R. W. Kindel House
Weatherford, Parker County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Druggist R.W. Kindel (1847-1931) built this Second Empire-style Victorian home about 1881. The 20-inch-thick native stone walls were topped by a concave mansard roof. A coal furnace in the cellar with vents leading into each room provided an early form of central heating. In 1895 Kindel sold the structure to Jasper Haney. Other owners included W.F. Bowden, who enlarged the lower floor in the 1920s. Mr. and Mrs. William A. Bass purchased the house in 1972. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1975.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Weatherford druggist R.W. Kindel (1847–1931) built this Second Empire Victorian home about 1881, its 20-inch native stone walls crowned by a concave mansard roof. A coal furnace in the cellar vented warmth into every room, an early form of central heating unusual for its time and place. Passing through several owners after 1895, the house was named a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 1975.
Why it matters
The house shows how Gilded Age prosperity and new comforts like central heating reached the towns of North Texas, reflecting the ambitions of a rising merchant class on the edge of the frontier.
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Related people
- · R.W. Kindel
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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