Pemberton Heights Neighborhood Association

The Keith House (1933) is a two-story, single-family residence located at 2400 Harris Boulevard. The house enjoys an unobstructed view of the Texas State Capitol from its front balcony. This view is part of the northern boundary of Austin’s protected State Capitol view zone.

The Keith House exemplifies characteristics of the Monterey Revival and the Colonial Revival styles popular in the United States during the 1920s through the 1940s. The Colonial Revival influence is evident through the use of brick, placement of chimneys at the gable ends, 1/1 double-hung windows paired with shutters, and a central hallway. The Monterey Revival influences include a cantilevered wooden balcony, wooden balustrade, low-pitched roof, and varied exterior wall materials. It is the earliest known Austin house displaying elements of the Monterey Revival style.

The early 20th century in the United States was characterized by the revivals
of Colonial and Classical architectural styles, in tandem with the development
of Craftsman and Prairie styles. Traditional Colonial and Classical elements frequently were combined in imaginative ways to produce unique and distinctly American interpretations of traditional designs. The Spanish Monterey architectural style developed in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico from the 1700s to the mid-1800s. With the influx of English settlers in the west, the Spanish Monterey style began to exhibit English Colonial as well as Spanish features, and the Monterey Revival style, first built in the mid-1920s in California, incorporated elements of both the Spanish Eclectic and English Colonial styles.

Both the exterior and interior of the Keith House retains a high degree of architectural integrity, appearing much as it would have in the 1930s. The primary entrance leads to a small foyer dominated by an elegant 180-degree spiral staircase, constructed entirely of wood with a curved mahogany railing.  The front room features a Federal-style carved mantelpiece. All woodwork and doors are original, including the hardware. The floors throughout the house are oak, except in the kitchen, which is pine. In a recent kitchen renovation, the current owners removed linoleum and refinished the pine floor. The original kitchen wallpapers were found intact under two layers of wallpaper. Both bathrooms retain original fixtures, hardware, and tiles.

The Keith House was designed by William Dixon Anderson, a noted Austin builder employed by the Calcasieu Lumber Company, for his sister, Maggie Mae Keith, and her husband Jacque Nicholas Keith. Anderson (1888-1972) was born in Austin, Texas to Ed and Mary Anderson. Ed was a Travis County sheriff, in addition to being County Treasurer for fifteen years. Ed was the grandson of Thomas Anderson, builder of Anderson Mill on the Colorado River in the Hill Country west of Austin.

William Anderson studied architecture (though he never became a licensed architect) under Samuel Gideon at the University of Texas and joined Calcasieu Lumber Company in 1915. He married Gertrude Richter in May 1915 and continued his career at Calcasieu Lumber Company for 46 years, ultimately becoming its chief builder. It is unknown how many houses he built in the area. Anderson, known locally as “the man in the derby hat,” for his choice of headgear, was also a noted local historian, best remembered for his stories of life in Austin in the 19th and early 20th centuries. His most famous work, “Kingdom in the Hills” documented life at Anderson Mill. The Austin History Center maintains a collection of Anderson’s writings.

Anderson purchased the Keith House lot in 1927, and sold it to his sister Maggie Mae (Anderson) Keith, and her husband, Jacque Nicholas Keith, in 1932. Calcasieu Lumber Co. built the house, as designed by Anderson.

Jacque Nicholas Keith (1886-1958) graduated from the University of Texas School of Law in 1909. He worked at the Austin Realty Company and then at his own law practice until 1918. He married Maggie Mae Anderson in 1915.  Maggie Mae lived in the Keith House until 1962.

The Austin Development Company, which developed Pemberton Heights in the late 20’s, advertised Pemberton Heights as a ‘well balanced’ community with some streets planned for “fancy $3500-$4000 cottages” and adjacent streets reserved for “$150,000 mansions.” They highlighted the neighborhood’s amenities in a brochure, “…with over five miles of paved and shaded streets and sidewalks, and over seven acres of private park adjoining and adjacent to Pease and Enfield Parks on the north…”

Harris Boulevard was among the first streets laid out and developed in Pemberton Heights. It is possible to see the influence the Keith House had on other houses built after its completion.

(The information for this article was gathered from the THC website.)

Bryan and Jenni Chester have always loved history and old houses. In 1999, when they bought the house at 2524 Harris Boulevard, they knew from the start they were going to restore it back to its original 1937 condition.

Their research began at the Austin History Center. They were able to find old photographs of the house and contact family members of the original owners. With the help of local architect Nick Deaver, who specializes in old home restoration, the house now looks very much like it did close to 70 years ago.

