Site of Edward Mandell House Home
Austin, Travis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Edward Mandell House (1858-1938), heir of a wealthy Houston businessman, moved to Austin in 1885 to be at the center of State Politics, his primary interest. He managed the successful campaigns of four Texas Governors and became an important figure in Democratic party circles on the State and National levels. In 1912 he managed Woodrow Wilson's successful bid for the Democratic party Presidential nomination. New York architect Frank Freeman designed an innovative shingle style home for House on this site in 1890. The rambling structure was raised on a stone foundation and full basement. A broad-roofed first floor gallery wrapped around three sides of the house, above which rested a second floor accented by rounded corners and inset balconies. A third floor existed within in the massive roof structure, typing the house together with gabled dormers, turrets, and soaring stone chimneys. Although House sold the home in 1914, it was the site of many important political meetings during his residence here. Despite efforts to save it, the structure was razed in 1967. TEXAS SESQUICENTENNIAL 1836-1986
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Edward Mandell House came to Austin in 1885 drawn by the pull of state politics, and he became one of the most influential operators of his era, managing the campaigns of four Texas governors. In 1912 he steered Woodrow Wilson to the Democratic presidential nomination, moving onto the national and world stage. The rambling shingle-style home built for him on this site in 1890 hosted many political meetings before it was sold in 1914 and finally razed in 1967.
Why it matters
House was a rare Texan at the center of national and presidential power, and the vanished home recalls the backroom politics that shaped the early twentieth century.
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Related people
- · Edward Mandell House
- · Woodrow Wilson
- · Frank Freeman
Themes & tags
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