Hammersmith, John P., House
a.k.a. #18;Clark House
520 S. Main St., Belton, TXThe Hammersmith House, built about 1890, reflects an unusual combination of late victorian architectural influences, including that of the Shingle and Eastlake styles. Contextually, the house relates to Community and Regional Planning, specifically to the growth and development of Belton during the cot The property meets National Register Criterion c, significant in the area of Architecture, as a unique example of an architectural hybrid that was the product of late-Victorian eclecticism and the proliferation of pattern book design throughout the country.
The Hammersmith House was probably built for John P. Hammersmith in what was at the time a rapidly developing area of modest homes in south Belton. Peter Hammersmith, a Belton shoe merchant, and partner in the local New Lumber Company appear to have had the house built for his son John around the time of his marriage. The property was deeded to John by Peter Hammersmith in 1895. The younger Hammersmith sold the house to Mrs. Frances Meyer Clark in 1899. The house remained in the Clark family until 1970.
The Hammersmith House, with its unusual arched bargeboards and twin gambrel roofs, appears to be a vernacular adaptation of Queen Anne/Eastlake style. In contrast to the larger, Queen Anne homes built along North Main Street at the same time that represent more sophisticated designs, the Hammersmith House is an unusual variation on the Queen Anne style. Interestingly, it shows an awareness of the development of the Shingle Style in the northeast during the 1880s, which is rarely reflected in Texas houses of the period.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.