Donnan-Hill House
Austin, Travis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Gustavus Johnson, a carpenter and contractor, built this house for his daughter, Jennie, when she married John K. Donnan in 1876. Located then near the Capitol, this enlargement of an older, smaller structure combined Victorian style with a typical Greek Revival floor plan of central hall with two rooms on each side. Occupied by the Donnan family until 1972, the house was acquired then by Attorney General and Mrs. John Hill, moved to this site, and restored. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1975 Incising on base: Not open to the public
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Carpenter and contractor Gustavus Johnson built this house for his daughter Jennie when she married John K. Donnan in 1876, enlarging an older structure into a home that paired Victorian style with a Greek Revival central-hall plan. The Donnan family lived here, near the Capitol, until 1972, when Attorney General John Hill and his wife acquired it, moved it to this site, and restored it.
Why it matters
The house illustrates the domestic architecture of Gilded Age Austin and the twentieth-century preservation movement that saved such buildings by relocating and restoring them.
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Related people
- · Gustavus Johnson
- · John K. Donnan
- · John Hill
Themes & tags
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