Houghton House
Amarillo, Potter County, Texas
Marker Inscription
This two-story residence was constructed in 1914 for Kentucky native John Malcolm Shelton (1852-1923), a prominent Panhandle cattleman and businessman. Built by W.M. Rice, it was designed by Amarillo architect Joseph Champ Berry. Following Shelton's death, the house was inherited by his daughter Martha, the wife of rancher Ted Houghton. She resided here until 1965. Built of brick, the home features detailing of the Prairie Style. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1980
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This two-story brick residence was built in 1914 for John Malcolm Shelton, a Kentucky-born cattleman who became a prominent Panhandle rancher and businessman, and designed by Amarillo architect Joseph Champ Berry in the Prairie Style. After Shelton's death the home passed to his daughter Martha, wife of rancher Ted Houghton, who lived here until 1965. Its Prairie-Style detailing marks the arrival of national architectural fashion on the Texas plains.
Why it matters
The house links the cattle wealth that built the Panhandle to the early-twentieth-century architecture that gave its boomtowns a more settled, cosmopolitan face.
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Related people
- · John Malcolm Shelton
- · Joseph Champ Berry
- · Ted Houghton
Themes & tags
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