Texas Historical Commission staff (BB), 8/16/2013, rev 8/21/13 18” x 28” Official Texas Historical Marker WITHOUT post, attach to masonry Travis County (Job #13TV03) Subject (Atlas 17513) UTM: 14 620383E 3350603N Location: Austin, 1606 Pearl Street
McCLENDON-PRICE HOUSE IN 1906, LOCAL ARCHITECT CHARLES H. PAGE DESIGNED THIS HOUSE FOR JUDGE JAMES WOOTEN McCLENDON AND HIS WIFE, ANNIE (WATT), WHOSE FATHER DONATED THE SITE AS THEIR WEDDING GIFT. McCLENDON WAS AN ATTORNEY AND JUDGE, SERVING AS CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE COURT OF CIVIL APPEALS FOR 26 YEARS. JUDGES THOMAS B. GREENWOOD AND CHARLES G. KRUEGER WERE TENANTS HERE BEFORE THE McCLENDONS SOLD THE HOME IN 1944. UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HEAD FOOTBALL COACH AND ADMINISTRATOR ED PRICE, HIS WIFE, BETTY (RUGELEY) AND THEIR FAMILY ACQUIRED THE PROPERTY IN 1960. THE 2 ½-STORY AMERICAN FOURSQUARE HOUSE WITH BUFF BRICK EXTERIOR INCORPORATES ELEMENTS OF PRAIRIE, CRAFTSMAN AND ECLECTIC ARCHITECTURAL STYLES.
RECORDED TEXAS HISTORIC LANDMARK – 2013 MARKER IS PROPERTY OF THE STATE OF TEXAS
RECORDED TEXAS HISTORIC LANDMARK MARKERS: 2013 Official Texas Historical Marker COVERSHEET Complete the form and send to [email protected] Valid September 1, 2012 to November 15, 2012 only
APPROVAL BY COUNTY HISTORICAL COMMISSION (required)
As chair or duly appointed marker chair, I certify the following: The topic qualifies for an Official Texas Historical Marker according to marker policies on the THC website. Representatives of the CHC have met or talked with the potential marker sponsor and discussed the marker program policies as outlined on the THC web site. The application has been filled out correctly. The narrative history and documentation have been reviewed for accuracy.
CHC comments or concerns about this application (required): None Name of CHC contact (chair or marker chair): May Schmidt Mailing address: 1104 Maufrais St. City, Zip: Austin, TX 78703 Daytime phone: 512-478-4898 Email address: [email protected]
CHECKLIST APPROVAL (required)
The building/structure is at least 50 years old
The building/structure is eligible for the RTHL designation according to marker policies (good state of repair, in compliance with preservation practices, etc.)
Permission of current property owner for marker placement has been obtained (page 5)
Sponsor Name: Phoebe Allen Date: August 12, 2012
NOTICE: Incomplete applications will be returned to the CHC Chair or Marker Chair.
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RECORDED TEXAS HISTORIC LANDMARK MARKERS: 2013 Official Texas Historical Marker SPONSORSHIP APPLICATION
This form constitutes a request for the Texas Historical Commission (THC) to consider approval of an Official Texas Historical Marker for the topic noted in this application. The THC will review the request and make its determination based on rules and procedures of the program. Filing of the application for sponsorship is for the purpose of providing basic information to be used in the evaluation process. The final determination of eligibility and approval for a state marker will be made by the THC. This form is to be used for Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (RTHL) requests only for buildings or structures. Please see separate forms for either Historic Texas Cemeteries or subject markers.
Proposed marker topic (THC will determine official title): McClendon Price House
County: Travis
Town (nearest town in same county on current state highway map): Austin
Street address of marker site or directions from town noted above: 1606 Pearl Street, Austin, TX 78701
Texas State Representative Name: Elliott Naishtat District #: 49
Texas State Senator Name: Kirk Watson District #: 14
Marker Coordinates: If you know the location coordinates of the proposed marker site, enter them in one of the formats below: UTM Zone 14 Easting Northing Lat: 30.28115Long: -97.748339(deg, min, sec or decimal degrees)
Otherwise, give a precise verbal description here (e.g. northwest corner of 3rd and Elm, or FM 1411, 2.6 miles east of McWhorter Creek): Southwest corner of Pearl and 17th Streets, Austin, Texas.
NOTE: RTHL markers must be placed at the structure being marked.
RECORDED TEXAS HISTORIC LANDMARK MARKERS
Purpose Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (RTHL) markers are awarded to buildings and structures deemed worthy of preservation for their historical associations and architectural significance. Once designated as RTHL, properties are subject to provisions of Texas Government Code Section 442.006(f). The RTHL designation becomes effective upon approval by the THC. Owners of RTHL-designated properties must give the THC 60 days written notice before
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any alterations are made to the exterior of the structure. RTHL status is a permanent designation and a RTHL marker is not to be removed from the property in the event of a transfer of ownership. Only the THC can remove the designation or recall the marker.
