R. Grosse and Sons
Mason, Mason County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Born and educated as an architect in Germany, Richard E. Grosse (1860-1944) came to Mason County in 1882. Settling first in Plehweville (Art), he worked as a stonemason and married Louisa Carolina Von Donop in 1886. He opened a lumberyard and, upon the births of his sons, named his business "R. Grosse and Sons." Moving to Mason in 1895, Grosse continued to operate his lumber business. Many public and private buildings in the area were designed by the Grosse firm, some featuring unique utilization of local materials in elaborate architectural styles. (1988)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Trained as an architect in Germany, Richard E. Grosse immigrated to Mason County in 1882, settling first in the German community of Plehweville (Art), where he worked as a stonemason. He opened a lumberyard and, as his sons came along, named the firm "R. Grosse and Sons," moving the business to Mason in 1895. The Grosse firm designed many of the area's public and private buildings, some notable for their inventive use of local stone.
Why it matters
German-trained builders like Grosse shaped the distinctive stone architecture of the Texas Hill Country, leaving an immigrant imprint still visible in its towns.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · Richard E. Grosse
- · Louisa Carolina Von Donop
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Mason National Bank
Mason, TX
Founded in 1904 by pioneer settlers as the German American National Bank of Mason, this institution anchored the finances of a heavily German Hill Country community. Anti-German feeling during World War I pushed the board to rename it Mason National Bank in 1918, even as it led local Liberty Bond drives. It weathered the Great Depression through a 1932 merger and early FDIC certification.
The Commercial Bank
Mason, TX
German immigrant Anna Mebus came to Texas in 1858, married her merchant cousin, and after his death ran their Mason store and post office while quietly handling the cash of area ranchers. In 1901 she helped found The Commercial Bank and became its president, opening with just three thousand dollars in capital and, before a bank building was secured, carrying the money home each night for safekeeping. With her sons as officers, she led a family bank that endured until 1958.
Frank Teich
Llano, TX
Trained under master sculptors in his native Germany, Frank Teich came to the United States in 1878 and by 1883 had established himself in San Antonio as a skilled stonemason and artist. His work on the State Capitol led to courthouses and a great many Confederate memorials and monuments across the South, and in 1901 he founded Teich Monument Works near Llano. That enterprise helped launch the region's granite industry, and Teich is buried in the Llano Cemetery.
Badu House
Llano, TX
Built in 1891 during Llano's short-lived iron boom, this handsome building first housed the First National Bank before French-born mineralogist N.J. "Professor" Badu bought it in 1898 for his home. Designed by the Austin firm Larramour and Watson, it shows off renaissance revival detailing and a striking checkerboard band of native granite. Badu's descendants lived here for generations, and it became a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1981.