Means, V. R., House
a.k.a. #4
609 E. 14th St., Belton, TXThe Means House, built in 1913, is a good example of the kind of popular house type that was promoted across the country through local lumber yards. It takes it's detailing from the colonial Revival style which was one of the most popular domestic styles in the U.S. in the early 20th century. Contextually the house relates to community and Regional Development as a product of the growth of Belton around the turn of the century. The house is significant in the area of architecture as an illustration of the dissemination of popular house types, particularly the colonial Revival style, in small communities across the country.
The Means House was built by the local New Lumber Company for V.R. Means, an officer of the company. The company built approximately a quarter of the century and this sturdy house was apparently intended as a model house to demonstrate the quality of the firm's work. From the late 19th century until World War II, lumber companies played a central role in the construction of middle-class housing in America, promoting house plans and acting as contractors to provide the material and build the houses. The widespread availability of architectural publications and stock house plans contributed to the national popularity of certain house forms and styles.
The colonial Revival style gained momentum in the late 19th century after the American centennial celebration in 1876; however, it did not broadly influence popular house designs until the 20th century. Colonial Revival homes like the Means House were more common in Texas after World War I. This house, built in 1913, reflected the popular move away from asymmetrical and ornate Victorian-era dwellings toward symmetrical and classical-influenced forms. In the growth of middle-class housing after World War I, the Colonial Revival became the most popular style in the United States. Through publications and the mass-marketing of small house plans the style was popularized, and lumber yards played a central role in marketing the houses. The Means house is an early example of this phenomenon in Belton.
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.