Urban Living

Prominent businessman William Herblin commissioned this Neo-Classical House in 1899, built by local contractor John Allen Greathouse for $2,500.  Herblin was superintendent of the Austin Oil Manufacturing Company, a cottonseed oil mill, which processed the cotton grown in the Austin area.  The Shoe family purchased the home in 1928.  Shoe was an actuary for the Casualty Department of the Texas Insurance Commission.  Their daughter, Lucy Shoe Merritt, became a prominent scholar of Greek, Roman, and Etruscan architecture, specializing in the changing forms of moldings in classical buildings to provide a tool for dating the architecture.  The home is the last remaining building on the block that retains its original residential use.

Scope of Services

1. ★Wallpaper and tile selections throughout the house and carriage house
   

2. ★Kitchen hardware, fittings, and finish selection, including custom vent hood design
   

3. ★Bath design appropriate for the 1890s
   

4. ★Color selections and stencil designs
   

5. ★Period appropriate stair carpet selection
   

6. ★Architectural salvage selection
   

7. ★Building permit application
   

Location

Austin, Texas

Historic Designations

1. ★Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
   

2. ★Austin Landmark, 2006
   

All Photographs © Copyright 2011

Rick Patrick Photography

© Copyright 2011 Volz & Associates, Inc.