Evers House
Denton, Denton County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Located on a prominent hilltop and street, in a neighborhood known as Silk Stocking Row, this house was built for Robert Henry Evers (1859-1936) and Mary Euphemia (Taylor) Evers (1861-1941). They married in Texarkana in 1882 and lived in Paris, Texas. In 1885, the couple moved to Denton where Robert established Evers Hardware with his brother, Adolph Frederick (A.F.) Evers, on the courthouse square. The store was in continuous operation from 1885-1998 and played a significant role in the development of Denton. After arriving in Denton, the Evers lived in a series of homes until 1903. Construction on the Evers family home began in July 1903 and finished in December. The house was designed by Austin architecture firm C.H. Page, Jr. & Bro. and built by Frank Craft, a local builder who constructed many significant homes in Denton. Built in the neoclassical style, the Evers house features Corinthian Columns, balustrades on the porches, bay windows and boxed cornices. Other notable elements include roman oval arch windows on the east and west gables, and smooth wrought-iron circular basement ventilators in a double circle and star pattern, reminiscent of the lone star of Texas. When it was built, the house contained twelve rooms spanning three floors, a gymnasium for the children complete with a skating rink, basketball and gymnastic equipment and a carriage house. In 1977, a fire destroyed the roof and third floor; however, through community support and efforts, the house was repaired and then restored in the 1970s and 1980s.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Robert Henry Evers and his wife Mary Euphemia moved to Denton in 1885, where Robert and his brother founded Evers Hardware on the courthouse square — a store that ran continuously until 1998. On a hilltop in the fashionable "Silk Stocking Row," they built this twelve-room Neoclassical home in 1903, designed by an Austin firm and full of flourishes, including basement ventilators cast in a lone-star pattern. After a 1977 fire, community support restored the landmark.
Why it matters
The mansion of a founding merchant family captures the confidence and prosperity of small-town Texas commerce at the turn of the twentieth century.
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Related people
- · Robert Henry Evers
- · Mary Euphemia Taylor Evers
Themes & tags
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