Criteria 1. Age: Properties eligible for the RTHL designation and marker must be at least 50 years old. 2. Historical significance: Architectural significance alone is not enough to qualify a property for RTHL designation. It must have a significant historical association, which can come from an event that occurred at the site; through individuals who owned or lived on the property; or, in the case of bridges, industrial plants, schoolhouses and other non-residential properties, through documented significance to the larger community. 3. Architectural significance: Properties deemed architecturally significant include outstanding examples of architectural history through design, materials, structural type or construction methods. In all cases, eligible architectural properties must display integrity; that is, the structure should be in a good state of repair, maintain its appearance from its period of significance and be considered an exemplary model of preservation. Architectural significance is often best determined by the relevance of the property to broader contexts, including geography. Any changes over the years should be compatible with original design and reflect compliance with accepted preservation practices, e.g., the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. 4. Good state of repair: Structures not considered by the THC to be in a good state of repair are not eligible for RTHL designation. The THC reserves the sole right to make that determination.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATION FOR RTHL DOCUMENTATION:
National Register properties Properties individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NR) under either Criterion A or B and Criterion C (Architecture) may not require additional documentation of the building’s history or architecture. In such cases, only an RTHL application needs to be submitted. The THC has sole discretion to determine whether such documentation is satisfactory and correct or if documentation needs to be updated. Check this box if the property is individually listed in the NR. Year listed:
Courthouses Historic county courthouses with documented master plans accepted through the THC’s Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program (THCPP) may not require additional documentation of the building’s history or architecture. In such cases, only an RTHL application needs to be submitted. The THC has sole discretion to determine whether such documentation is satisfactory and correct or if documentation needs to be updated. Check this box if the property is a courthouse with a master plan accepted through the THC’s THCPP.
APPLICATION PROCEDURES
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Any individual, group or county historical commission (CHC) may apply to the THC to request an Official Texas Historical Marker for what it deems a worthy topic. Only complete marker applications that contain all the required elements can be accepted or processed by the THC (for RTHL markers, the required elements are a sponsorship application form, narrative history, documentation, legal description, site plan, floor plan, historic photograph, and current photographs clearly showing each side of the structure—please resize digital photographs to 1-2 MB, or approximately 1024 x 768 pixels).
• Completed applications must be duly reviewed, verified and approved by the county historical commission (CHC) in the county in which the marker will be placed. • The sponsorship application form, narrative history and documentation must be submitted as Microsoft Word or Word-compatible documents and sent via email attachments to the THC by no later than November 15, 2012. Paper copies of applications, whether mailed or delivered, cannot be accepted in lieu of the electronic version. THC email accepts mail no larger than 10 MB. • Required font style and type size are a Times variant and 12-point. • Narrative histories must be typed in a double-spaced (or 1.5-spaced) format and include separate sections on context, overview and significance. • The narrative history must include documentation in the form of reference notes, which can be either footnotes or endnotes. Documentation associated with applications should be broad-based and demonstrate a survey of all available resources, both primary and secondary. • The CHC or Marker Chair will forward the application and narrative history to [email protected]. • Upon notification of the successful preliminary review of required elements by the THC, a non-refundable application fee of $100 is required. Please send payment with the invoice which THC provides. Payment of the application fee does not guarantee approval of the historical marker. • A copy or scan of proof of current ownership is required to verify the property owner information listed on the application. This is due at the same time as the $100 application fee. You may access this information through county appraisal or tax records.
Once marker applications have passed preliminary review and the application fee and signed proof of property ownership have been received by THC, the application will be scored to determine whether the marker will be submitted to the Commissioners of the THC for final approval.
SCORING CRITERIA (1) 5 pts. max. Age; (2) 10 pts. max. Historical Significance/Architectural Significance; (3) 10 pts. max. State of Repair/Integrity; (4) 10 pts. max. Diversity of topic for addressing gaps in historical marker program; (5) 15 pts. max. Value of topic as an undertold or untold aspect of Texas history; (6) 10 pts. max. Endangerment level of property, site or topic; (7) 10 pts. max. Available documentation and resources;
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(8) 10 pts. max. Diversity among this group of candidates; (9) 5 pts. max. Relevance to other commission programs; and (10) 15 pts. max. Relevance to the commission’s current thematic priorities.
PERMISSION OF PROPERTY OWNER FOR MARKER PLACEMENT (Additional proof of property ownership will be required along with the $100 application fee)
Property owner: William W. & Patricia Price Monroe
Address: 1606 Pearl Street City, state, zip: Austin, TX 78701
Phone: 512-472-2589 Email address: [email protected]
Legal Description of the property (metes and bounds, lot and block, etc.): 138 X 165.5 FT (.4471 acres) of Outlot 11 Division E
Upon receipt of the application, the THC will provide the owner with a letter that outlines the legal responsibility of ownership under the Recorded Texas Historic Landmark statute. The letter must be signed by the owner and returned to the THC before the evaluation can be completed.
NOTE: The property owner will not receive any additional copies of correspondence from the THC. All procedural correspondence (notice of receipt, request for additional information, inscription, shipping notice, etc.) will be sent by email to the CHC representative, who is encouraged to share the information with all interested parties as necessary.
SPONSORSHIP PAYMENT INFORMATION Prospective sponsors please note the following: • Payment must be received in full within 45 days of the official approval notice and must be accompanied by the THC payment form. The THC is unable to process partial payments or to delay payment due to processing procedures of the sponsor. Applications not paid in the time frame required may, at the sole discretion of the THC, be cancelled or postponed. • Payment does not constitute ownership of a marker; Recorded Texas Historic Landmark markers and other Official Texas Historical Markers are the property of the State of Texas. • If, at any time during the marker process, sponsorship is withdrawn, a refund can be processed, but the THC will retain the application fee of $100. • The Official Texas Historical Marker Program provides no means of recognizing sponsors or property owners through marker text, incising or supplemental plaques.
