United States Department f the Interir Natinal Park Service Natinal Register f Histric Places Sterne-Hya Histric District
*USDI/NPS NRHP Registratin Frm Page #2 =======_~=== '_==_=_=============;:=========::;==========~==~-=============== 4. St~telFederal Agency Certtficatin =_========F=C==_====================D~~D====_== ========_=====_====_=== As the designat~d aut~rity under the Natinal Histric Preservatin Act f 1986, as amended, I hereby certify that this nminatin r~quest fr determinatin f eligibility meets the dcumentatin standards fr registering prperties in the Natinal Register f Histric Place~ and meets the prcedural and prfessinal requirements set frth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my pinin, the prperty meets des nt meet the Natinal Register Criteria. See cntinuatin sheet. Signature f certifying fficial Date State r Federal agency and bu.reau In my pinin, the prperty meets des nt meet the Natinal Register criteria. See cntinuatin sheet. Signature f cmmenting r ther fficial Date State r Federal agency and bureau ================:======:================================================ 5. Natinal Park Service Certificatin ==============================~======-===========~===========-========== I, hereby certity that this prperty is: entered in the Natinal Register See cntinuatin sheet. determined eligible fr the Natinal Register See cntinuatin sheet. determined nt eligible fr the Natinal Register remved frm the Natinal Register ther (ex~lain): Signature f Keeper Date f Actin =c===_==_=========_====_=============_=~_===============_============_== 6. Functin r Use =====-=====-===========--==-==--=====-==-=--===-=============-===-====== Histric: Dmestic Sub: Single dwelling Current : Recreatin and CUlture Sub: Mu~eum 163
10. 0- *USO'r/NPS NlUiP Registratin Frm Page #3 ~===============================-============?=========-====-=====--===- 7. Descriptin === ==_=== =~==_-=~_~===_====~==== ===_===D======_================= Arch~tectur~l Classifiqatinz ther Oescriptipz Materials: fundatin w~lls rf ther Wd Describe pre sept and histric physical appearance. X See cntinuatin sheet. =========================~============================================== 8. stat:ement:. f Significance ====-===_._=============-===============-===-===-====-====-===--====-=== Certifying fficial has ~nsidered the significance f this prperty in relatin t ther prperties: Applicable Natinal Register Criteria: C Criteria Cnsideratins (Exceptins.) Areas f Significance: Architecture Perid(s) f Significancez 1830-1910-- Significant Dates: Nt Applicable Significant Persn(s): N~ Applicable Cultural Affiliatin: Nt Applicable Architect/Builder: Nt Applicable State significance f prperty, and justify criteria, criteria cnsideratins, and areas and perids f significance nted abve. X See cntinuatin sheet. 164
*USDI/NPS NRHP Registratin Frm Page #4 =======~================.=======~==~========_ ===========a======_====== 9. Majr Bib~igraphical References ==-=~====_==_====_====_======_=_==~===c=c====_=======_======_=_======== See Histric Cntext List f References. Previus dcumentatin n file (NPS): preliminary. determinatin f individual listing (36 CFR 67) has been requested. previusly listed in the Natinal Register previusly determined eligible by the Natinal Register designated a Natinal Histric Landmark recrded by Histric American Buildings Survey # recrded by Histric American Engineering Recrd # Primary Lcatin f Additinal Data: x State histric preservatin ffice ther state agency Federal agency Lcal gvernment University ther -- Specify Repsitry: -====-=-=-====-=-====-============================================-==-== 10. Gegraphical Data ===========_======================a=============c_======_=========_===== Acreage f Prperty: UTM References: Zne E~sting Nrthing Zne Easting Nrthing A C B D Verbal Bundary Descriptin: See cntinuatin sheet See cntinuatin sheet. Bundary Justificatin: See cntinuatin sheet ===================================_======5============================= 11. Frm prepared By --=========-=-===-===-=====:===-=:===============--===========:==:====== Name/Title: Ed Gallway/Research Assistant Organizatin: Hardy-Heck-Mre Street & Number: 2112 Ri Grande City r Twn: Austin Date: June 1990 Telephne: 512-478-8014 State: TX Zip: 78705 165
