Gilfillan House
603 W. 8th St., Austin, TXThe Gilfillan house, built in 1905 in an old established neighborhood of conventionally styled residences, is distinguished by its eclectic modernity. It is the sole remaining example of perhaps a half dozen similar houses constructed in Austin combining, on such grand scale, the "mixed idiom" of architectural styles popular early in the twentieth century. The house reveals a combination of the lyrical lines of the Plateresque-inspired. Mission Style parapet and arched portico of the north facade, with the elements of horizontal planes and solid vertical mass popularized by Frank Lloyd Wright in the use of wide-eaved overhangs, and finally in the third element derived from the low relief exterior ornamentation of Louis Sillivan's Chicago School. Prom 1960 to 1978 the house fell into the realm of "overlooked architecture," a structure which had the basic potential for use. It is now being restored with minimal changes, to be reestablished to its former position as a viable part of downtown Austin.
Local significance of the building:Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
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.