Marker sponsor (may be individual or organization): Phoebe Allen
Contact person (if applicable): Phoebe Allen
Mailing address: 2510 Cedarview Drive City, zip: Austin TX 78704
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Phone: 512-627-8170 cell, 444-1326 home/office Email address (required): [email protected]
SHIPPING INSTRUCTIONS In order to facilitate marker delivery, residence addresses, post office box numbers and rural route numbers are not permitted. To avoid additional shipping charges or delays, use a business street address (open 8 a.m.—5 p.m., Monday through Friday). Name: William & Pat Monroe
Street address:1606 Pearl Street City, zip: Austin, TX 78701
Daytime phone (required): 512-472-2589 Email (required): [email protected]
TYPE AND SIZE OF RECORDED TEXAS HISTORIC LANDMARK MARKERS All historical markers will be 27” x 42” markers unless otherwise requested by the CHC, Marker Chair or sponsor.
The sponsor/CHC prefers the following size marker: 27” x 42” RTHL marker with post 27” X 42” RTHL marker without post* 18” x 28” RTHL marker with post 18” x 28” RTHL marker without post* RTHL medallion and 16” x 12” plaque with post RTHL medallion and 16” x 12” plaque without post*
*For an RTHL marker without post, indicate to what surface material it will be mounted: wood masonry metal other (specify)
RECORDS RETENTION BY CHC: The CHC must retain hard copies of the application as well as an online version, at least for the duration of the marker process. The THC is not responsible for lost applications, for incomplete applications or for applications not properly filed according to the program requirements. For additional information about any aspect of the Official Texas Historical Marker Program, see the Markers page on the THC web site (http://www.thc.state.tx.us/markerdesigs/madmark.html)
Texas Historical Commission
History Programs Division
P.O. Box 12276, Austin, TX 78711-2276
Phone 512/463-5853 [email protected]
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MCCLENDON PRICE HOUSE Nomination for Recorded Texas Historic Landmark 1606 Pearl Street, Austin, Travis County, Texas 78701
Owners: William W. and Patricia Price Monroe 512-472-2589 Legal Description: 138 X 165.5 FT (.4471 acres) of Outlot 11 DIVISION E
SUMMARY Located in Austin’s historic Judges Hill neighborhood, the two-story Prairie style home at 1606 Pearl was designed by local architect Charles H. Page for Judge and Mrs. James McClendon in 1906. The property was given to Annie Watt McClendon by her father as a wedding gift. Three families, including two judges, lived in the home as tenants before the McClendons sold the home in 1944. It was sold to UT Coach Ed Price and his wife Betty in 1960. Their daughter and her husband, Pat and Bill Monroe, are the current owners. The home was designated a City of Austin Historic Landmark in 2000.
ARCHITECTURE Built in 1905-06, this two-and-one-half story American Foursquare, buff brick house incorporates elements of the Prairie and Craftsman styles with Spanish Revival, Beaux- Arts and Mediterranean details. The American Foursquare or “Prairie Box” was a post- Victorian style which shared many features of the Prairie architecture pioneered by Frank Lloyd Wright. Hallmarks of the style include a basically square design, two-and-one-half story height, a center dormer, hipped roof, and a large front porch with wide stairs. This home is pictured in the 1917 illustrated booklet Austin Texas: City of the Violet Crown. The red, hipped roof has a wide overhang and attic dormer with an intricately molded entablature of cartouche and garlands on its gable end. A one-story hipped-roof verandah extending the length of the original front façade is supported by three rusticated brick piers but is subordinated to the main mass. Two additional piers support a one-story south façade verandah, a 1923 addition that incorporates a sleeping porch upstairs with a gabled roof. The single entry door features a transom above and sidelights with transoms, all with diamond shaped leaded glass. The footprint remains boxy yet somewhat asymmetrical due to early additions on the south and west façades. The roof is of composition shingles;
McClendon-Price House 12/11/13 1 of 15 there are three interior chimneys (one was originally exterior). Windows are double hung, one over one. A decorative, three-foot iron fence encloses the south side, front (east), and part of the north garden. Decorative iron brackets over the north side entry are likely by Weigl Iron Works. Two light fixtures on the north and south side porches are original, as are the porch railings. The three exterior steps on the north facade are from three to ten solid blocks of white limestone from a Burnet County quarry. Each set of steps is dressed with one foot wide carved curved white limestone. The north side entry is off a drive through that would have originally accommodated carriages until automobiles became prevalent. A two-story, T-plan garage apartment with bays for three cars below and living quarters upstairs is situated to the rear of the main house. Current landscaping includes a basketball court, pergola, koi pond and gardens. Interior walls are a type of concrete plaster. Original interior features include a number of leaded glass prism windows, miniature tile in the first floor bath, 11½ foot ceilings on both first and second floors, high craftsman style main fireplace in brick, most pine and maple floors (not the porch), and half of the hardwood oak in the carriage house.
Architect: The house was designed by Charles Henry Page Jr.,1 possibly utilizing his brother Louis, who is listed as a draftsman in the 1905 City Directory and as an architect in the 1906-07 City Directory in an office with his brother at Fifth and Congress. J.O. Polhemus2 was the contractor and a Mr. Kitchens was the utilities contractor. According to his great grandson, Charles Page: “The house looks like a Page based on its massing, style, and date of construction. Louis became a partner sometime in 1907, due to the sheer volume of work obtained that same year, and the firm changed names to C.H. Page & Brother. It is not on any list, but that is not unusual, given he designed so many houses and public buildings. There was also a connection between Mr. McClendon and C.H. Page through the governor and the inauguration parade.”