Q NPS Frm 10-900 ~ a (8 ~ 86) Unit~d States Department f the Interir Natinal Park Service. I NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES CONTINUATION SHEET OMS ~pprval N. 1024-0018 Set!n number 7 Page #5 ================-=================~===================================== The Sterne-Hya Hi_tric District encmpasses n L-shaped area that includes a significant cllectin f dmestic buildings erected frm the 1830s t the 1910s. Mst f the huses are ne r ne-and-ahalf stries in height and have wd-frame cnstructin with wd siding. These dw~llings hav~ nly mdest amunts f stylistic detailing and are best understd when regarded as examples f vernacular plan types: center-passage huses which are lder (mid-19th entury) and L-plan dwellings whih date frm the 1880s t abut 1900. Exceptins are the huses n E. Main street which display features charateristic f Queen Anne and Craftsman-inspired ~hitecture. A ttal f nine buildings are in the district and seven are classified as Cntributing. The district, which includes the 500 blcks f E. Main and E. Pilar streets and the 100 and 200 blcks f S. Lanana Street, is abut tw blcks east f the city's histric cmmercial center. The land is relatively level, althugh it slpes sharply just beynd the east and suth brders alng the fld plains f Lanana and Banita creeks. dramatic slpe f the land was a critical factr in the district's The histrical develpment and als helped distinguish this neighbrhc. frm surrunding develpment. Huses n Lanana Street face east r west, while thse n Pilar and Main streets lk t the nrth r suth. Lt sizes are irregularly shaped, especially thse n the suth side f Pilar street beause f terrain, and are mderately large when cmpared t mst thers in the city. Thrughut the hist- 166
ry f the area, n crdinated landscaping effrts have been attempted, and individual prperty wners have undertaken the landscaping f their wn yards. The district includes numerus majestic ak trees which attest t the neighbrhd's lng and active histry. The huses, fr the mst part, are relatively simple structures with pier-and-beam fundatins, wd-frame cnstructin with weatherbard siding, and gable rfs with asphalt r cmpsitin shingles. Sme f the structures are amng the ldest in the city. The sterne Hya Huse, fr example, was reprtedly built in 1830. It has a center-passage plan, a side-gable rf and a prch that extends the full breadth f the frnt. Other center-passage dwellings are in the district but apparently are nt as ld. Pedimented architraves are smetimes used as a decrative feature abve the windw and dr penings and are mdestly suggestive f the Greek Revival style. The Rulfs Huse at 113 S. Lanana has jigsawn wdwrk that is indicative f Queen Anne architecture. The L-plan huses in the district are amng the ldest in the city. Perhaps the mst ntewrthy example is the Charles Hya Huse at 210 S. Lanana Street. It has a crss-gable rf and a prjecting frnt wing which are characteristic f this plan type. als has pedimented architraves. The Hya Huse The huse at 522 E. Main is nt typical f mst structures in the district and has architectural features that are indicative f the Queen Anne style. Despite its physical differences with the district's verall character, this structure was included because f its prximity t the ther huses. A similar argument applies t the brick-veneer, Craftsman-inspired huse at 516 E. Main street. Sanbrn 19th-century dwellings that were remdeled in the early 1900s. maps indicated that bth f these huses riginally were I-stry late- Therefre, the cre within each structure likely was similar t the ther 167