The Caterall Mills House is an Early American Georgian Revival. It is a plain, symmetrical, wood frame structure covered with red wood siding. The design is derived from the Early Georgian house (1700-1800). Identified with American Independence, this type of house was made popular by George Washington’s Mount Vernon.

The house has some unusual architectural features including a bomb shelter in the backyard built during the Cold War with Russia. The second owner, Dottie Bull added an Italian marble fireplace, stained glass windows and front doors from a church in Bastrop, and tin ceiling tiles in the living room. She also added the front porch and columns and replaced all of the front first floor windows with french doors. She covered the horizontal red wood siding with vertical cedar siding. Bryan and Jenni restored many of the original features of the home including the horizontal redwood siding and the original oak floors.

While researching their home, the Chesters discovered that the first owners, Gordon E. Mills and Margaret Catterall Mills were very prominent Austinites throughout the mid 1900’s.

Gordon Eldridge Mills was born in Maine in the early 1900’s. He was an orphan raised by his siblings and educated at Rutgers University in New Jersey. He married Margaret in 1933 and they moved to Austin in 1935 so he could go to work for his father-in-law at the Walker Austex Chili Company. It was there that Gordon distinguished himself as a key business and civic leader. His 20 year tenure at Austex included Vice President and General Manager.

Many of you may have never heard of Austex Chili, but in the 1930’s there were 3 major businesses in Austin – the University, the Government, and Austex Chili. Located at 310 San Antonio, it was the largest factory of its kind in the United States. It played a dominant role in popularizing Mexican style foods throughout the country.

During World War II, Gordon was instrumental in negotiating a contract to provide C-Rations (Army) and K- Rations (Navy) for our troops. Gordon Mills wanted Austin to be
able to compete with the other cities in Texas not only on a business level but on a cultural one. He and his wife Margaret were very involved in the Austin Symphony, the local art scene, the Austin Country Club and the Men’s and Women’s Golf Association. Gordon was a charter member of the Chamber of Commerce and the Better Business Bureau.

One of Gordon Mills most notable achievements was his involvement in the creation of the Austin Humane Society. He organized the drive that raised the funds to build the Austin and Travis County Animal Shelter at its current location by the old Missouri Pacific Depot and served as the General Manager. Margaret shared her husbands love for animals and they were known to adopt many strays themselves.

Margaret Catterall was born in Galveston, the youngest of the five children of Fred W. and Elizabeth Catterall. In 1928 she received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia University in New York. She was one of the first women to attend. During World War II, Margaret was very active at the Red Cross, folding bags and parachutes. She was instrumental in the installation of Austin’s current Civil Defense warning system. Austin was thought to be a prime target for a Russian nuclear strike as Bergstrom housed the B-52s. Margaret had a bomb shelter built in her backyard as a few other Pemberton residents did. After the war she planted a victory garden in the back of the house. She was a patriot through and through.

Gordon and Margaret hob-knobbed with Austin’s social elite at the Austin Country Club back in the fifties and sixties. Their company included the likes of Lyndon Johnson, Ralph Yarborough, Allan Shivers, John Connally and J. C. Penney to name but a few. Gordon served as president of the ACC in the early fifties and it was there that he and his wife chaired numerous fund raisers, benefits, and roasts.  Margaret passed away in 1965 and Gordon followed her in 1972.

By Dana Wesson

“This beautiful rock Castle in Pemberton Heights with nearly one acre of ground must be sold at once. The Original Cost was approximately $16,000.00. Will Sell For $8000.00, terms to suit purchaser.” – 1935 newspaper ad

Historic Pemberton Castle, otherwise known as the Fisher-Gideon House, located at 1415 Wooldridge Drive, is a lovely, ivy-covered, 1926-constructed limestone castle, touting a rich history filled with ghosts, artists and prominent Texas figures. Originally constructed on the outskirts of Austin in the late 1800s as a water cistern, it was initially used by the City for firefighting purposes.

According to the earliest deed records, the property belonged to John W. Harris (1810-1887) of Galveston, who was married to Annie Pleasants Fisher Dallam (daughter of Samuel Rhoads Fisher (1794-1839), a signer of the Declaration of Independence). Mr. Harris was Attorney General of Texas in the 1840s under Governor Elisha M. Pease, and they were real estate partners as well.

Pease purchased the enormous tract of land which would eventually become known as the Enfield area and West Austin in 1859 from businessman James B. Shaw, and Judge Harris purchased the adjacent northern tract. The cistern evolved into a water tower and pump house for irrigating the Harris farm, where fields of corn, and later spinach, gave way to what we now know as Pemberton Heights. The early rock pump house remains on the property to this day.