1 According to McClendon daughter Elizabeth Knight in a phone conversation with Pat Price Monroe. 2 Excerpt from Anne McClendon’s diary: May 1906 – “Selected Poleraus [sic] as contractor for Pearl Street house, $7800 without plumbing, wiring, etc.”
McClendon-Price House 12/11/13 2 of 15 Born in St. Louis, brothers Charles Henry Page (1876-1957) and Louis Charles Page (1883-1934) formed a partnership in 1898. Their parents had immigrated to St. Louis from England. Their father, a mason and contractor, moved the family to Austin in 1886 when he was employed to work on the construction of the Capitol. Charles H. Page was trained in the office of local builder-architect Burt McDonald and began practice at the age of 19 in the firm of Makin and Page. The 1898 Queen Anne style Barr Mansion at 10463 Sprinkle Road is the oldest surviving C.H. Page residence. The Prairie School Byrne-Reed House at 1410 Rio Grande, restored by Humanities Texas in 2010, is a 1907 C.H. Page & Brother house. Page’s first major commission was the 1912/1915 Beaux Arts Littlefield Building on Congress Avenue, which featured George W. Littlefield’s Austin National Bank on the lower floor. Page Brothers designed numerous public buildings in Texas, including the Williamson, Hays, Hunt, Fort Bend and Anderson County Courthouses as well as city hall buildings in Mexia and Eagle Lake. The Page Brothers’ work includes the 1930 Austin National Bank (razed 1956), the Travis County Courthouse (1930-36), and the Texas Building at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. After Louis’ death in 1934, the firm’s name changed to C.H. Page Architect. Charles Henry Page Jr. (1910-), who received his bachelor’s degree in architecture from UT in 1932, became a partner in 1936 (C.H. Page & Son) and took over the firm after his father’s death in 1957.3
Architectural Modifications 1910-12: The McClendons upgraded the interior engineering and built a two-bay carriage house with living quarters above on the west end of the property. They also added an iron staircase and interior arches.
3 Roxanne Williamson, "PAGE, CHARLES HENRY," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fpa76), accessed June 25, 2012. Published by the Texas State Historical Association. Hank Todd Smith, ed., Austin, Its Architects and Architecture (Austin Chapter, American Institute of Architects, 1986). Roxanne Williamson, Austin, Texas: An American Architectural History (San Antonio: Trinity University Press, 1973). Charles Page, Vertical Files, Austin History Center.
McClendon-Price House 12/11/13 3 of 15 1923: The McClendons enclosed the area over the southeast gallery to create a second- story sleeping porch. A two-car garage with apartment above was added on the west end of the property. 1945: Blaustone enclosed the first and second story west/rear porches. The upstairs back porch was converted to a bedroom with closet and bath. The downstairs was converted to a den. Windows from the dining room that looked out over the porch were removed and sealed in, and a fireplace was added to the back room. A spool staircase with newel post was removed and replaced with a wrought iron rail. Sliding doors that separated the dining room/living room and the hall were removed, and arches built to open up all of the rooms. c. 1944-58: Added another bay of garage space to east side of the existing 2-bay carriage house with additional second story hardwood floor living room to the existing quarters. A large laundry room was added at the rear of the garage. Previously, the laundry room and the coal room, along with the furnace, were in the basement of the main house, and rooms were provided for servants. The back steps from the basement to the back porch were changed to come directly to the kitchen at the rear entry, and a small porch was added. 1963: The original Spanish tile, half-moon slate roof was replaced with red shingles due to leakage. The old furnace and ducts were removed, and the house was converted to gas. 1946-1977: Embedded small stone terrazzo porch areas were gradually replaced with wood as various owners tried to save it. 1999: A three-foot high wrought iron perimeter fence was added on the east, north and partial south side of the home, replicated from other early 20th Century Austin estates. Front and courtyard iron gates came from demolished properties (the front set was rescued after Hurricane Ike struck Galveston in 2008). A half-size sports court with privacy fence was added at the back of the property. 2000: The front door was restored to its original style with crystal glass to replicate leaded windows on the transom and windows in the dining room. 2000: Third floor suite was insulated with Sun Shield similar to that used on Apollo spaceships. Owners preserved wood beams and original structure and look of the area. A natural air vent design on roof hip added to the sustainable project.
