The Badu House

Story

The Badu Building is located in the city of Llano, county of Llano, in the U.S. state of Texas. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places listings in Llano County, Texas in 1980, and designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1981. It is also known as the Badu House and as the Carol Phelan Building.Designed by Larramour and Watson, the Badu building was erected in 1890 by the Llano Improvement and Furnace Company, as the location of the newly chartered First National Bank. The building is constructed of local granite and locally manufactured red brick. The marble-floored street level with its carved wood interiors were the public access portion of the bank. The second floor was designed for office space. The Llano Improvement and Furnace Company had been organized with the specific purpose of promoting land development in the area, but went bankrupt circa 1894. The building was sold to N. J. Badu in 1898 at a public auction. Until 1980, the building had been continuously owned by members of Badu's family. From 1907 to 1912, the building was leased to the First State Bank of Llano. The Badu family sold it in 1980. It has been used as a bed and breakfast facility, and as a restaurant.