William Sidney Porter House

Last updated
William Sydney Porter House
O henry museum 2007.jpg
The O. Henry Museum in 2007
Location409 East Fifth Street
Austin, Texas, USA
Coordinates 30°15′56.5″N97°44′20.8″W / 30.265694°N 97.739111°W / 30.265694; -97.739111 Coordinates: 30°15′56.5″N97°44′20.8″W / 30.265694°N 97.739111°W / 30.265694; -97.739111
Built1886
NRHP reference No. 73001979
Added to NRHPJune 18, 1973

The William Sydney Porter House or O. Henry House is a historic structure in Downtown Austin, Texas. William Sydney Porter, better known as the author O. Henry, lived there between 1893 and 1895. The Porter house was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 18, 1973. The house is known today as the O. Henry Museum. The collection is curated by Melissa Parr, Site Coordinator. [1]

Contents

History

The cottage is a simplified version of the Eastlake Style of architecture. The house was built in 1886 and rented between 1893 and 1895 by William Sidney Porter, better known as the author O. Henry. Porter lived in the house with his wife, Athol, and daughter, Margaret, before they moved to Houston, where Porter began writing full-time for the Houston Post . [2] Though primarily associated with his home state of North Carolina, O. Henry set 42 of his stories in Texas. [3]

The residence remained a rental property until 1930 when it was to be demolished to construct a warehouse. In January 1934, a committee representing the Colonial Dames, the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Daughters of 1812, the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, and the Daughters of the Confederacy submitted a proposal to the Austin City Council, that if the city would accept the house as a donation from the Austin Rotary Club and relocate the house, the women's organizations would work to restore the house and open it as a "shrine." [4] The City of Austin had the house moved from its original location at 307 East 4th Street to its current location around the block at Brush Square, 409 East 5th Street. The house was restored and opened as a museum in 1934. The many period pieces on display include some of the Porter's furniture and personal belongings. The structure underwent further restoration in 1994–95 with a renewed roof and the replacement of four brick chimneys lost in 1934.

It is the site of the annual O. Henry Pun-Off, a spoken pun competition. [5] The event is traditionally held the first weekend in May. [6]

Related Research Articles

O. Henry American short story writer

William Sydney Porter, better known by his pen name O. Henry, was an American short story writer.

Columbus, Texas City in Texas, United States

Columbus is a city in and the county seat of Colorado County in southeastern Texas, 74 miles (119 km) west of Houston. The population was 3,655 as of the 2010 census. It is located on the Colorado River. The Colorado County Courthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Gonzales, Texas City in Austin Chalk, Eagle Ford Shale

Gonzales is a county seat in Gonzales County located in South Central Texas. The population was 7,237 over 6 square miles at the 2010 census. Gonzales is known as the birthplace for the "Come and Take It" flag in the War for Texas Independence from Mexico.

Hall of State United States historic place

The Hall of State is a building in Dallas's Fair Park that commemorates the history of the U.S. state of Texas and is considered one of the best examples of Art Deco architecture in the state. It was designed and built for the Texas Centennial Exposition.

Rosehill Cemetery

Rosehill Cemetery is an American urban cemetery on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois, and at 350 acres (1.4 km2), is the largest cemetery in the City of Chicago. According to legend, the name "Rosehill" resulted from a City Clerk's error – the area was previously called "Roe's Hill", named for nearby farmer Hiram Roe. He refused to sell his land to the city until it was promised that the cemetery be named in his honor. It is located in the north east section of the Lincoln Square community area.

Ima Hogg Philanthropist, patron of the arts, one of the most respected Texas women of the 20th century

Ima Hogg, known as "The First Lady of Texas", was an American society leader, philanthropist, patron and collector of the arts, and one of the most respected women in Texas during the 20th century. Hogg was an avid art collector, and owned works by Picasso, Klee, and Matisse, among others. Hogg donated hundreds of pieces of artwork to Houston's Museum of Fine Arts and served on a committee to plan the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. An enthusiastic collector of early American antiques, she also served on a committee tasked with locating historical furniture for the White House. She restored and refurbished several properties, including the Varner plantation and Bayou Bend, which she later donated to Texas arts and historical institutions who maintain the facilities and their collections today. Hogg received numerous awards and honors, including the Louise E. du Pont Crowninshield Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Santa Rita Award from the University of Texas System, and an honorary doctorate in fine arts from Southwestern University.