McClendon-Price House 12/11/13 4 of 15
HISTORICAL NARRATIVE Located in the historic Judges’ Hill neighborhood a few blocks northwest of the State Capitol, this two-story home was constructed in 1905-06 by Annie Watt and James McClendon. The house is located on the southwest corner of the intersection of Seventeenth and Pearl Streets in the Judges Hill neighborhood, a few blocks northwest of the Texas State Capitol and southwest of The University of Texas campus. Shoal Creek was the natural western boundary of Austin when Edwin Waller laid out the city’s original one-square-mile grid in 1839. In order to found the City of Austin, the Congress of the Republic of Texas condemned the land in and surrounding the village of Waterloo in 1839, offering the former headright owners either money or land elsewhere in Texas as compensation. The lots inside the 1839 city plan, as well as “Outlots” beyond the Original City grid laid out by Waller, were sold to the highest bidders. Those who owned Outlots in the future Judges Hill neighborhood included Dr. Samuel G. Haynie (1806-1877), a four-time mayor of Austin who arrived in Austin in 1839 to practice medicine and by 1850 owned Outlots 10, 11 and 19. Haynie purchased these and several other lots on Dec. 17, 1850, made the three required payments to pay them off, and then transferred or “assigned” then to Robertson. Outlots 10 and 11 in Division E are recorded as having been transferred to E.S.C. Robertson, assignee of Samuel Garner Haynie, on Nov. 14, 1852 (No.201 Vol.2) 4 In 1858, Robertson sold the two lots to The Reverend Charles Gillette, a volunteer missionary to the Republic of Texas who in 1859 became the first rector of St. David’s Church. Gillette died in Baltimore, Maryland on March 6, 1869. Gillette’s son, William Wharton Gillette, mortgaged the property to Gov. Pease for $2,000 in 1879; it was released in 1890, with Mrs. Pease signing a paper saying that William had paid the note
4 The City of Austin was authorized to sell lots on Sept. 3, 1850. File 477 General Land Office: Deed of Conveyance from S.G. Haynie to Robertson, January 7, 1852, for Outlots 10 & 11. Patented by Gov. Bell to Sterling C. Robertson, assignee of S.G. Haynie, Jan. 17, 1852, Outlots 10 & 11 (Vol. F, pg. 59). http://scandocs.glo.texas.gov/webfiles/landgrants/pdfs/1/0/4/5/1045363.pdf
McClendon-Price House 12/11/13 5 of 15 to her deceased husband in full. The land thus passed into the hands of Gillette’s heirs.5 The heirs, represented by Henry Hardy Sr. – presumably the second husband of Charles Gillette’s wife Mary—agreed to give thirty feet of Outlot 10 for the extension of 16th Street from West Avenue to Shoal Creek. The owners of Outlot 9, Frank and Georgianne Brown, were also to give thirty feet. Sixteenth (Cherry) Street was cut through by 1890. In 1905 W.T. Watt of Waco purchased from the Gillette heirs Outlots 10 and 11, lying between Pearl Street and Shoal Creek from east to west, and 16th and 17th Streets from south to north. As a wedding gift to his daughter Annie Hale Watt, who was married in 1904 to James Wooten McClendon (1873-1972), Watt allowed his daughter and her husband to build their home on the southwest corner of 17th and Pearl in 1906. They slept in the house for the first time on January 15, 1907, following a supper party they gave after the Governor’s Inaugural Ball. Watt officially deeded Lot #11 to his daughter in 1909. Mr. Watt sold those lots facing West Avenue, and Anne Watt McClendon later sold most of what was left to the Bickler brothers for their three houses on 16th Street. She retained seven acres for their home, which was the only house on the entire block. The house was originally numbered 1600 Pearl. At the time the house was built, it would have enjoyed an excellent view from the verandahs and second story levels to the south and southeast.
Neighborhood Context The Judges Hill neighborhood takes its name from the many judges and attorneys who built homes in the area beginning in 1851, just after Austin was selected as the state capital, by Elijah Sterling Clack Robertson (1820-1879), son of the Empressario of Robertson Colony. Robertson’s home, built on a bluff overlooking Shoal Creek between 18th and 19th Streets, was followed by several more along West Avenue, the western boundary of the 1839 Original City of Austin. Adjacent to the downtown business district, the homes in this neighborhood are some of the oldest in Austin. Spanning a period from the 1850s through the turn of the century,
5 Deed: E.S.C. Robertson to Charles Gillette, Outlots 10 & 11, June 28, 1858 (Vol. M, pg. 376).
McClendon-Price House 12/11/13 6 of 15 the structures provide insight into the transitioning architectural styles and building materials of the time. The Glasscock Mansion (razed 1923) was built in the 1400 block of West Avenue in 1853. The Chandler-Shelley House, also known as Westhill, built circa 1855 at 1703 West Avenue, was likely built by Abner Cook about the same time Cook was building the nearby Governor’s Mansion as well as a house for Samuel Haynie. (Haynie’s home became Cook’s home in September of 1853 due to Haynie’s financial losses; Cook lived in this house (12th and Colorado) until his death in 1884.6) Many elegant, historic homes still line both sides of West Avenue including the landmark 1870 Denny-Holliday House at 1803 West Avenue. There are at least three periods of activity in the Judges’ Hill area. First is that beginning during the Republic and running through World War I, roughly 1840 to 1914. The style is reflected in Abner Cook homes and other early buildings. With the Victorian era came a more formal regimen of manners and social style, reflected in homes of the time. The second phase of development includes the period between the two world wars, 1914 to 1945. It includes primarily Italianate, Colonial and Classical Revival, and Arts and Crafts Bungalow styles. The third phase, following WWII, saw the addition of a few homes in the post-war Ranch and Mid Century Modern styles. The Judges’ Hill neighborhood continues to experience controversial revitalization and conversion of single family residences to professional offices. On West Avenue, for example, two blocks from San Gabriel, is a series of three modern apartment and condominium buildings that replaced exceptional historic homes, including two in the 1700 and 1800 blocks: the Richarsonian Romanesque Edward Mandell House home at 1704 West Avenue, built in 1891 and demolished in 1967, and the Angeline Townsend- Thad Thomson home at 1802 West Avenue, built in 1868 and demolished in 1962. Other “ghosts” of the Judges’ Hill neighborhood include the 1882 home of Judge A.S. Walker and his son-in-law Rector Thomson at 1508 Rio Grande, the Chiles home at 1606
6 Deed: Samuel G. Haynie to Abner Cook, 13 Sep 1853. Lots 1-6, Block 135, $10,000, witness John Bremond. G/413
McClendon-Price House 12/11/13 7 of 15 West Avenue, and the 1909 Haskell Caswell Jr. home at 1500 West Avenue, demolished by the widening of 15th Street, as well as the Frank Brown home that predated it. The Judges Hill Neighborhood Association is in the process of nominating the neighborhood as a City of Austin Historic District and National Register Historic District.
