McCauley, Robert H. and Edith Ethel, House
4415 Ave. A, Austin, TXThe McCauley House was designed and constructed in 193 6 by Kenneth N. Sanders for contractor Robert H. McCauley and his wife, Edith. The house is an outstanding examples of Tudor Revival architecture in Hyde Park. As it remains virtually unaltered since its completion, it is being nominated for its local architectural significance under Criterion C.
On April 4, 1910, the lots at 4415 Avenue A were sold for $850 to F.T. Ramsey, a prominent nurseryman and owner of adjoining lots in Block 8 of the original Hyde Park Addition. Ramsey held the property until 1927, when he and other family members transferred ownership of numerous tracts in Hyde Park and the Hyde Park Annex to a corporation called Ramsey's Austin Nursery. After Ramsey's death in 1932, the Nursery Corporation conveyed these properties to the Capital National Bank of Austin on March 15, 1935 (DR 240:74; 413:51; 520:177; Probate File No. 7826).
Edith Ethel McCauley, wife of contractor Robert H. McCauley, purchased lots 1-2 and the north half of lot 3, Block 8, Hyde Park Addition for $425.00 on August 26, 1936 (DR 544:110). Two months later, the McCauleys contracted with Kenneth N. Sanders for the construction of "a l-story brick veneer residence and garage. . ." in consideration of $3,500 (DR 547:97). It is not known if Sanders was working at the time as an independent designer and builder, but in the years immediately after construction of the McCauley House, he worked as a draftsman for Becker Lumber Company and Calcasieu Lumber Company (Austin City Directories 1937-1939). Records indicate that he subsequently transferred a mechanic's lien on the McCauley House to the Becker Lumber Company (DR 540:515), suggesting that he, like some other Hyde Park contractors (see 3811 Speedway), worked for a lumberyard while designing and building some residences as an independent contractor.
Subsequent to R. H. McCauley's death in 1940 (Probate File No. 9715), his widow sold the property to Dr. A.H. Neighbors on August 24, 1946 (DR 823:474). Later owners included O.D. Denson (1950), L.E. and Ollie V. Hagood (1950-1952) and Willard and Lena E. Thomas and their heirs (1952-c.1974).
Constructed towards the end of the period of greatest building activity in Hyde Park, the McCauley house is representative of the design traditions of the Tudor Revival seen more frequently in the Shadow Lawn Addition. As a fine example of residential architecture in Hyde Park, the house testifies to the high level of craftsmanship of builders who worked in the 1920s and 1930s for businesses such as the Becker Lumber Company. Fine brickwork is evident in the stepped arches of the front entrance and provide visual richness through inset panels on the chimney and soldier courses at the eaves. All demonstrate a refined aesthetic sensibility that distinguish the McCauley House as a fine example of Tudor Revival architecture in Hyde Park.
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.