In 1925 the tower was converted into a Gothic castle by developer Samuel (Budley) William Fisher II (1881-1955) and his wife Josephine Lucille Mathen (1883-1971), who inherited the farm in 1920 from his second cousin Reba B. Masterton, granddaughter of Judge Harris’ widow. By the following year, the Fishers had traded the entire property for shares of stock in the Austin Development Company (George G. Murray, president), which planned to create a subdivision for homey cottages and mansions.

By midsummer of 1927, the developers filed a plat with the Travis County Clerk for the first unit of the new subdivision to be called Pemberton Heights. Pemberton was the middle name of Fisher’s uncle Walter P. Fisher. Wooldridge was the middle name of his brother (who was married to Julia Scarbrough, of the department store family), and his mother’s maiden name.

The Castle then became the sales office for the Pemberton Heights subdivision. To attract prospective home buyers, limestone wings were constructed on each side of the water tower, and the whole structure was topped with squared notches, giving it the castle-like appearance. The Fishers, along with their four children, apparently resided two homes to the west at 1505 Wooldridge Drive.

In May, 1932, during the Great Depression, title to the Castle was transferred to the American National Bank of Austin, who put it up for sale. The picturesque, but eccentric, building apparently attracted no buyers for years, as an unsuccessful 1935 advertisement in the Austin
American read:

“This beautiful rock Castle in Pemberton Heights with nearly one acre of ground must be sold at once. The Original Cost was approximately $16,000.00. Will Sell For $8000.00, terms to suit purchaser.”

The J. F. Kone family, acting as caretakers for the bank in 1935, were the first actual occupants. At this time the Castle had bare concrete floors and no real kitchen. In 1937, Samuel Gideon (1875-1945) purchased the Castle. He was a major figure in Texas architecture and an early proponent of historic preservation. Gideon studied architecture at MIT and Harvard and graduated from the School of Fine Arts at Fontainebleau, France. In 1913 Gideon became a professor of architectural design and history at the University of Texas.

Professor Gideon is believed to have been the architect of the initial transformation of the water tower into a livable residence with an old English air. From the demolition of the “Old Main” building on the University of Texas campus, Professor Gideon salvaged bricks and stained glass windows. Pennsylvania slate floors were remnants from the construction of the Home Economics Building. One of the two large 13’ gothic windows is now the focal point of the lower tower room. It revolves, providing a walk-out exit to the garden terrace. Stones in the south wall came from the O. Henry House. Gideon was responsible for incorporating the main staircase, reportedly created by Swiss woodcarver Peter Mansbendel and removed from the Bishop Kinsolving house on Whitis. The Gideons added the current kitchen with a master bath above. Professor Gideon created a studio on the second floor of the water tower, while the first floor was simply used for storage.

Mrs. Gideon passed away in 1954, and over the next fifty years the castle changed hands a number of times. It seems to attract colorful, interesting owners, including actress/artist Grace (Libby) Foster Winters Bunch (who was once June Allyson’s roommate in New York) and her husband, Roy, an architectural engineer (owners 1966-1982). Mrs. Winters painted a portrait, which hung over the mantel in the living room, of the lovely ghost that she believed she saw one night, dressed in a magnificently colored Camelot gown.

The legendary ghost story which has been passed along from owner to owner involves a couple which stayed as guests at the Castle on their wedding night. The groom apparently became enraged and threw his new bride into the uncovered cistern, thereby drowning her. It is said that she walks the castle in the early hours of the morning, causing nearby dogs to bark. The groom is said to have been hung on the spot, and he too allegedly roams the Castle grounds.

When the Winters decided to turn the ground floor of the tower into a “cantina,” they discovered a Model-A frame embedded in the limestone wall, presumably used for support. They also turned Professor Gideon’s studio into a circular bedroom. The room has an 18-foot wooden ceiling with exposed beams. The Winters were also responsible for the construction in 1961 of a castellated carport (which later became an enclosed garage) at the eastern wing of the Castle. Mrs. Winters was quoted as saying “One would think that the interior of the Castle would be old and depressing. But on the contrary, it is very bright with sunshine streaming through the Romanesque windows, reflecting the colorful sheen of the slate floors”.

Retired Associate Justice of the Texas Supreme Court and Mrs. William W. Kilgarlin (owners 1982-1994) skillfully modernized the home, while capturing a grace and dignity befitting a castle. Judge Kilgarin was reputed to have housed an extensive wine collection above the lower bar area in the tower.