The McClendon-Price House7 In 1905, W. T. Watt of Waco purchased property from Pearl Street down to Shoal Creek and from 16th to 17th Streets, and allowed his daughter Annie Hale Watt (1880- 1964) and her new husband (married 12/14/1904), James Wooten McClendon to build their home on the corner of 17th and Pearl.8 The couple spent their first night in the home after Texas Governor Thomas Campbell’s inaugural ball on January 15, 1907, having entertained a number of friends at their new house after the ball. In an interview by Hildegarde Stjepcevich from the Austin History Center on November 12, 1969, Judge McClendon noted that his father-in-law, Mr. Watt, gave the newlyweds eight acres from West Avenue to Shoal Creek Boulevard between 16th and 17th Streets. Watt had purchased the land from “the heirs of an Episcopal minister who was here before the Civil War, and he was a Northern sympathizer and got out with the Bishop and he went back--went up to New York. I forget his name now. But he had sold off a quarter of a block there on 17th Street to E.M. House, where House had his servants’ quarters and garden and he kept a horse. House used to roam all over those places there on horseback.” Judge McClendon went on to say that he and his wife took the back part of the land, and “…we cut Pearl Street through.” The McClendons also built the house across the street at 1603 Pearl (later St. David’s Rectory) and lived there while major renovations were made on their primary home. They moved back into their home on June 20, 1912, according to Anne’s diary.
7 The house is listed in the 1916 Austin City Directory as 1606 Pearl, but was originally numbered 1600 Pearl in the 1909 and 1912 City Directories; Pearl did not exist between 16th and 17th until circa 1915. Sources include McClendon vertical file, Austin History Center and correspondence with the McClendon’s daughters. 8 Deeds: Gillette-Hardy family to W.T. Watt Nov. 14, 1905 (Vol. 204, pg. 606). Watt to James W. & Anne Watt McClendon Mar. 24, 1909 (Vol. 226, pg. 317).
McClendon-Price House 12/11/13 8 of 15 The garage apartment was first used by the McClendon family cook, a Swedish woman. It was later rented to university students. The couple lived in the home until June 6, 1926, when they moved into their 1920 summer house, “The Towers” on 12 acres overlooking Town Lake, later known as the Westwood Country Club. In 1955 the McClendons built and lived in a third home at 1001 West 17th until Anne McClendon’s death in 1964. Judge McClendon continued there until 1966, when he moved into the new Westgate Tower at 1122 Colorado Street. Judge & Mrs. Thomas B. Greenwood and their daughter rented the home from 1926 to 1937. Judge Charles G. Krueger occupied the home from 1937 to 1942. Dr. Henry and Aldo Blaustone began renting in 1943 and purchased the home in 1944, remaining there until 1958.9 The Blaustones sold the property to W.J. Simpson and his wife, Alice Mae, in February of 1958. The Simpsons attempted to have the house torn down with the intention of building student apartments. The neighborhood association objected strenuously and the request was denied by Austin’s City Council. The Simpsons sold the property to Betty Love Rugeley and Edwin B. Price on August 23, 1960.10 The home remains in the hands of their daughter, Patricia Price Monroe, who inherited the property upon the death of her mother, September 21, 1998.
BIOGRAPHIES OF RESIDENTS Judge James & Annie Watt McClendon, were the builders and original owners of the home. They lived in the home from 1907 to 1926 and owned the property until 1944. James Wooten McClendon (1873-1972) was born in West Point, Georgia. His father was a merchant and mayor of West Point. James’ interest in law was first sparked in a one- room schoolhouse where he witnessed a criminal trial. In 1889 his widowed mother moved her five children to Laredo, where she worked for 21 years as a missionary. McClendon worked for three years in a dry goods store in Laredo before he graduated from The University of Texas at Austin (1895), managed the Longhorn football team in 1896, and became a member of the first graduating class of the UT Law School (1897).
9 Deed: Dr. Henry & Aldo Blaustone to William J. and Alice Mae Simpson Feb. 3, 1958 (Vol. 1888, pg. 479). 10 The Simpson-Price deed is dated August 25, 1960 (Vol. 2218, pg. 368-370).