0 CntriQuting buildings in the district. The Nnc;ntributing prperties include a ca. 1880 dwelling (113 S... Lanana) that has been altered and a small 1930s bungalw that is due suth f the Sterne~HQya HQuse. The huse at 113 S. Lanana street has been sheathed with vinyl siding and has had its riginal prch remv,ed. Because f these alteratiqns, it is classified as Nncntributing ~nd Stateme~t was included.because f its histrical assciatins (see f Significance). The bungalw was classified as Nncntributing because its physical features are nt in keeping with thse f the district as ~ whle, and because it was nt built within the district's perid f signift"cance. The tw vacant lts in the 500 blck f E. Main Street were ccupied by I-stry frame residences that were razed in the 1930s t make way fr a commercial building and a service statin. Bth were either destryed r mved by the 1960s. DBPIHI~IOH OF ~RIBS cntributing. Prperties in this categry include structures that add t the district's verall histric character. T be included in this categry, a building must be at least 50 years ld and must retain mst f its riginal r his~ric integrity. Nn-histric changes and alteratins have been kept t a minimum and these buildings appear much as they did when riginally cnstructed. Nncntributing. The nly prperty in this categry is a histric structure that has been s se,erely altered that its integrity has been cmprmised. The building has had synthetic siding applied t the exterir which detracts frm its verall histric character. 168
I~RY OF PROPBRTI.S - $~RNB-BOYA BIS~RIC DISTRICT Address 113 S Lanana Da~e ca. 1882 site N. 865 Categry Nncntributing Blck 18 Lt 1 Descriptin 1-stry with partial basement; wd frame with vinyl siding, brick fundatin skirt; smewhat symmetrical; central hall plan; gabled rfs with curved fascia ends; chamfered bay n nrthwest crner with spindle brackets; pedimented gable ver prch with dentil blcks at the entablature, turned wd psts with flral gingerbread, brick wainsct - mdern, central entry dr wd with 2 arched upper glass lights, stained glass transm abve; central brick chimney; 2/2, 4/4 wd windws. Significance Dietrich Rulfs, master builder f Nacgdches, bught this prperty in 1882 and erected this small huse ~hrtly thereafter. He later cnstructed a larger huse and tw rental huses n the eastern prtin f Blck 18. By the turn f the century, Rulfs used this huse as a wrkshp, an ffice and eventually as a rental unit. Rulfs designed many f the wellknwn buildings in Nacgdches including the ROland Jnes Huse, the Hardeman Huse, the Blunt Huse, Zin Hill Baptist Church and Christ Epsicpal Church. Address 210 S Lanana Date ca. 1888 Site R. 866 Categry Cntributing Blck 20 Lt 1 Descriptin 1-1/2 stry; wd frame with hrizntal lapped Siding; brick pier fundatin with wd lattice infill; irregular plan with chamfered bay n east (frnt); intersecting gable rfs with crnice returns and pedimented gable ends, bargebards, cmpsitin shingles, extended prch n nrtheast crner with entry n the diagnal, extended chamfered entry with centered dr, wd panel dr with etched glass, turned wd psts with brackets, simple wd railing; extends dwn prch steps; windws 4/4. sme with pedimented hd mld; tw exterir brick chimneys, ne n the nrth, ne n the suth; chimney flue is pulled away frm the main wall f huse; carprt at rear. Significance Charles Hya and his wife, Frances, lived with Prussian father Jseph T. Vn der Hya acrss the street in the sterne Charles cnstructed this hme in 1888 where the Sterne's rchard lay. wrked as a surveyr in Nacgdches Cunty frm 1897 t 1926 perating the Hya Land Office Building n the dwntwn square. his Huse. Hya frm Address 211 S Lanana Date 1830 Site R. 864 Categry cntributing Blck 19 Lt 1-A Descriptin 1-stry; wd frame with bull-nsed siding; brick pier fundatin; rectangular plan; gable rf with extended rafter and beam ends, wd shingles; inset prch with turned wd psts, brackets, 2 entry drs set at 90 degrees, wd pa~el with three upper glass lights; windws 4/1 wd duble-hung with vertical bard shutters. Significance Adlphus sterne, a German immigrant, arrived in Nacgdches in 1826 and subsequently pened a mercantile stre n the square. He erected this hme in 1830. He was believed t be ne f the first scttish Rite Masns in Texaa. sterne helped finance the Texas Revlutin by equiping sldiers frm New Orleans. He held several lcal ffices in Nacgdches and served in the state legislature. The huse was purchased by the Hya family in 1866. 169
