone construction differs from many Central Texas towns, where brick was more common. The buildings record the town's commercial growth, its later decline after 1900, and its businesses such as the broom factory, drug stores and hardware stores.
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 83003170, listed June 9, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 100 and 200 blks E. Main St., Round Rock |
|---|---|
| County | Williamson County |
| Listed | June 9, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83003170 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | 1870-1930 |
| Architect / builder | Unknown; buildings are the work of local builders and craftsmen, except the Nelson Hardware facade, which was fabricated in St. Louis. |
| Architectural style | Vernacular and Italianate commercial architecture, in limestone ashlar |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Mixed use: some buildings occupied by shops and offices, some vacant, and several under restoration at the time of the form. |
| Acreage | 4.2 |
| Coordinates | 30.50852, -97.67789 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
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 83003170.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.