National Register of Historic Places

Littlefield House

Austin, Travis County, Texas
Listed
August 24, 1970
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
70000767

About this property

The Littlefield House is a historic home in Austin, Texas, on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. The home was built in 1893 for Civil War veteran George Littlefield, who was a successful businessman in the bank and cattle trades and a major benefactor to UT. It was designed using the popular Victorian style at a cost of $50,000. While living in the house, Major Littlefield and his wife Alice made a tremendous number of contributions to the university, including funds for the Littlefield Fountain, the Main Building, and the Littlefield Dormitory. They also developed the Littlefield Building downtown, finished in 1912. When Alice Littlefield died in 1935, she left the home to the university. Today the ground floor has been refurbished and is used for University functions. The upstairs is used for office space by the Office of University Events. The home is located at 24th and Whitis streets. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. George Littlefield had a "Deodar Cedar" (Cedrus deodara), or "Himalayan cedar" imported from the Himalayas and planted on the property. Littlefield even had the soil where the tree was to be placed dug up and replaced with Himalayan soil. Arguably one of the most interesting trees on campus, the 57-foot tree is located on the southwest side of the house, and is readily discernible by its distinctive horizontal layers. It is ranked as the #2 State Champion deodar cedar by Texas A&M Forest Service's Lists Big Tree Registry

Location

24th St. and Whitis Ave.
Austin, Travis County, Texas
30.27886, -97.74361

Categories

ARCHITECTURESOCIAL HISTORY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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The Land
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Conflict & War
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The Civil War
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The Soldiers
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Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
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The Community
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Rivers & Rail
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Nearby Historic Sites

St. Martin’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
Industrial
0.1 mi
Smith-Clark and Smith-Bickler Houses
Industrial
0.1 mi
Delta Kappa Gamma Society International Headquarters Building
Industrial
0.1 mi
Bertram Building
Industrial
0.1 mi
Wahrenberger House
Civil War
0.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Littlefield House listed on the National Register?

Littlefield House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 24, 1970.

What type of historic resource is Littlefield House?

Littlefield House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Littlefield House?

The period of significance for Littlefield House is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Littlefield House?

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