These two modest, matching dwellings form a well-preserved pair of early-20th-century working-class housing on Powell Street and contribute to the historic residential character of Henderson.
Both houses are frame, gable-front shotgun cottages, oriented close to the street in a traditional urban lot arrangement. Each features a full, hip-roofed front porch spanning the two-bay main façade. The porches retain their historic footprint but display replacement Craftsman-style supports, consisting of tapered box posts set on brick plinths, a common early-to-mid-20th-century update. Both houses are currently clad in aluminum siding, which obscures original exterior finishes but reflects later modernization.
117 Powell Street appears to have functioned primarily as a rental property in the early 20th century, as evidenced by a succession of occupants listed in city directories for 1899, 1909, 1915, and 1927. This pattern is consistent with investor-owned shotgun housing built to accommodate Henderson’s growing workforce during this period.
119 Powell Street is a mirror image of 117 Powell, sharing the same form, scale, porch configuration, and later Craftsman porch alterations. The close correspondence between the two strongly suggests they were constructed simultaneously by a single investor or builder. Occupants recorded in city directories include William A. Beling, manager of Eckert Bros., in 1909, and Joseph Dannheiser, a salesman, in 1927.
Together, 117 and 119 Powell Street represent a cohesive pair of vernacular shotgun houses that illustrate early 20th-century residential development, speculative building practices, and the housing of Henderson’s working and middle-class residents.
