Badu Building

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

From the record

“The Badu Building is located in the City of Llano, Llano County, 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.”
Wikipedia article Badu Building, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 4 National Register listings published here for Llano County · listed in 1980 · category: Building.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
Address. 601 Bessemer Ave., Llano, 78643
When was it listed? June 1980
Category. building
Census division. Llano South
National Register reference number. 80004139 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

Fires near this property

49 since 2005

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 49 fires within 5 miles of Badu Building between 2005 and 2020, burning about 2,348 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause	Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	22
Debris and open burning	18
Equipment and vehicle use	6
Power generation/transmission/distribution	2
Smoking	1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
6 September 2016	Debris and open burning	1.0 acres	Texas A & M Forest Service	RIVER PARK DR
25 September 2013	Debris and open burning	5.0 acres	Texas A & M Forest Service	RABB FIRE
17 September 2019	Equipment and vehicle use	1.0 acres	Texas A & M Forest Service	BRUSH FIRE
1 September 2012	Equipment and vehicle use	1.0 acres	Texas A & M Forest Service	HOPF FIRE- LLANO
27 August 2020	Debris and open burning	5.0 acres	Texas A & M Forest Service	INDIAN BEND
22 August 2020	Debris and open burning	1.0 acres	Texas A & M Forest Service	CR116
15 August 2020	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	2.0 acres	Texas A & M Forest Service	CR 118
12 August 2020	Power generation/transmission/distribution	15 acres	Texas A & M Forest Service	RR152

Every fire recorded in Llano County

Mines and quarries near this property

10 of 17 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 17 workings within 5 miles of Badu Building: 7 producers, 5 occurrences, 5 past producers. 7 still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken, Graphite, Magnesite, Iron. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Site	Commodity	Status	Recorded
Heath Mine	Gold, Vanadium, Bismuth, Vermiculite	Past Producer	Gold
Llano	Platinum, Bismuth	Occurrence	Unknown
Llano Region	Tungsten, Garnet	Occurrence	Epidote, Garnet, Scheelite
Premier Granite Cutting Operation	Granite	Producer
Gray Fowler Area	Magnesite	Occurrence
Meramec Minerals Mine	Magnesite	Past Producer	Magnesite
Miller Mountain	Iron	Occurrence
Parkhill Ranch	Iron	Occurrence
Dixie Graphite Mine	Graphite	Past Producer	Graphite
Graphilter Corp Pit and Plant	Graphite	Past Producer

