Garvey-Veihl House
Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Early landowner Baldwin L. Samuel deeded land in this area to his daughter Mary and her husband Isaac Foster in 1876. The Fosters and their daughter Lucy (Lula) and her husband William B. Garvey moved here from Kentucky in 1882 and built a home overlooking the Trinity River on a lot adjacent to this home site. At that time many of the city's wealthiest families were building impressive homes along Samuels Avenue and the bluff of the Trinity River. The Garveys bought this lot from the Fosters in 1883 and in 1884 built a small 1-story frame residence. By the late 1890s they had enlarged the house to its current 2-story Queen Anne style appearance. The house exhibits hallmark features of the style, including asymmetrical massing, porches, dormers, and beehive turrets. The house was bequeathed to Baptist Church Charities following the Garvey's deaths in 1915. Merchant Robert C. Veihl and his wife, Lena B., bought the home in 1918. It was maintained by the Veihl family until 1959, but was subsequently abandoned and in 1972 faced condemnation. The house is representative of the grand homes that lined Samuels Avenue at the turn of the century. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark- 1993.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This lot began as part of the Foster family's holdings and, in 1884, gained a modest one-story cottage built by William and Lula Garvey after their move from Kentucky. By the late 1890s they had expanded it into the exuberant two-story Queen Anne seen today, complete with turrets, dormers, and wrap-around porches — fitting for Samuels Avenue, then the address of Fort Worth's wealthiest families. After passing through the Veihl family, the house survived abandonment and a brush with condemnation in the 1970s.
Why it matters
The house is a rare survivor of the grand Gilded Age mansions that once lined Fort Worth's bluff above the Trinity River, marking the city's rise to prosperity.
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Related people
- · William B. Garvey
- · Robert C. Veihl
- · Isaac Foster
Themes & tags
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