Neighborhood History
The Keith House: Gateway to Pemberton
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.)
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