Every working recorded in Llano County

Storms near this property

60 of 88 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Llano, the town this property stands in, in 88 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 56 hail, 15 thunderstorm wind, 13 flash flood, 2 tornado. The reports record 1 death. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
October 2018	Flash Flood	Llano	1 killed, $1,000,000	Heavy rain caused an extensive rise in area creeks and rivers, pushing the Llano River to near 40 feet at the USGS river gauge in Llano. This is the 2nd highest ever recorded height on the river in the city of Llano. Flow peaked out about 285,000 CFS around 730 AM that morning nearly coming up to the level of the Highway 16 (Ford St.) bridge in town. Several homes were flooded along the river with damage to the area parks as well. A 58 year old woman lost her life in her vehicle as she was trying to get to work in town near West Sandstone and Flag Street. Time when she entered the water is unknown but is estimated around 5 AM that morning. Phone and internet service went down as the high water flow washed away phone lines underneath the Llano River Bridge. Damage in the city of Llano will likely surpass 1 million dollars.
September 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Llano	$120,000	Severe thunderstorm winds caused widespread damage to trees and roofs in the Llano area. The winds also blew down power lines.
June 2007	Flash Flood	Llano	$100,000	Two lines of thunderstorms, one moving south from the Dallas area and one moving southeast from the Abilene area, intersected and stalled near Marble Falls, producing 5 to 8 inch rain amounts over eastern Llano County, with up to 12 inches between Llano and Sunrise Beach. Flash flooding was extremely severe in southeastern Llano County and all roads in that quarter of the county were closed.
October 2004	Hail	Llano	$80,000	Hail as large as golfballs damaged vehicle windows and bodies and broke windows in homes in Llano. Most of the hail was reported to be near 1 inch in diameter.
May 1999	Thunderstorm Wind	Llano	$50,000	The wind gusts were reported by a school weather network. The Llano County Sheriff's Department reported trees blown down in and around the city of Llano.
September 1993	Thunderstorm Wind	Llano	$50,000	Power lines were blown down in the southern part of the county, lightning damaged several transformers.
October 1993	Thunderstorm Wind	Llano	$50,000	The Sheriff's Office reported power lines down, and power out across the City of Llano. Wind speeds were estimated to be near 70 MPH.
April 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Llano	$20,000	no account filed
March 2000	Tornado (F1)	Llano	$10,000	A short-lived tornado was observed by officers from the Sheriff's Department as it moved toward the east-northeast. It was located in open country and damage was limited to trees blown down along its path.
June 1997	Thunderstorm Wind	Llano	$10,000	Texas Department of Transportation personnel reported several trees blown down in the Llano area.
May 1997	Thunderstorm Wind	Llano	$3,000	Sheriff's department reported utility poles blown over.
January 1998	Flash Flood	Llano	$3,000	no account filed
September 1996	Thunderstorm Wind	Llano	$3,000	no account filed
March 2017	Thunderstorm Wind	Llano	$2,000	A thunderstorm produced wind gusts estimated at 60 mph that damaged the roof of a business building.
June 2010	Thunderstorm Wind	Llano	$500	A thunderstorm produced wind gusts estimated at 50 mph which knocked down large tree limbs.
May 2025	Hail	Llano	-	A thunderstorm produced quarter size hail in Llano.
July 2025	Flash Flood	Llano	-	Multiple rounds of thunderstorms produced 7 to 20 inches of rain over the Llano River watershed in Mason County sending a flood wave downstream into Llano County where 2-9 inches of rain fell. At Llano, floodwaters inundated portions of Badu Park and Robinson Park, with some park structures flooded at Badu Park.
May 2024	Hail	Llano	-	A thunderstorm produced nickel size hail in Llano.
September 2024	Flash Flood	Llano	-	Thunderstorms produced heavy rain that led to flash flooding. The website ATXFloods.com reported several low water crossings were closed in north-central Llano County.
May 2023	Hail	Llano	-	A thunderstorm produced quarter size hail in Llano.
May 2023	Hail	Llano	-	A thunderstorm produced half dollar size hail in Llano.
April 2021	Hail	Llano	-	A thunderstorm produced tennis ball size hail in Llano. A broadcast media partner provided a photograph of the hail.
April 2021	Hail	Llano	-	A thunderstorm produced golf ball size hail in Llano.
April 2021	Hail	Llano	-	A thunderstorm produced two inch diameter hail in Llano.
April 2021	Hail	Llano	-	A thunderstorm produced golf ball size hail near Llano.
June 2019	Hail	Llano	-	A thunderstorm produced baseball size hail in Llano.
June 2019	Hail	Llano	-	A thunderstorm produced golf ball size hail in Llano.
October 2018	Flash Flood	Llano	-	Thunderstorms produced heavy rain that led to flash flooding closing multiple roads in and around Llano.
May 2015	Flash Flood	Llano	-	Farm to market road 2323 was closed due to high water southwest of the city of Llano.
February 2012	Flash Flood	Llano	-	Thunderstorms produced heavy rain which caused flash flooding and closed several roads southwest of Llano including West Sandstone Road and RR 2323.
May 2012	Hail	Llano	-	A thunderstorm produced one inch hail east of Llano.
May 2012	Hail	Llano	-	A thunderstorm produced quarter to golf ball size hail west of Llano.
May 2012	Hail	Llano	-	A thunderstorm produced golf ball size hail southeast of Llano. On the ground, the hail was blown into drifts.
May 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Llano	-	A thunderstorm produced wind gusts estimated at 60 mph and penny size hail.
April 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Llano	-	A thunderstorm produced a wind gust estimated at 60 mph by a CoCoRaHS observer five miles west of Llano.
May 2008	Hail	Llano	-	There were numerous reports of hail in the city of Llano.
June 2007	Flood	Llano	-	The Llano River at Llano crested at 20.4 feet at 1045cst on June 26, where 10 feet is flood stage.
May 2007	Flash Flood	Llano	-	Scattered showers and thunderstorms produced 4 to 6 inches of rain over southeast Llano County. Flash flooding developed in the early evening with high water closing SH71.
May 2007	Flash Flood	Llano	-	Scattered showers and thunderstorms produced general 2 to 3 inch rain amounts in Llano in less than two hours. Brief flash flooding closed several streets in the city in the morning.
August 2007	Flash Flood	Llano	-	Showers and thunderstorms associated with Erin produced general 2 to 3 inch amounts across the south and west portions of Llano County. FM2323 was reported to be closed due to high water through the late evening.
May 2007	Hail	Llano	-	Hail broke the windshield of a DPS trooper just northwest of Llano.
May 2005	Flash Flood	Llano	-	The storms in Gillespie County spread northward into eastern Llano County, producing between 1 and 2 inches of rain between Llano and Kingsland. Highest totals were near 3 inches about 10 miles southeast of Llano. Flash flooding was reported along SH721 southeast of Llano and FM1431 was closed north of Kingsland.
June 2005	Thunderstorm Wind	Llano	-	Widespread damage was reported by the Sheriff's Department across the western part of Llano County. Trees were blown over by winds from the line of thunderstorms. Also, widespread damage to roofs was noted.
July 2005	Flash Flood	Llano	-	Thunderstorms produced nearly 3 inches of rain in the early afternoon near Llano. The resulting flash flooding closed SH16 south of Llano. Thunderstorms produced nearly 3 inches of rain in the early afternoon near Llano. The resulting flash flooding closed SH16 south of Llano.
March 2000	Tornado (F0)	Llano	-	A second tornado was sighted by Sheriff's Department officers in open country. No damage was indicated.
March 1993	Hail	Llano	-	The sheriff's office made several reports of large hail. The initial report came from Oxford, of dime-size hail. A few minutes later golfball-size hail was reported in Kingsland. About an hour late as another area of thunderstorms moved into the County nickel-size hail was reported south of Llano.
May 2016	Hail	Llano	-	no account filed
April 2014	Hail	Llano	-	no account filed
April 2014	Hail	Llano	-	no account filed
April 2014	Hail	Llano	-	no account filed
April 2014	Hail	Llano	-	no account filed
May 2012	Hail	Llano	-	no account filed
May 2012	Hail	Llano	-	no account filed
May 2011	Hail	Llano	-	no account filed
May 2008	Hail	Llano	-	no account filed
May 2008	Hail	Llano	-	no account filed
April 2007	Hail	Llano	-	no account filed
May 2006	Hail	Llano	-	no account filed
May 2006	Hail	Llano	-	no account filed
May 2006	Hail	Llano	-	no account filed

Every storm recorded in Llano County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Listed places nearby

3 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Property	Distance	Listed
Llano County Courthouse Historic District	0.4 miles	1989
Southern Hotel	0.4 miles	1979
Llano County Courthouse and Jail	0.5 miles	1977

Sources for this property

National Archives record	The nomination case file for reference 80004139 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia article	Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Llano County	All 4 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.