HistoricSiteMarkers
Reconstruction & Gilded Age

Kopperl House

Austin, Travis County, Texas

Marker Inscription

Built in 1896 at a cost of $4,200, this home was purchased the same year by sportswoman Loula Dale Kopperl (1861-1919). She and her husband Morris lived here prior to their divorce in 1912, and she continued to occupy the home until her death. The late Victorian-era cottage retains its Eastlake style ornamentation in the fine milled-wood detailing and pyramidal roof with crowned deck. It stands as one of the best examples of its style in the city. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1989

Erected by Texas Historical Commission

The Story

Built in 1896 for $4,200, this late-Victorian cottage was bought that same year by sportswoman Loula Dale Kopperl, who lived here—through her 1912 divorce from her husband Morris and up to her death in 1919. Its Eastlake ornamentation, fine milled woodwork, and pyramidal roof with a crowned deck make it one of the best surviving examples of the style in Austin.

Why it matters

That a woman was named as the purchaser and long-term occupant, remaining after her divorce, offers a small but telling glimpse of women's growing independence and property-holding in the late 19th century.

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Related people

  • · Loula Dale Kopperl

Themes & tags

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