Bryan-Chapman House
Houston, Harris County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Envisioning a thoroughly modern home for themselves, sisters and Houston arts community leaders Caroline Bryan Chapman (1859-1933) and Johnelle Bryan (1861-1935) had this house constructed in 1925. The home was a showplace of strong Mediterranean influences such as arched windows, multi-light doors, a Ludowici tile roof, and balconets. The sisters enjoyed their Courtlandt Place home for less than a decade. It was purchased in 1935 by Oilman Joseph F. Bashara, whose family remained in the house until 1980. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1998 SUPPLEMENTAL PLATE (2010): This home was designed by 26-year-old Texas architect Carlos B. Schoeppl (1898-1990). He later moved to Florida where he had a distinguished career.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In the prosperous Houston of the 1920s, sisters Caroline Bryan Chapman and Johnelle Bryan — figures in the city's growing arts scene — built themselves a fashionable home in the exclusive Courtlandt Place enclave. Its Mediterranean flourishes, arched windows and tile roof captured the era's taste for Old World romance, all designed by a young architect at the very start of his career. The sisters lived there only briefly before an oilman's family made it their home for decades.
Why it matters
The house reflects how Jazz Age wealth and a rising civic arts culture reshaped American cities, and how women of means helped set the cultural tone of a booming Houston.
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Related people
- · Caroline Bryan Chapman
- · Johnelle Bryan
- · Carlos B. Schoeppl
- · Joseph F. Bashara
Themes & tags
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