Cranfill, Thomas, House
1901 Cliff St., Austin, TXThe Thomas Cranfill House is a five-story, modern day art collector's home designed in 1952 by Harwell Hamilton Harris and built in 1955. It is significant for its attention to detail and modern day replica of a wooden house in California.
The Thomas Cranfill House was designed in 1952 and built in 1955 for University of Texas English Professor and art collector Thomas Cranfill. Designed by one of the leading practitioners of mid-20th century modern design, Harwell Hamilton Harris, the house is one of the few projects completed in Austin by the nationally recognized architect during his tenure as the first Director of the School of Architecture at the University of Texas from 1951 to 1955. The design of the house is similar to that of his early wooden houses in California, executed in local materials. The property is nominated at the local level of significance under Criterion C as an outstanding example of mid-century Modern design by a master architect of the style. The house is not required to meet Criteria Consideration G (Properties That Have Achieved Significance Within the Last Fifty Years) because the building was designed in 1952 and its completion date overlaps the fifty year period by only one year.
Local significance of the building:Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
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.