In 1994, the property was sold to Motorola/Dell executive, Morton Topfer and his wife Angela, who were responsible for rehabilitating the systems and fabric of the house and restoring much of the interior to its historic appearance, as well as obtaining the Official Texas Historical Marker, which was awarded to the Castle on June 14, 1997.

By Biruta Clemins Kearl

The western boundary of Pemberton Heights is marked by the MoPac expressway, the ever-busier highway whose potential expansion helped spark the establishment of the Pemberton Heights Neighborhood Association. Its history goes back to the 1870s.

The rail line was originally called the International and Great Northern (I & GN) and it was the 2nd railroad in Austin. It arrived in December 1876 from Hearne and Palestine, five years after the first railroad (the Houston, Texas, and Central) chugged into town. The turreted I&GN depot was a stately structure at the southwest corner of Congress and Third. In 1925, the I&GN line became part of the Missouri Pacific lines, hence the nickname “MoPac.”

In April 1955 Mayor McFadden announced an agreement with the Missouri Pacific RR to acquire right of way for a planned West Side expressway – another MoPac. Described originally as a tree-lined inner city “boulevard” from Town Lake to Northland Drive intended to ease the crush of West and Northwest Austinites to and from downtown, planning for the expressway took a sharp change in 1966. At that time the city council, dismayed by increases in projected costs, went to the state highway dept to ask for financial help by making it a state funded expressway. This opened the door for both north and south extensions, at first from US 183 to the southern city limits on the south (360 and Lamar), but later much further each way.

Opposition began in 1968 when the public found out about the changes in scope and it grew as planning progressed. Neighborhood groups expressed concern about further congestion on East-West arterial roads. Constant noise by an increase in speed and volume of traffic fueled the citizen activism. A City Council public hearing in June 1975 about the issue of ramps at Westover and other cross roads drew more than 800 residents to the Municipal Auditorium. The four-hour marathon session was considered to be the largest public hearings in the history of the city. The newspaper reported that citizen testimony was evenly divided on whether ramps should be opened or closed, despite such rhetoric as “if you turn your backs on West Austin, you’ll turn your backs on the hopes of America,” by former Senator Ralph Yarborough. UT professor John Gallery likened the movement of MoPac traffic along Westover, Enfield, or Windsor roads to “trying to channel the Atlantic Ocean into Waller Creek.”

The first section of MoPac, the expressway, opened in November 1975. Today MoPac is once again a rallying point for protection of neighborhoods along that highway as further expansions are considered.

[Pemberton resident Biruta Clemins Kearl was the Archivist/Administrator at the Austin History Center, the local history research collection of the Austin Public Library.]

A Resident recalls Pemberton Heights

(Note: The following article was taken from e-mail correspondence between Carol Corley Nelson and Kathryn Miller Anderson.  Kathryn now lives in the infamous Mr. Smith’s house and he was her mean backyard neighbor when she was growing up in the 60’s and 70’s.)

All I remember about the Mr. Smith that lived in the house at 1513 Preston in the 1940’s and 50’s was that he was mean!

He was always catching my sister, brother, and me going through the fence and his driveway to see our friends on Westover. Other than trespassing or accidentally kicking a ball in his yard, I don’t think we did anything wrong. I’m sorry we don’t have a single happy memory of him.

I don’t remember much at all about Mrs. Smith – just how scared we were of him. The people to the west of him (1515 Preston, where the Greenwoods now live) were very sweet to us. (This Mr. Smith is not to be confused with the very nice Dr. Smith who lived at 1509 Preston for decades… he is 97 and lives in Westminster Manor)

There were a couple of vacant lots across from Mr. Smith on Preston (1514 – where Jill Griffin and Mack Nunn live now), and we played there quite a bit. Also, there were no houses from 1510 Gaston (where I lived), west to Jefferson for several years. I kept my donkey where Ova Davis built (now 1514), but finally had to move her (Chrysanthemum) down by the railroad tracks when the neighbors complained about the braying in the early morning.

There was a farm house where the condominiums are at the end of Preston on Jefferson. Those folks had chickens, turkeys, and all sorts of stuff. We loved checking on all of that. It is fun to think about the “olden days.”

…I remember the kids in the neighborhood, but most of them didn’t stay in Austin. I have never left Austin. I lived at 1510 Gaston until I married, and since then have spent 5 years in Tarrytown, 36 years on Wooldridge Drive, and 1 year on Harris Blvd.

