A house transformed
A view of the east facade of the Byrne-Reed House. All photos on this page by Humanities Texas unless otherwise noted.
Until recently, the Byrne-Reed House, encased in a stucco shell, faced 15th Street. However, physical evidence and historic photos, such as the one below, show that the original entrance, shaded by beautiful arched porches, faced what is now Rio Grande Street. Now that the stucco facade has been removed, and the white paint covering the original brick has been cleaned away, the house's original orientation has become apparent.
Historic view of the southeast corner of the Byrne-Reed House. Photo courtesy of Tom Reynolds.
The series of photographs below depicts the east facade's remarkable transformation over the past several months. Note the removal of the stucco facade and the reemergence of the house's elegant arched porches.
September 30, 2009.
October 5, 2009.
October 9, 2009.
November 4, 2009.
November 8, 2009.
November 11, 2009.
December 1, 2009.
January 11, 2010.
The north facade has also been transformed. Note the disappearance of the decorative columns, which were added in the 1970s, and the reemergence of the frieze crowning the building.
The north facade in the 1930s.
October 5, 2009.
October 9, 2009.
October 14, 2009.
December 3, 2009.
January 6, 2010.
A closer view of the historic frieze. Non-historic paint has been removed from the brick walls and wood soffit.
We discovered this historic black and white tile in the east entrance vestibule.
Tile from the east entrance vestibule of the Byrne-Reed House.
The photo below shows a reconstruction of the bay window on the house's south side, leading out to the second-floor sleeping porch.
Reconstructed bay window on the south side of the Byrne-Reed House.
We discovered this fireplace in what was once the second-floor sitting room. It had been filled in with brick, which has since been removed.
Second-floor fireplace.
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Humanities Texas
Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, conducts and supports public programs in history, literature, philosophy, and other humanities disciplines. These programs strengthen Texas communities and ultimately help sustain representative democracy by cultivating informed, educated citizens.