Address 221 S Lanana Date ca. 1920-30 site H. 867 cat.gry Nncntributing Blck 20 Lt 1-B pesc~iptin l-stry; wq frame with bull-nsed siding; brick fundatin; rectangul.~ plan; gable rf with extended rafter and beam ends, wd shingles; inset prch with turned wd psts, brackets, 2 entry drs set at 9Q degrees, woqd panel with three upper glass lights; windws 4/1 wd duple-hung with vertical bard shutters. Address 516 E Main Date ca. 1910 site H. 186 categry 9ntributing Blck 17 Lt 3 Descriptin 1~1/2 stpry rectangular brick residence with patterned metal shingle rf; hip-~a-valley rf with drmer and gables; 1/1 dublehung windw~1 entry has glass paneled dr and sidelights; dr and windws screen have tracery; massive battered wd clumns rest n brick bases; ne clumn "missing" beside stp; rf has finalsl chamfered bay n wraparund prch has Queen Anne panel abve fixed sash; prte cchere n east side f huse; detached frame garage with sheet metal rf at the sutheast crner f huse; brick and wrught irn fence frnts street. Address 522 E Main Date ca. 1900 site H. 189 categry Cntributing Blck 17 Lt 4 D~~criptin 2-1/2 stry irregular plan frame residence with hip-and-valley cmpsitin shingle rf; hrizntal V-grve siding, 1/1 duble-hung windws; chamfered bay has ne tall windw pening nt prch; ne-stry wraparund prch has plain rund clumns and square balusters with pedimented gable at nrtheast crner; latticed fundatin skirt; gables have runded shingles and half-mn lights with tracery; balcny ver entry; entry dpr has glass panel and transm ver dr. Address 500 blk E. Main categry Nncntributing Descriptin Vacant lt Address 500 blk E. Main categry Nncntributing Descriptin Vacant lt Date Blck 17 Date Blck 17 Site H. N/A LtS site H. N/A Lt 6 Address 520 E Pilar Date ca. 1890 Site H. 1179 categry Cntributing Blck 20 Lt 4 Descriptin 1-1/1 stry frame with lap siding; cmpsitin gable rf; central hall plan; blind pilasters at each crner; windws are 4/4 wd du~le-hung with pedimented hd mlds; entry has side lights and transm; prcjecting prch supprted by slender bxed clumns; additin n east facade; bri~k pier fundatin. Address 526 E Pilar Date 1901 Site H. 1180 categry Cntributing Blck 20 Lt 3 Descriptin I-stry frame with bull-nsed siding; cmpsitin hipand-gable rf with crnice returns, bargebards in gables; wraparund prch has turned clumns and bannisters I 3 entry drs nt prch, main entry has large light and side lights; brick pier fundatin has lattice wrk; windws 170
are 1/1 wd duble-hung with hd mlds; decrative screen drs; prjecting chamfered bay n main facade; extensive landscaping. Significance Gerge Whitcrn, a master builder, built this cttege in 1901 fr his daught~r Edna. The huse was ccupied by Edna and Huln Crain until 191Q. Hrace Wilsn and his daughter, Lella Wilsn Stallings, resided in the huse until 1975.. Address 536 E Pilar Date ca. 1870-90 Site K. 1181 categry Cntributing Blck 20 Lt 2 Descriptin I-stry; frame with lap siding; central hall plan; cmpsitin gable rf has crnice returns; 1 exterir chimney n west facade; blind pilasters n each c~ner f main facade; windws are 4/4 wd dublehung; prjecting prch is supprted by turned clumns, simple bannister; entry has side lights and transm; fundatin is bri~k pie~ with lattice; mdern deck at rear. 171
NPS Frm, 10-9pO-a (8-86), United States Department f the Interir Natinal Park Service NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC ~LACES CONTINUATION SHEET OMB Apprval NO. 1024-0018- sectin number 8 Page #6 ===============-=-===.====--==========-===~=====-====-========-========= 0- The sterne-hya Histric Disbrict is the mst significant cllectin f middle t late 19th century dmestic buildings in Nacgdches and includes the 1830 Sterne Huse (N. R. 1976). Situated in the riginal twnsite,. the district is representative f early residential develpment in the city and, therefre, is assciated with Cmmunity Planning and Develpm~nt in Nacgdches: 1830-1940. The district is nminated t the Natinal Register under Criterin C fr its architectural merits because it includes sme f Nacgdches' ldest and mst intact histric dwellings. Only a handful f cntempraneus buildings survive in all the city, making this district all the mre significant in a lcal cntext. Thrughut its histry, the district has been hme t many lcally prminent citizens. Cnsequently, the huses have been well-preserved and they retain their integrity t a ntewrthy degree. The Sterne-Hya Histric District lies within the riginal twnsite f Nacgdches which was established by Antni Gil Ybarb in 1779. The riginal twn plan included tw squares which were linked by El Camin Real (Main street), an early and very imprtant Spanish trail that extended int Texas. The influx f Angl-Americans int 172
