Helena and Robert Ziller House
Austin, Travis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
HELENA AND ROBERT ZILLER HOUSE ROBERT ZILLER, DESCENDANT OF A PROMINENT PIONEER AUSTIN FAMILY, AND HIS WIFE, HELENA, CONSTRUCTED THIS MEDITERRANEAN REVIVAL STYLE HOME IN 1937. THE ZILLERS CALLED THE PROPERTY EDGECLIFF GARDENS WHERE THEY PRACTICED ORGANIC GARDENING AND CREATED A HAVEN FOR ANIMALS. SITUATED ON A BLUFF ABOVE BLUNN CREEK AND THE COLORADO RIVER AND DESIGNED BY LEE M. SMITH, THIS HOME FEATURES AN ASYMMETRICAL STUCCO FAÇADE, PROMINENT FRONT GABLE, CANTILEVERED WINDOW AND A DRAMATIC ENTRY OF ORNAMENTAL IRONWORK, SOME OF WHICH IS ATTRIBUTED TO WEIGL IRONWORKS.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Robert Ziller, descendant of a prominent pioneer Austin family, and his wife Helena built this Mediterranean Revival home in 1937 on a bluff above Blunn Creek and the Colorado River. They called the property Edgecliff Gardens, practicing organic gardening and creating a haven for animals. Designed by Lee M. Smith, the stucco house features a prominent front gable, a cantilevered window, and dramatic ornamental ironwork attributed in part to Weigl Ironworks.
Why it matters
The Ziller House captures both the eclectic architectural tastes of interwar Austin and an early embrace of organic gardening well ahead of its time.
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Related people
- · Robert Ziller
- · Helena Ziller
- · Lee M. Smith
Themes & tags
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