Duke, Holmes, House

The Holmes Duke House is one of a small number of residences in Beaumont that survive in an unaltered state from the "boom" period initiated by the Spindletop Oil Field at the turn of the century. The house was constructed for Holmes Duke, a native of Carthage, Texas, who purchased the site in 1898. He operated Duke's Hotel and Cafe in Beaumont and later served as a city councilman and mayor pro-Tempore.

The frame house erected as the residence of Holmes Duke is located in the area known as the Calder Addition to the City of Beaumont. This subdivision was platted in 1889 and was developed as an attractive residential neighborhood. The house, which has survived in remarkably unaltered condition, is one of a small number of homes that remain intact from that period. The unusual character of the architectural ornamentation of the house distinguishes it from many of its contemporaries.

Holmes Duke purchased the site of this residence in April of 1898, and according to the earliest surviving city directory, resided at 694 Forrest in 1900.- It is likely that Duke had the house built in 1898, with completion perhaps coming the following year. Duke, a native of Carthage, Texas, arrived in Beaumont in 1897 from Sour Lake, where he had operated a cafe. He is listed in the 1900 city directory as the proprietor of the Ogden Hotel, and by the following year, he had opened Duke's Restaurant, with Duke's Hotel opening in 1903. The continued growth of his business ventures was surely the result of the oil discovery at nearby Spindletop in 1901, which ushered in an era of economic growth unprecedented in the history of Beaumont and east Texas.

Business success also led to a career in local politics, as Duke was to serve on the Beaumont City Council for four years, and as mayor pro-tempore in 1910-1911. After selling his cafe and hotel, Duke worked for several years as a tool- and die-maker for the Southern Pacific and Santa Fe railroads. His obituary suggests that he was something of an inventor, noting that he was responsible for a vacuum cleaner and concrete street signs, many of which are still to be found on the street corners of Beaumont. During World War I, Duke worked on the design of a hand grenade, and in World War II he served as a naval inspector at the Texas Steel plant near Port Arthur. Duke died in early 1946, with the house remaining in the possession of his heirs until 1980. The present owner proposes to rehabilitate the structure for use as professional office space.