Texas during the early 19th century brught many changes t Nacgdches. B~cause it was n El Camin Real, many early immigrants t Texas passed thrugh the cmmunity n their way t new settlements. Sme f these individuals stayed and the twn began t grw. Mst activity during Nacgdches' early histry was cncentrated arund the square, and land arund the Prinipal Square develped int the cmmercial c~nter while surrunding areas cntained the hmes f the twn's citizens. One f the earliest was Adlphus Sterne, a German immigrant, ~ lived in a huse that was built in 1830 near the sutheast crner f present-day Pilar and Lanana streets. Sterne was ne f Nagdches' mst influential citizens and was well knwn nt nly in the city, but thrughut all f Texas. He perated a business frm the Old Stne Frt at the sutheast crner f Frednia and Main streets. Sterne held several lal ffices in Nacgdches frm 1831 t 1833 and was als a delegate t the Cnventin f 1833. At the utbreak f the Texas Revlutin, he was an agent! the Texas p~visinal gvernment and was statined at New Orleans where he raised and equipped ne f the cmpanies f New Orleans Greys. Sterne later was a member f the Texas Huse f Representatives in the Secnd and Third Legislatures and in Nvember 1851 was elected t the Texas Senate where he served until his death in Marh 1852 (Clark, N. R. 1976). Thrughut this perid, Sterne maintained his permanent residence in the huse at Pilar and Lanana streets and after his death, his widw, Eva Catherine Sterne cntinued t live there. In 1866, hwever, she sld the huse t Jseph T. vn der Hya, a German immigrant wh had cme t the Nagdches area in 1836 and established a farm abut tw miles suth f twn. The Hya family maintained a strng presence in the area fr the next 100 years. The presence f Adlphus Sterne and Jseph Hya helped t make the 173
surrunding ~ea ne f the mre lcally p~estigi~s resiqential sectins in NacOgdch~&' ea~ly hi~try. The neighbrhd's prximity t El Camin Real, its elevated t~rrain ~ve Lanana Creek and its access.\pility t9 the dwntwn were, n dubt'" cntributing factrs. Few pbysical remains f this era survive and the remainder f the extant huses in the district date frm the 1880s t abut 1910. Althugh Nacgdches was amng the mst imprt~nt cmmunities in Texas during the republi era and early,statehd, the city failed t grw much' during the secnd quarter f the 19th century, and few new residents mved t the twn. One f thse wh did was Dietrich A. W. Rulfs, a German immigrant wh later designed ver 50 cmmercial and residential buildings in the city. Rulfs cnstructed the residence at 113 S. Lanana shrtly after his arrival in Nacgdches in 1880. When Rulfs later built a larger huse n E. Main street (razed), he used the huse within the district as an ffice and a wdwrking shp, and later as, a rental structure (Jacksn 1989)., ' Anther imprtant resident was Charles Hya, a cunty land surveyr, wh built the huse at 210 S. Lanana in 1888. Hya was the sn f Jseph Sya wh lived acrss the street at 211 S. Lanana and he perated the Hya Land Office which was hused in the city's first "fire prf" building n the suthwest crner f E. Pilar and Pecan streets (Recrded Texas Histric Landmark files). The arrival f the railrad stimulated grwth in Nacgdches and many lcal residents prspered frm the increased trade and cmmerce that fllwed. Althugh the sterne-hya area had previusly been the hme f many influential citizens, prperty t ~he nrth, alng Mund, Nrth and Lgansprt streets, increasingly became the mst desirable residential sectin f twn. Large, pulent huses f the Victrianera were built and the Sterne-Hya neighbrhd lst sme f its prestige. Several new huses were built in the district but they 174
