National Register Listing
I.P. Walker was born on October 9, 1878, in Macon, Georgia. A veteran of the Spanish-American War, by 1910 he was working as an upholsterer in Macon, Georgia. He married Anne "Annie" J. Walker and they had two children, Mary and Cathryn. His wife and children were also born in Georgia. By 1917, Walker lived in Houston and worked as a salesman at the G.A. Stowers Furniture Company. He lived at 1213 Baker Street, just north of downtown Houston. In the 1934-35 Houston City Directory, I.P. Walker is listed as living on Lafayette Street, in a West University subdivision developed by Preston Plumb, Sr. By 1937, I.P. Walker was the Vice President and the local manager of the G.A. Stowers Furniture in downtown Houston. In the 1937 Houston City Directory, there is no listing of a Houston residence for the Walker family. Annie Walker died in 1940 and the house was soon after turned over for a lease-to-own purchase. The lessee did indeed purchase the house and the property left the Walker family. By 1942, I.P. Walker had remarried. He and his wife Mildred lived in Houston at 2239 Goldsmith in the Southgate subdivision, less than a mile from his daughter Mary and son-in-law Jack's home in Southside Place. I.P. Walker died on January 20, 1950.
Developer Preston "Jack" R. Plumb, Jr. was born on February 9, 1907, in Kansas. In 1910, he was living in Yoakum, Texas, with his parents, but he moved to Houston soon after. His father, Preston R. Plumb, Sr., had made the move from independent railway car repairman to residential developer. Preston Plumb, Jr. attended the University of the South (Sewanee) in Sewanee, Tennessee, and the University of Texas. By 1930, at the young age of 23, he had married Mary Walker and lived in West University Place. He listed his occupation as a builder and contractor. In the 1937 Houston City Directory, his address is listed as 2907 Georgetown, in the Rice Court subdivision developed by his father, and he listed his occupation as a contractor. He and his wife Mary had five children. The 1951 Houston City Directory lists his occupation as a contractor. He developed homes in West University Place, Oak Forest, and Spring Valley under the business name Plumb Realty. Preston R. Plumb, Jr. died on June 7, 1977.
Overall the house serves as an excellent example of 1930s architectural eclecticism, borrowing freely from various period styles, including Tudor Revival (most evident in the tapered chimney) and French Chateau style (evident in the large semicircular stair turret with a conical roof). Other distinguishing architectural features include thick load-bearing stone walls, and the steam-bent wood strip ceiling of the pantry, located inside the turret, with a spiral sloping ceiling. In the 1930s the region along the bay was still served by wooden boat shipwrights and ship carpenters with the skills to steam bend narrow strips of mahogany or oak (approximately 1 centimeter in width) to form this type of ceiling. The Great Room paneling of pecky cypress is a particularly large installation using this rare wood, but its use here is very much in keeping with its typical application in rustic lodges and vacation homes.
The faux bois porch columns are the most prominent exterior features of the Walker House. While the identity of the artist cannot be determined, the trees stand as a creative example of faux bois concrete sculpture in the style of Dionicio Rodriguez. The Walker House is one of four known large-scale examples of faux bois sculpture in Harris County, the others being Dionicio Rodriguez's Aviary at the Houston Zoo (NRHP 2005), his sculptures in the Woodlawn Garden of Memories cemetery (NRHP 2004), and the 1934 Hidalgo Park Quiosco by Rodriguez apprentice V. Lozano (Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 2011). The Walker home is the only known Harris County example where the sculpture was incorporated into a building; most faux bois sculpture in Texas takes the form of freestanding functional structures (gates, furniture, a bridge, a trolley stop shelter, gazeboes), or decorative sculpture set in gardens, parks, or cemeteries.
From 1924 through the early 1950s, faux bois artist Dionicio Rodriguez traveled throughout the United States creating concrete sculptural works that imitated the natural forms and textures of rocks and wood. Rodriguez's use of the rustic theme in garden design has documented antecedents in Europe, Asia, Mexico, and the United States that span several centuries. A small building behind the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris has a "wood" textured façade and roof, with a plaque reading "Ciment Arme. Travaux Rustiques" (reinforced cement; rustic work) J. Dunaigre. Concrete "wooden" bridges can be seen in several parks in the environs of Paris, and there are two stairways at the Musee Hotel Baudy in Giverny, France. Examples of rustic concrete work also can be found in Turkey, Mexico, and Japan.
