Sparks House
Austin, Travis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The Sparks house was built in 1927 for former state treasurer Sam Sparks and his wife, Bertha May “Polly” Jones Mulkey Sparks. Austin-based firm Page Brothers, architects of many homes, schools and the 1930 Travis county courthouse, designed this house in Spanish eclectic style. It was built in one of Austin’s oldest neighborhoods, Judges Hill, so named for the concentration of judges in the nineteenth century who resided in the area. The house was built of brick, limestone, cast concrete and tile. Features of note include an elaborate bas-relief around the front windows, multiple arched doorways, a decorative fan above the north entry, stone sills, and weigl ironwork. RECORDED TEXAS HISTORIC LANDMARK – 2016
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Built in 1927 for former state treasurer Sam Sparks and his wife Bertha "Polly" Sparks, this Spanish eclectic residence rose in Judges Hill, one of Austin's oldest neighborhoods and long home to the city's judges. The prolific Austin firm Page Brothers, later architects of the 1930 Travis County courthouse, designed it in brick, limestone, cast concrete, and tile. Bas-relief around the windows, arched doorways, and ornamental ironwork mark its careful craftsmanship.
Why it matters
It preserves the architecture and social geography of early-twentieth-century Austin, when a distinct enclave of the city's leaders shaped its civic character.
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Related people
- · Sam Sparks
- · Bertha "Polly" Sparks
Themes & tags
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