McClendon-Price House 12/11/13 9 of 15 He married Anne Hale Watt (1880-1964) on December 14, 1904. They had two children, Mary Anne McClendon and Elizabeth M. Knight. McClendon practiced law in Austin for 21 years, serving as president of the Travis County Bar Association in 1912-13. In 1918 he was appointed by Gov. Hobby to the Texas Supreme Court Commission of Appeals, where he served for five years, the last two as chief justice (1918-1923). In 1923 he was appointed Chief Justice of the Texas Court of Civil Appeals, Associate Justice of the State Supreme Court, where he remained until his retirement in 1949. In 1929 McClendon proposed the formation of the Texas Judicial Council. He also served on an advisory committee appointed by the state Supreme Court to revise the rules of civil procedure. As chief justice of the Court of Civil Appeals in 1948, McClendon presided over the landmark case Sweatt v. Painter, in which Heman Marion Sweatt, a black postal employee, charged that he was denied entry to the UT law school because of his race. McClendon ruled against Sweatt and upheld the state’s “separate but equal” provisions in state schools; his decision was overruled by the United States Supreme Court in 1950, with Thurgood Marshall arguing for Sweatt. McClendon was a friend and attorney of Elisabet Ney during her 15-year stay in Austin; he established the McClendon Foundation to support the Elisabet Ney Texas Fine Arts Association. He served as the first president of the Texas Fine Arts Association (1911-17; also 1928-32 and 1937-38). He served as acquisitions chairman for the Laguna Gloria Art Museum, where he established its permanent collection. He was president of the Austin Symphony Society and active with the Austin Ballet. As a Texas Alumni, he served on committees that helped build Gregory Gym, Memorial Stadium, and Kirby Hall, and chaired the building committee for the University YMCA. Judge McClendon was a Democrat, a Grand Master Mason, an Elk, Rotarian, and Shriner, and served for over 40 years on the board of directors of the Scottish Rite Dormitory. He was a charter member of the Heritage Society, drawing up its constitution in 1953. Following his wife’s death, Judge McClendon moved to the new Westgate Towers in 1966. He died at the age of 98 and was buried in the Texas State Cemetery.11
11 McClendon biographical file, Austin History Center. Correspondence from Mary Anne McClendon and Elizabeth McClendon and excerpts from the diaries of Anne Watt
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Tenant 1926-37: Judge Thomas B. Greenwood (1872-1946) practiced law in Palestine, Texas for 25 years before his appointment by Gov. Hobby to the Supreme Court of Texas (1918-34). He was appointed a Regent of the University of Texas in 1907. His court decisions helped define oil and gas law in Texas. In 1910 Judge Greenwood led the passing of the controversial ‘I. & G. N. Bill’ which permitted mortgage bond holders of the International & Great Northern Railroad Company to foreclose their mortgage railroad properties but denied them the right to continue operations under corporate charter, save on making provision for the payment of outstanding operation debits. The validity of the legislation was upheld in the U.S. Supreme Court. After retirement from the Texas Supreme Court, Greenwood practiced with Greenwood, Moody & Robertson.12 He and his wife and daughter rented the house from the McClendons.
Tenant 1937-42: Judge Charles G. Krueger (1871-1958) served as a commissioner of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (1933-1950), and was an attorney for 20 years for Sealy Mattress Company. He was also a County Judge of Austin County. “He was noted for guidance in county improvements such as finance, roads and bridges and in democratic primary organization. Throughout his career, Judge Kruger gave time and help to young lawyers…he spent a lot of time helping beginning lawyers prepare their first appeals from the trial courts to the higher ones.” He made some landmark decisions involving questions brought before the Court of Criminal Appeals for the first time and novel questions concerning corporations and agencies.13
McClendon: Price family papers. Austin American, January 10, 1972. Deborah D. Powers, The Court of Appeals at Austin, 1892-1992 (Austin: State House Press, 1992). Who's Who in America, 1960-61. Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "MCCLENDON, JAMES WOOTEN," http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/view/MM/fmc13.html (accessed February 8, 2005). 12 Greenwood vertical file, Austin History Center. 13 Charles Krueger vertical file, Austin History Center. Texas Bar Journal, March 1958. Austin Statesman Obituary.
McClendon-Price House 12/11/13 11 of 15 Tenants/Owners 1944-1958: Aldo and Dr. Henry Blaustone (1893-1985) was a physician and surgeon. He officed in the Scarbrough Building at Sixth Street and Congress Avenue. He was a life member of Austin Lodge #12, AF & AM, Austin Scottish Rite Bodies, Ben Hur Shrine and Ben Hur Changers. He was married to Aldo (Pauline) and had two sons, Henry Robert and Don, and one daughter, Marcheta.14 Aldo held a reception for Governor Jester in the McClendon house.15
Owners 1958 – 1960: William J. and Alice Mae Simpson16 were in the motel/hotel business in Corpus Christi in 1961 and Million Auto Parts company in Waco in 1964, according to correspondence with Betty Price.
1960-1998: Edwin and Betty Price Edwin Booth Price (1909 – 1976) was born in Brownwood, Texas and attended Corsicana schools, graduating in 1929. A gifted athlete, he graduated from the University of Texas in 1933; he earned a masters degree over the next few summers in education. He lettered all four years in three sports (1929-32): football, baseball, and basketball (captain). In high school, he had lettered in four sports, including track. He coached football, basketball and track in Hillsboro (1933-34) and El Paso (1934- 36) before returning to UT as assistant football, basketball and baseball coach from 1936- 42. After his marriage in 1942, he enlisted as a naval officer (1942-46), serving as catapult and arresting gear officer on a small carrier in the Pacific. He was given a Lt. Commander rank at the wars’ end. He coached the UT varsity football team (1946 to 1956) and was the Longhorn’s head football coach (1951 – 1956), a period that included a 1952 Southwestern Conference title and a 1953 Cotton Bowl win over Tennessee. Price resigned as coach in 1956 and served 17 years as Assistant Dean of Students and lecturer in the College of Education.