At the time Dionicio Rodriguez was working in Texas and throughout the United States, there were other artisans practicing in the "trabajo rustico" genre, some of whom worked with Rodriguez at different times. These craftsmen included Basilio (last name unavailable), Sam Murray, Maximo Cortés, Modesto Dena, Aguilar (who signed his work, "Aguilar, maker"), Dionicio Rosales, Tony Lopez, Mauro Del Toro, Ralph Corona, and George Cardosa. Genaro Briones also worked with Rodriguez in Memphis in the 1930s and later used tinted concrete on his own house in Austin (Briones House, NR 1998). Rodriguez frequently visited the house while it was under construction, beginning in 1947. The Walker House was most likely the project of one of Rodriguez's associates, and displays of high level of craftsmanship, especially in its detailing. Local significance of the building:
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 2012.
Walker House
a.k.a. The Treehouse
3534 Miramar Dr., Shoreacres, TXThe I.P. and Annie Walker House in the Houston suburb of Shoreacres, Texas, is a two-story eclectic home featuring a substantial stone façade highlighted by four faux bois porch columns in the style of sculptor Dionicio Rodriguez. The home was constructed c.1932 by developer Jack Plumb for his in-laws, Annie and Isaiah Poole Walker, a furniture store manager. The house stands as the oldest and most intact example of the early bayside housing of Shoreacres and as a distinctive building featuring tinted concrete sculpture. It is nominated to the National Register under Criterion C, in the area of Architecture, at the local level of significance.
City of Shoreacres
Shoreacres, Texas, was intended to be a vacation spot for Houston's elite, and the I.P. and Annie Walker House is the last and best-remaining example from the community's beginnings. In the 1920s, Shoreacres, Inc. subdivided the north part of the Hunning 800 acres out of the W. P. Harris Survey. The plat indicating lots, blocks, and newly dedicated public streets was filed with the Harris County Clerk on February 16, 1925. A short time thereafter, country homes designed with plenty of windows for the ocean breeze were built on the wooded and seacoast tracts. In an effort to enhance the country club atmosphere, Shoreacres, Inc. donated six acres of bayfront property in 1927 to be the site of the current Houston Yacht Club which is still Shoreacres' sole business establishment. On May 14, 1949, an election was held to determine if the Town of Shoreacres should be incorporated, which was decided by a 23-to-2 vote in favor. Currently, the City of Shoreacres population is approximately 1,700, but the city still retains a resort-like atmosphere. The small-town ambiance serves as a retreat from the urban environment of Houston. Residents frequently jog, push baby strollers, and walk their dogs along Miramar Drive. From the front patio and Great Room, ships can be seen making their way towards Barbour's Cut, while the Fred Hartman Bridge lights the northeast view.The Isaiah Poole (I.P.) and Annie Walker House
The Isaiah Poole and Annie Walker House was constructed circa 1932 by Houston-based contractor Preston "Jack" R. Plumb, Jr., the Walkers' son-in-law. Annie Walker purchased the property in August 1928 from John A. Embry and R.W. Gillette, Houston developers, who had recently purchased it from Harry Kone. In 1926, Kone had purchased the undeveloped property from Shoreacres, Inc. According to Preston Plumb, III, the home was intended as a vacation home for Mr. and Mrs. Walker.I.P. Walker was born on October 9, 1878, in Macon, Georgia. A veteran of the Spanish-American War, by 1910 he was working as an upholsterer in Macon, Georgia. He married Anne "Annie" J. Walker and they had two children, Mary and Cathryn. His wife and children were also born in Georgia. By 1917, Walker lived in Houston and worked as a salesman at the G.A. Stowers Furniture Company. He lived at 1213 Baker Street, just north of downtown Houston. In the 1934-35 Houston City Directory, I.P. Walker is listed as living on Lafayette Street, in a West University subdivision developed by Preston Plumb, Sr. By 1937, I.P. Walker was the Vice President and the local manager of the G.A. Stowers Furniture in downtown Houston. In the 1937 Houston City Directory, there is no listing of a Houston residence for the Walker family. Annie Walker died in 1940 and the house was soon after turned over for a lease-to-own purchase. The lessee did indeed purchase the house and the property left the Walker family. By 1942, I.P. Walker had remarried. He and his wife Mildred lived in Houston at 2239 Goldsmith in the Southgate subdivision, less than a mile from his daughter Mary and son-in-law Jack's home in Southside Place. I.P. Walker died on January 20, 1950.