Elisabet Ney German–American sculptor

Franzisca Bernadina Wilhelmina Elisabeth Ney was a German-American sculptor who spent the first half of her life and career in Europe, producing portraits of famous leaders such as Otto von Bismarck, Giuseppe Garibaldi and King George V of Hanover. At age 39, she immigrated to Texas with her husband, Edmund Montgomery, and became a pioneer in the development of art there. Among her most famous works during her Texas period were life-size marble figures of Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin, commissions for the Texas State Capitol. A large group of her works are housed in the Elisabet Ney Museum, located in her home and studio in Austin. Other works can be found in the US Capitol, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and numerous collections in Germany.

Hillhouse Avenue United States historic place

Hillhouse Avenue is a street in New Haven, Connecticut, famous for its many nineteenth century mansions, including the president's house at Yale University. Both Charles Dickens and Mark Twain have described it as "the most beautiful street in America." Much of the avenue is included in the Hillhouse Avenue Historic District, which extends to include houses on adjacent streets.

Elisabet Ney Museum Art museum in Austin, Texas

The Elisabet Ney Museum is a museum located in Austin, Texas, United States. It is housed in the former studio of sculptor Elisabet Ney and is dedicated to showcasing her life and works. There is a permanent collection of her portrait busts and personal memorabilia on display.

General Land Office Building (Austin, Texas) United States historic place

The General Land Office Building, completed in 1857, in Austin, Texas is the oldest surviving state government office building in the city and the first building designed by a university-trained architect. The building features a dramatic medieval castle style known as Rundbogenstil, or "rounded arch" around the windows and doors. There is also a Norman style influence in the castle-like parapets. The exterior walls are limestone rubble smoothed over with stucco and scored to simulate cut stone blocks.

Lundberg Bakery (Austin, Texas) United States historic place

The Lundberg Bakery is a historic building in downtown Austin, Texas. It is located at 1006 Congress Avenue, half a block south of the Texas State Capitol grounds. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 17, 1969.

Austin History Center United States historic place

The Austin History Center is the local history collection of the Austin Public Library and the city's historical archive.

Sam Houston Park A park in Houston, Texas.

Sam Houston Park is an urban park located in downtown Houston, Texas, United States, dedicated to the buildings and culture of Houston's past. The park, which was the first to be established in the city, was developed on land purchased by former Mayor Sam Brashear in 1900.

O. Henry House refers to two homes which the author, William Sydney Porter, better known as O. Henry lived. Both of these homes are located in Texas.

The O. Henry Pun-Off World Championships is a yearly spoken word competition that takes place every May at the O. Henry Museum in Austin, Texas.

O. Henry Hall United States historic place

O. Henry Hall, formerly known as the U.S. Post Office and Federal Building, is a historic courthouse and post office in Austin, Texas. It is located within the Sixth Street Historic District in Downtown Austin. O. Henry Hall serves as the administrative headquarters of the Texas State University System (TSUS), and until 2017 served as the University of Texas System headquarters.

Shirley Simons

Thomas Shirley Simons, Sr., commonly known as Shirley Simons was a prominent architect of Tyler, Texas. He was born in 1897 at Taylor, Texas, and raised in Fort Worth, Texas. He graduated from Rice Institute in 1919 with a Bachelor of Science in architecture. He also served in the field artillery during World War I from September through November 1918.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Austin, Texas, USA.

O. Henry House Museum (San Antonio) Historic house museum in San Antonio, Texas

The O. Henry House Museum is a historic house museum located in San Antonio, Texas. It is named for the American writer, William Sydney Porter, better known by his pen name O. Henry, who lived in the house in 1885.

References

  1. "About the O. Henry Museum | AustinTexas.gov". www.austintexas.gov. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
  2. Porter, William Sidney, House. Texas Historical Commission Atlas
  3. Galit, Elaine L. and Vikk Simmons. Exploring Texas History: Weekend Adventures. Taylor Trade Publishing, 2005: 25. ISBN   978-1-58979-202-9
  4. Minutes of the regular meeting of the City Council, Austin, Texas January 25, 1934
  5. Brush Square. Austin Parks Foundation.
  6. Pohlen, Jerome. Oddball Texas: A Guide to Some Really Strange Places. Chicago, IL: Chicago Review Press, 2006: 191. ISBN   978-155652-583-4