HomeMy WebLinkAbout200 Pershing Avenue
REYNOLDS - HARDING/TINER HOUSE
This house was built in 1940 and occupied in January 1941 by Dr. E.B.
Reynolds and his family. The Reynolds and their three children moved into
this house fran a house on the A&M campus located on the current site of the
Memorial Student Center. Dr. Reynolds had joined the the Texas A&M Agricul-
tural Experiment Station in the 1910's. He was a rice specialist and served
as head of the Agronomy Department. Maudames DeSteiguer Reynolds, a native of
San Marcos, moved to Bryan in 1921 to teach elocution. The Reynolds were
married in 1923 and were involved in many of the early activities leading to
the establishment of the city of College Station. Mr. Reynolds signed the
charter establishing College Station.
The house was sold by Mrs. Reynolds in 1978 to her granddaughter (Tammy
H. Tiner) and husband, Kenn E Harding. Three times the house has been occu-
pied by others for 1 - 2 year periods when the owners were out of town on
leave of absence from Texas A&M University. This occured during the midP
50's, early 60's and 1985-86, when occupants were the Buzz Pruitt family
(current residents at 900 Park Place).
For a number of years, Mrs. Reynolds rented out one or more bedrooms to
A&M students. Student residents of the house included current Bryan/College
Station residents Doug Householder and Ross Arth.
Architectural Style
The house was built in the architectural style known as Monterey Revival.
This was a style developed and popularized in southern California in the
1920's as a modernization of earlier adobe Spanish architecture of California.
Typical features of this style include: 2-story design with ground floor
exterior of brick or wood; board and batten second story; cantilevered balco-
ny; arched doorway; lots of windows.
Two other examples of this style in Texas are known to the current own-
ers. One of the historic hones in Houston (built in 1936) is Monterey Revival
style and was designed by the California architect, R. E. Coate, who was a
major factor in the development and popularization of this style in Califor-
nia. The style was selected by Mrs. Reynolds after visiting a similar house
located in Tyler, Texas. That house is reportedly styled after a California
house owned at one time by Clark Gable.
The architect for the house was Sam H. Dixon, Jr. of Houston. During
the early 20's, Dixon was in partnership with Birdsall P. Briscoe. Briscoe and
Dixon designed a number of the historic hones in the prestigious subdivisions
of Houston, including several houses in Shadyside, the Broadacres Historic
District, and River Oaks. Briscoe and Dixon were the architects of the first
house built in River Oaks, a "summer house" for William L. Clayton of Ander-
son, Clayton and Co.
All roans in the house are open for the tour except a downstairs office
and the laundry room.
The placement of the house so close to the "rear" property line was
dictated by the presence of several large trees (this cluster of trees also
dictated the bend in Pershing Avenue when South Oakwood was platted!). The
rear porch originally designed to be on the east side of the house was moved
to the west side to avoid encroachment on property line. The "unusual" orien-
tation of the house with respect to the streets results in placement at the
exact angle calculated to be ideal at this latitude for winter-time "solar
influx" on the south of the house.
Unique Interior Features
Downstairs public areas (hallway, living room, and dining room) and
upstairs hallway and one of three bedroams have walls of randam width panel-
ing. All roam except kitchen and bathroams had ceilings of random width
paneling. All paneling was treated with resin sealers as the only finish; the
paneling has never been refinished.
All roams except for the kitchen and bathrooms were finished with red oak
flooring. Floors were sealed and waxed only; no finish coat has ever been
applied to the floors.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Aimee Allen Interiors
Nancy Aurand, Designer
Contemporary Landscape Services
Bingham Construction
Post Oak Florists
Mind Over Metal, Austin
Theo's Gallery
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