Pela House
Victoria, Victoria County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Conservatively Greek Revival in its distinct bays, its center passage, pedimented windows, and columns, the Pela House was erected in 1884. Then-modern Victorian elements such as unusual geometric railings on a two-tiered porch make this house a striking hybrid of two very different architectural styles. Silvain Pela, a French immigrant, and his wife Elizabeth (Meyer) Pela, a Swiss immigrant, raised ten children within these walls. The colorful Pela family and their descendants remained in the home for more than 100 years. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1998
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Erected in 1884, the Pela House blends a conservatively Greek Revival frame—balanced bays, a center passage, pedimented windows, and columns—with fashionable Victorian touches like geometric railings on its two-tiered porch. It was the home of Silvain Pela, a French immigrant, and his Swiss-born wife Elizabeth Meyer Pela, who raised ten children within its walls. The Pela family and their descendants held the house for more than a century. It was recorded as a Texas Historic Landmark in 1998.
Why it matters
The home reflects how immigrant families put down deep roots in Texas towns, blending Old World heritage with distinctly American architectural fashion.
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Related people
- · Silvain Pela
- · Elizabeth Meyer Pela
Themes & tags
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