Developer Preston "Jack" R. Plumb, Jr. was born on February 9, 1907, in Kansas. In 1910, he was living in Yoakum, Texas, with his parents, but he moved to Houston soon after. His father, Preston R. Plumb, Sr., had made the move from independent railway car repairman to residential developer. Preston Plumb, Jr. attended the University of the South (Sewanee) in Sewanee, Tennessee, and the University of Texas. By 1930, at the young age of 23, he had married Mary Walker and lived in West University Place. He listed his occupation as a builder and contractor. In the 1937 Houston City Directory, his address is listed as 2907 Georgetown, in the Rice Court subdivision developed by his father, and he listed his occupation as a contractor. He and his wife Mary had five children. The 1951 Houston City Directory lists his occupation as a contractor. He developed homes in West University Place, Oak Forest, and Spring Valley under the business name Plumb Realty. Preston R. Plumb, Jr. died on June 7, 1977.
Architectural Significance of the Walker House
The significance of the I.P. and Annie Walker House lies in its exuberant architectural design, its faux bois porch columns, and as the best remaining example of early residential development in Shoreacres. The homes built in Shoreacres through the 1930s were located on a low ridge paralleling the shoreline and were known as "fish camps," whose owners would typically take the train or drive from Houston into La Porte for weekends of summer recreation. The Walker House is one of the few remaining original fish camps in Shoreacres. The home has a substantial stone façade, casement windows, a side entrance featuring an oversized wood paneled door, and a turret housing an interior staircase and pantry. The nearby historic homes are Craftsman in style and are more modest in size. The two-story, eclectic home was designed in a higher style than the other extant historic homes in Shoreacres, and, unlike the immediately adjacent homes, has not been replaced with newer construction.Overall the house serves as an excellent example of 1930s architectural eclecticism, borrowing freely from various period styles, including Tudor Revival (most evident in the tapered chimney) and French Chateau style (evident in the large semicircular stair turret with a conical roof). Other distinguishing architectural features include thick load-bearing stone walls, and the steam-bent wood strip ceiling of the pantry, located inside the turret, with a spiral sloping ceiling. In the 1930s the region along the bay was still served by wooden boat shipwrights and ship carpenters with the skills to steam bend narrow strips of mahogany or oak (approximately 1 centimeter in width) to form this type of ceiling. The Great Room paneling of pecky cypress is a particularly large installation using this rare wood, but its use here is very much in keeping with its typical application in rustic lodges and vacation homes.
The faux bois porch columns are the most prominent exterior features of the Walker House. While the identity of the artist cannot be determined, the trees stand as a creative example of faux bois concrete sculpture in the style of Dionicio Rodriguez. The Walker House is one of four known large-scale examples of faux bois sculpture in Harris County, the others being Dionicio Rodriguez's Aviary at the Houston Zoo (NRHP 2005), his sculptures in the Woodlawn Garden of Memories cemetery (NRHP 2004), and the 1934 Hidalgo Park Quiosco by Rodriguez apprentice V. Lozano (Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 2011). The Walker home is the only known Harris County example where the sculpture was incorporated into a building; most faux bois sculpture in Texas takes the form of freestanding functional structures (gates, furniture, a bridge, a trolley stop shelter, gazeboes), or decorative sculpture set in gardens, parks, or cemeteries.
From 1924 through the early 1950s, faux bois artist Dionicio Rodriguez traveled throughout the United States creating concrete sculptural works that imitated the natural forms and textures of rocks and wood. Rodriguez's use of the rustic theme in garden design has documented antecedents in Europe, Asia, Mexico, and the United States that span several centuries. A small building behind the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris has a "wood" textured façade and roof, with a plaque reading "Ciment Arme. Travaux Rustiques" (reinforced cement; rustic work) J. Dunaigre. Concrete "wooden" bridges can be seen in several parks in the environs of Paris, and there are two stairways at the Musee Hotel Baudy in Giverny, France. Examples of rustic concrete work also can be found in Turkey, Mexico, and Japan.
At the time Dionicio Rodriguez was working in Texas and throughout the United States, there were other artisans practicing in the "trabajo rustico" genre, some of whom worked with Rodriguez at different times. These craftsmen included Basilio (last name unavailable), Sam Murray, Maximo Cortés, Modesto Dena, Aguilar (who signed his work, "Aguilar, maker"), Dionicio Rosales, Tony Lopez, Mauro Del Toro, Ralph Corona, and George Cardosa. Genaro Briones also worked with Rodriguez in Memphis in the 1930s and later used tinted concrete on his own house in Austin (Briones House, NR 1998). Rodriguez frequently visited the house while it was under construction, beginning in 1947. The Walker House was most likely the project of one of Rodriguez's associates, and displays of high level of craftsmanship, especially in its detailing. Local significance of the building:
Architecture
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 2012.
About National Register Listings
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.