Austin, Texas story
The Littlefield Home
Tucked away on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin, at Twenty-Fourth Street and Whitis Avenue, stands a home that looks like it stepped straight out of a Victorian fai…
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Tucked away on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin, at Twenty-Fourth Street and Whitis Avenue, stands a home that looks like it stepped straight out of a Victorian fairy tale. Built in 1893 for cattle baron and Civil War veteran Major George Washington Littlefield, this striking residence cost fifty thousand dollars to construct. Designed by San Antonio architect James Wahrenberger, the house is celebrated as the absolute best surviving example of eclectic Victorian design in the city.
Its turrets, verandas, and intricate details are a feast for the eyes. When Alice Littlefield passed away in 1935, she left this remarkable home to the university. Since then, the building has lived many lives.
During World War II, the university actually used the attic as a firing range, and later, the house served as the home of the music department. Today, while the upstairs serves as office space, the ground floor hosts university functions. It remains a beautifully preserved pocket of late-nineteenth-century luxury nestled in the modern campus.
Updated June 2026