Wells-LaRue House
Austin, Travis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Built about 1850 by famed pioneer architect Abner Cook, for Waymen Wells, who lived 10 miles north, but needed town house for business and pleasure trips. His grandchildren, the LaRues, moved in to attend school sessions. Third generation now lives in the home.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Around 1850 the pioneer architect Abner Cook—the master builder behind many of early Austin's finest structures—raised this town house for Waymen Wells, a landholder living ten miles north who needed a base in the capital for business and social visits. Later his grandchildren, the LaRues, lived here while attending Austin's schools, and the family has held the house across generations. It stands as a modest witness to how frontier-era Texans balanced rural landholding with the pull of the growing state capital.
Why it matters
Homes like this trace the everyday architecture of the young Texas capital and the reach of builders like Abner Cook, who shaped the look of antebellum Austin.
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Related people
- · Abner Cook
- · Waymen Wells
Themes & tags
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