We moved to Austin in December of 1941 – just three days before Pearl Harbor. I was five years old, and my sister, Julia, was a baby. My father purchased the house on Gaston shortly thereafter. The foundation was laid when we purchased the house. Daddy felt that home building would cease for some time – which it did. That is why we bought rapidly. Mr. Brush, of Walling, Bradfield, and Brush was a good friend of ours. His firm was developing the neighborhood, and their sales office was on Ethridge. In fact, it was just torn down about a year ago. For several years there were no houses west of ours on the North side of Gaston and the McCurdy’s on the South side of Gaston. The Overtons, the Sutherlands, and the McCurdys were already living across the street when we moved in. Those houses had been there a few years….

(This excerpt from the Summer 2003 Pemberton Journal contains some great short introductions to some of the beautiful historic homes in Pemberton Heights.)

1415 Wooldridge Drive: The Fisher-Gideon House (a/k/a The Castle)

Built in the 1890s as a water tower and used as the original Pemberton Heights Realty Office, this historic landmark is an example of diminutive Gothic architecture. It is currently owned by Dr. Ron and Linda Barnett and has been occupied over the years by a succession of colorful and interesting owners, including U.T. Architectural Design and History Professor Samuel Gideon (1875-1945), actress Libby Winters Bunch, State Supreme Court Justice William Kilgarlin, and Dell executive and philanthropist Mort Topfer and his wife Angela zone.

1505 Wooldridge Drive: The Josephine-Fisher House

Just west of the Castle is a splendid example of the Spanish Colonial Revival style, built in 1928 by Pemberton Heights developer Samuel (Budley) Fisher and his wife, Josephine Lucille Mathen Fisher, who lived in the house with her sons from 1929 to 1942. It is currently owned by Dr. O.B. Jackson. Its cantilevered balcony, picturesque stuccoed facade, and ornamental grillwork give it a distinctive Monterey style.

2418 Harris Boulevard: The Goodfriend House

Featuring a Mediterranean Revival style, and currently owned by Mary and Bob Cocke, this home was built in 1933 by the Page Brothers, the same Austin architectural firm that built the Travis County Courthouse. The residence was originally designed for Benjamin and Augusta Goodfriend, who owned and operated Goodfriend’s Specialty Shop, a women’s clothing store on Congress Avenue. Its two-story limestone veneer structure includes features of several Mediterranean styles, notably Italian Renaissance and Spanish Eclectic. More of the Spanish style is evident in the upstairs family room, or sala, which features original beams, fireplace, windows and floor. The highlight of the entry hall is the custom-made ornate iron stair railing with its verdigris finish.

1406 Hardouin Avenue: The Spires House

Built in 1939, the curved corner by the front door, horizontal bands around the house, brick panels above the front door, and the flat roof all suggest Art Moderne. The present owners Pamela and Hunter Barrier worked with Kevin Alter of the U.T. School of Architecture to renovate and expand the house with considerate and award-winning additions, and the residence was featured on the 2002 AIA Homes Tour.

1402 Hardouin Avenue: The Sauer House

This hybrid from 1937 mixes both Prairie style and Colonial Revival, and is now owned by architect and former U.T. Dean of Architecture Larry Speck and Mandy
Dealey. While the low pitch of the tile roof and the large, overhanging eaves evoke the horizontal lines of the Prairie style, the clear characteristics of the Colonial Revival style may also be seen in the symmetrical facade, paired first floor windows and paneled front door with sidelights.

Architect Sinclair Black renovated and updated the house in the 1980s. Many of the built-in bookcases are original, as is the fireplace.

2500 Wooldridge Drive: The Cole-Greenhill House

Sited prominently on a corner lot, this Tudor cottage was built in 1936 for Maurice and Virginia Cole. A more sophisticated example of the Tudor style than most, with its curved front gable (notice the wavy shingles at the top of the gable) and irregular massing, its architectural inspiration is drawn from the vernacular cottages of the Tudor and Stewart reigns. This home is currently owned by Nick and Kelly Von Kreisler.

2505 Wooldridge Drive:The Allen House

Built in 1940, the Colonial Revival style of this residence is evident from the symmetrically balanced facade with center door, front door embellished with sidelights, fanlights and balcony supported by columns, double-hung windows with multi-pane glazing, side-gabled roof with exceptional dormer windows, and masonry veneer. Owners David and Janice Abrams added the wing in the back of the house on the south side, as well as the landscaping.

Many thanks to the Heritage Society 2003 Homes Tour Chair (and Pemberton resident) Michael McCullar, the Heritage Society members and staff, volunteers, and especially the homeowners for all of their hard work in presenting this wonderful tour showcasing our beloved neighborhood.