14 Obituary, Austin History Center. 15 Phone conversation between Henry Robert Blaustone and Patricia Price Monroe. 16 Deed: Blaustone to Wm. J. & Alice Mae Simpson, Feb. 3, 1958 (Vol. 1888, pg. 479). “History of the Ed B. Price Home” by Betty Price.
McClendon-Price House 12/11/13 12 of 15 He was inducted into the Longhorn Hall of Honor in 1967 and retired from the University in 1974 after almost 40 years.17 Edwin Price met his bride, Betty Love Rugeley (1912-1998), while recruiting football players at House Park, the Austin High School stadium where Betty was enthusiastically cheering the Red Jackets. She was born in Matagorda, Texas, where the Rugeley [pronounced rouge-lee] family arrived in circa 1845. She held a B.S. in education from UT in 1935 and an M.A. in physical education (1941), and studied advanced work in reading in 1956. Ed and Betty were married June 25, 1942. She taught reading and physical education in public schools for 28 years, including 19 years in three different Austin junior high schools (Burnet, Lamar, and University Junior High), privately tutored reading in her home after school for 23 years, and was a reading, health and physical education teacher for six years (1936-41) at Stephen F. Austin High School, where she wrote the lyrics to the AHS school fight song “Loyal Forever” in 1940, and sponsored the AHS Red Jackets beginning in 1936 when she increased membership, acquired uniforms and won elective credit for student participation in the women’s drill team. She also developed the first syllabus for health education at AHS and served as secretary of the PTA. Betty was inducted into the AHS Hall of Honor in 1999. She served as president of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority, Delta Chapter, for eight years and in 1968 was a founding member of the Theta Rho chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma Sorority; she received their Outstanding Alumni award three times. She was loved and known for her ability to successfully tutor children with reading problems (later defined as dyslexia) in the 60s and 70s.18 Edwin and Betty Price had two children, Patricia Isbel (1946-) and Dan Rugeley Price (1947-1994), a lawyer active in the State Bar of Texas. He was a gifted speaker and wrote landmark papers initiating the Sunset Laws and Discovery Laws. The Dan Rugeley Price Memorial Award is presented each year by the Texas Bar Foundation.
Current Owners
17 “Ed Price,” Austin Statesman, Mar. 3, 1976. “Former Horn coach Price dies at 67,” Houston Post, Mar. 3, 1976. Letter from Ed Price to Joe Crousen of Athens High School, Feb. 23, 1971. 18 Obituary, Austin Statesman. Written reminiscences of daughter Pat Price Monroe.
McClendon-Price House 12/11/13 13 of 15 The Price’s daughter, Patricia Isbel Price, resides in the home with her husband Bill Monroe and their two sons, William Winfield Monroe III, who works at the Federal Reserve in D.C. (Georgetown University class of 2009), and Price John Rugeley Monroe. Pat Price Monroe is a UT graduate in Fine Arts and has an MBA from the UT Business School. In the lead group of women that entered the work force during the 1970s Equality for Women movement, she carved out a career in marketing in healthcare (Seton and St. David’s as well as the Brown Schools) and high tech (IBM, Execucom, Origin Systems). Today she paints portraits and is a community volunteer (schools, Women’s Symphony League, Blanton Museum of Texas History, Heritage Society of Austin, and others). Pat opened an antique company in the early 200s and successfully sold European pieces from the 16th to 19th centuries throughout America and beyond. Bill Monroe, CPA, served as Chief of Operations at the Texas Education Agency. He as been on the board of West Austin Youth Association (Soccer Commissioner for five years); he has been instrumental in the growth of soccer in Austin and even played international rugby. He has been chairman of Georgetown University interview committee for Central Texas and was active in the preservation and operations of the State and Paramount Theatres on Congress from 1983 to 1998.
CONCLUSION & JUSTIFICATION The McClendon-Price House merits historic landmark status as an American Foursquare home as well as for its importance to the City of Austin as the home of the prominent McClendon and Price families as well as Judges Greenwood and Krueger. The home retains considerable architectural integrity from 1906, with few changes since the McClendons’ residency from 1907 to 1924. The home continues to serve as a residence in a neighborhood where homes are increasingly utilized as businesses. A historic designation would help preserve the home and the integrity of Judges Hill. The integrity of the home’s exterior, as well as its interior, has been carefully maintained and deserves preservation with status as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark. The Judges Hill Neighborhood Association and the Monroe family support
McClendon-Price House 12/11/13 14 of 15 the inclusion of this home into future City of Austin and National Register Historic Districts.
Additional Documentation
GRAPHICS 1. Site Plan 2. Floor Plans
HISTORICAL PHOTO From Austin, Texas: City of the Violet Crown, 1917.
CURRENT PHOTOS (by Phoebe Allen, June 2012) 1. Front façade 2. View from southeast 3. Front façade, detail 4. View from street 5. Dormer gable detail 6. Front entry detail 7. South façade 8. West and north facades 9 & 10. North façade with entry bracket detail 11. Carriage house/Apartment – north façade 12. South and east facades of garage apartment
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The James & Annie Watt McClendon House
1606 Pearl Street from Austin, Texas: City of the Violet Crown, 1917 McClendon Price House Front/east facade above, south and east facades below McClendon House - front verandah above; view from street, below Detail of front dormer gable. Front entry.
South facade, below. West and north facades above. North facade and entry, with bracket detail, below. Carriage House/Apartment: north facade above, south and east facades below.