House at 402 N. East St.
a.k.a. #13
402 N. East St., Belton, TXThe house at 402 North East Street, built in the 1870s, is an early Belton example of a small vernacular house that is distinguished by its high-style Italianate details. Contextually the house relates to Community and Regional Planning, specifically to the growth of Belton in size and sophistication prior to the arrival of the railroads. The house is eligible for listing in the National Register under Criterion c, significant in the area of Architecture, as one of the older surviving houses in Belton and a unique example of Italianate domestic architecture.
The 402 North East House is estimated to have been built sometime in the 1870s. Nothing is known about the house's builder or early owners.
At the time that it was built the house would have represented a substantial and stylish addition to the residences of Belton. The simple gabled L-plan design of the house is a common vernacular form of the late 19th century; however, the elegant detailing, particularly the paired brackets along the cornice and the concave front window hood, is not typically found on such a modest dwelling and distinguishes the house. The house is distinctive also for its brick construction; brick did not become a common building material in Belton until around 1890. Although the house is presently in poor condition and has lost some of its original elements, it remains a substantially intact, rare example of Italianate domestic architecture in Belton.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.