typically were mdest center-passage huses that resembled the Sterne Hya Huse, the Charles Hya Huse and the Dietrich Rulfs Huse in plan, size and scale. Hwever, these later structures were embellished with intricate wdwrk that was ppular during the late 19th a~d very early 20th centuries. Cntinued expansin f the central business district during the 1920s and 1930s threatened the neighbrhd and many f the ld huses in the 500 blcks f E. Main-Street and Pilar Street were destryed r mved and replaced with cmmercial buildings. Fr example, the empty lts in the eastern end f he 500 blck f E. Main Street frmerly were ccupied by a brick cmmercial building and a frame service statin. Bth were later razed by the 1960s. The Sterne-Hya Histric District presently includes perhaps the city's finest cllectin f 19th century vernacular dmestic plan types and is a tangible link t an early perid in the lcal histry. N ther neighbrhd in the city claims such a ntewrthy cncentratin f huses f this perid. The district includes nine structures, eight f which are classified as Cntributing. The lne Nncntributing structure, the Rulfs Huse at 113 S. Lanana, is included because f its histrical assciatins and is the nly dwelling t survive directly assciated with the life f Dietrich Rulfs. The huse is classified as Nncntributing because f the synthetic siding has been applied ver the riginal wd siding which is a easily reversible alteratin. It can be reclassified as Cntributing if the sijing is remved and the histric fabric remains intact. 175
D O BOUNDARY JQB~IFlCA~I9N _. B~RHB-KOYA BIS~OR~C ~IB~IC~ The sterne-hya Histric P~st~ict is tw blqks east f ~he city's central bu~ine~s district. ~any f ~he structures between the district and the dwntwn are bth histric and nn-h1st~ic cmmercial buildings and deli~eate a clea~ bundary fr the residential district. The Banita Creek is just beynd the,uthern bundary f the district anq the Lanana Creek flws just west f the district. The tw histric dwellin~s n E. Main stre~t included in the histric district are the nly extant histric r~sidehtial structures n this thrughfare. Mst f the prperty t the.nrth, east and west f E. Main street cntain nn-histric c~mm~rcial buildings. The Nncntributing structure at 113 S. Lanana is included in the district because f its strbng histric ties t an imprtant and influential citizen f Nacgdhes, and its status culd be recnsidered when restred t its riginal cnditin. 176
VERBAL BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION - STERNE-SOYA HISTORIC DISTRICT Beginning at the nrthwest crner f lt 3, Blck 17, City f Nacgdches, thence east alng said Blck until reaching the nrtheast crner f lt 6, Blck 17, City f Nacgdches. Thence suth alng lt 6 apprximately 126 feet. Thence east acrss S. Lanana Street cntinuing alng the nrth prperty line f lt 1, Blck 18, City f Nacgdches, until reaching the nrtheast crner f said lt. Thence suth alng the prperty line f lt 1, Blck 18, City f Nacgdches, and cntinuing t the right-f-way f E. Pilar Street. Thence east alng E. Pilar Street t the nrtheast crner f lt I-A, Blck 19, City f Nacgdches. Thence suth alng the back prperty line f said lt t the sutheast crner f said lt. Thence west alng the suth prperty line f lt I-A apprximately 80 feet. Thence suth alng the back prperty line f lt 1-B, Blck 19, City f Nacgdches, t its sutheast crner. Thence west alng the suth prperty line f said lt t the right-f-way f S. Lanana Street. Thence suth alng S. Lanana Street t the sutheast crner f lt 1, Blck 20, City f Nacgdches. Thence nrthwest alng the back prperty line f lts 1, 2, 3 and 4-A, Blck 20, City f Nacgdches, until reaching the suthwest crner f lt 4-A, Blck 20, City f Nacgdches. Thence nrth alng the prperty line f lts 4-A and 4, Blck 20, City f Nacgdches, and cntinuing arss E. Pilar Street t the suthwest crner f lt 3, Blck 17, City f Nacgdches. cntinue nrth alng the prperty line f lt 3, Blck 17, City f Nacgdches, u~til reaching the pint cf beginning. 177
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