National Register Listing

Meredith-McDowal House

701 N. Gaines, Ennis, TX

One of the most successfully rendered and intact examples of a modified L-plan Victorian dwelling, the most common late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century regional plan type. The elaboration of simpler vernacular forms was favored by late nineteenth-century designers because of its picturesque qualities. While the architect, Hix McCanless, is best known for his bungalows, the Meredith House reveals that in his earliest designs, he worked with local building traditions. Built for E.C. and Connie Meredith. Owned by the R. T. McDowal family since 1919.

Local significance of the building:
Architecture

Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1986.

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.