Home › Building › Updates › June update
June restoration news
The east facade of the Byrne-Reed House on June 20, 2010. All photos on this page by Humanities Texas unless otherwise noted.
The restoration of the Byrne-Reed House is nearing completion. Over the next few months, we will put the finishing touches on the exterior and interior and return to the house to make it our headquarters.
The north facade on June 14, 2010.
The northeast facade on June 14, 2010.
We are restoring and reproducing many of the house's unique exterior details. For example, this view of the east porch shows hand-crafted scalloped plaster detailing, which has been painted, as well as the historic speckled brick railing.
A view of the east porch.
Below, a reproduction ornamental metal bracket. Once this bracket is painted, it will be installed at the main entrance on the building's northeast corner.
Reproduction ornamental metal bracket.
Below, see the historic frieze as well as copper gutters and downspouts.
Copper gutters and downspouts.
The reconstructed chimney below will not be functional, but it is consistent with the house's historical appearance. Also, note the red clay roof tiles, which were manufactured by Ludowici, the original manufacturers of the house's circa 1907 roof.
A reconstructed chimney and the red tile roof.
The photo below shows custom wood window and door frames at the south entrance to gallery from the first floor porch. Glass will be installed at the end of the restoration process. These window and door frames were fabricated based on photographic evidence and existing openings found during discovery.
Custom wood windows and door frames.
The interior also features many historic details, such as this restored 1920s light fixture. It features original glass and iron details and was found in the house.
A restored 1920s light fixture .
Another view of this light fixture.
A 1920s light fixture.
Below, the foyer with trimmed openings and the historic black and white encaustic tile floor.
The foyer.
The tile below is in the second-floor bathroom. Although this tile is not original, it is reminiscent of blue and white hexagonal tiles in a Greek key design that were found on the second floor.
Second-floor bathroom tile.
The house originally featured many beautiful fireplaces. While none of them will be functional, we are restoring them to replicate the house's historic interior. This is a reconstructed fireplace surround and mantel in the living room. Part of the original surround was found in place during the discovery process. The full surround was reconstructed based on existing physical evidence and architect's drawings from 1948.
Reconstructed living room fireplace.
This reconstructed fireplace is located in the gallery. The two round holes are historic sconce locations. We do not have evidence of the original mantel, so a simple, low-profile mantel was designed.
Reconstructed fireplace in the gallery.
This fireplace, surrounded by built-in bookshelves, is located in the second floor library and conference room. This area, which was originally a sitting room, will be primarily administrative and accommodate staff functions, along with the remainder of the second floor. The original firebox has been repaired and a simple mantel was designed.
A fireplace in the second-floor library and conference room.
Humanities Texas is in the final stages of our capital campaign supporting the restoration of the Byrne-Reed House. We are immensely grateful to the individuals and foundations that have contributed to this project and would appreciate any and all additional support. Your contributions will help us receive the full $1 million in matching funds from our National Endowment for the Humanities challenge grant. If you would like to donate to the capital campaign, please mail contributions to:
Byrne-Reed Restoration
Humanities Texas
1410 Rio Grande Street
Austin, TX 78701
Previous Restoration Updates