Albert Turner Clifton House
Waco, McLennan County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Built in 1921 for the family of priminent Waco businessman and civic leader Albert Turner Clifton (1879-1948), this house is a fine example of the Tudor revival style of architecture. Outstanding features of the house include its steeply-pitched roof, central gable with decorative half-timbering and vergeboard, and a prominent three-bay brick and wood porch with Tudor arches. The home remained in Clifton family until 1950. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1991
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Built in 1921 for prominent Waco businessman and civic leader Albert Turner Clifton, this house is a polished example of the Tudor Revival style then fashionable in prospering American cities. Its steeply pitched roof, decorative half-timbering, ornamental vergeboard, and Tudor-arched brick-and-wood porch reflect the period's romantic taste for storybook English forms. The home stayed in the Clifton family until 1950.
Why it matters
The Clifton House illustrates the confident architectural ambitions of early-twentieth-century Texas business elites and the national vogue for period-revival domestic design.
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Themes & tags
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