Maverick-Carter House
a.k.a. Henry C. and Ella G. Carter House
119 Taylor St., San Antonio, TXThe Maverick-Carter House is significant at the local level under Criterion B for its association with Aline Badger Carter who lived there from 1914 until her death in 1972.
The Maverick-Carter House was built in 1893 by William Harvey Maverick, a successful real estate investor and son of Samuel Augustus Maverick, early Texas settler and signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence. Maverick built his house on the northside of San Antonio's central business district a short distance from Avenue C (Broadway) where many San Antonians were building residences in the late 19th century. The house was designed by Alfred Giles, a prominent local architect who drew building plans for many of San Antonio's most prominent citizens, including no fewer than ten buildings for various members of the Maverick Family. When completed. Maverick's house was one of Giles' several fine expressions of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in San Antonio. William Maverick fumished the house with objects purchased during his European travels, and lived there until 1910, when he sold the house to his son, Robert. In 1914, the house was sold to Henry Champe whose son still owned it in 1997. In 1916, Carter married Aline Badger, an accomplished and unique woman in early 20th century San Antonio who made changes to the house reflective of her interests in religion and astronomy. Long-active at nearby St. Mark's Episcopal Church, she remodeled the library as a chapel and installed carved wooden chairs and stained glass windows with religious motifs. Her knowledge and love of astronomy inspired her to purchase a telescope and construct an observatory atop the house. Active in social service work, she hosted an annual Christmas party for the City's orphans. Following Aline Carter's death in 1972, her son, David, fully restored the house. The Maverick-Carter House is significant at the local level under Criterion B for its association with Aline Badger Carter who lived there from 1914 until her death in 1972. The house also meets Criterion C in the area of Architecture as an outstanding example of Alfred Giles' Richardsonian Romanesque design that incorporates a chapel and observatory reflecting the life-long interests of Mrs. Carter. The house retains a high degree of integrity and is noted for its stonework, wood paneling, moldings, mantelpieces and parquet flooring.
Bibliography
Bobbitt, Lynn Osboume. Preliminary draft of Maverick-Carter National Register nomination, 1979.
Daughters of the Republic of Texas Library Vertical Files, San Antonio, Texas.
Davis, Ellis A. and Edwin H. Grobe, comp. and ed. New Encyclopedia of Texas. Dallas: Texas Development Bureau, c. 1930.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
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.