Johnson-Taylor House
Waco, McLennan County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Erected 1873-79 by merchant Sanford Taylor as a simple, two-story pink brick residence, this house acquired its grand manner after sale (1912) to P.G. and Eva Carter Taylor. The Taylors made basic architectural changes,adding north wing and portico with handsome french doors, fan lights with fine tracery, and other embellishments. Purchased in 1957 for Waco Council of Garden Clubs, this is now the Nell Pape Garden Center.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Merchant Sanford Taylor built this two-story pink brick house in Waco between 1873 and 1879 as a plain residence, but it took on grandeur after 1912 when new owners added a north wing, a portico, and French doors with delicate fan-light tracery. In 1957 it was purchased for the Waco Council of Garden Clubs and became the Nell Pape Garden Center. Its evolving architecture mirrors the rising fortunes of Gilded Age Waco.
Why it matters
The house shows how a modest merchant's home could be transformed into a showpiece—and later preserved through the civic energy of women's garden clubs.
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Related people
- · Sanford Taylor
- · P. G. Taylor
- · Eva Carter Taylor
Themes & tags
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