Rogers-Bell House
1001 E. Eighth St., East Austin, TXThe Rogers-Bell House is a locally Important and distinctive example of a masonry, Eastlake style cottage. It is prominently located adjacent to Austin's oldest standing, wood structure, the French Legation. While Victorian styles are common to the neighborhood, the age, architectural detailing and materials used set the Rogers-Bell House apart from the wood frame houses nearby. The structure was not Included in the initial Historic Resources of East Austin nomination, as unsympathetic but reversible modifications then affected its integrity.
The Rogers-Bell House is a locally Important and distinctive example of a masonry, Eastlake style cottage. It is prominently located adjacent to Austin's oldest standing, wood structure, the French Legation. While Victorian styles are common to the neighborhood, the age, architectural detailing and materials used set the Rogers-Bell House apart from the wood frame houses nearby. The structure was not Included in the initial Historic Resources of East Austin nomination, as unsympathetic but reversible modifications then affected its integrity.
The land upon which the Rogers-Bell House was constructed was owned by the Joseph W. Robertson family who resided next door at the old French Legation. The area was subdivided by the Robertsons, who gave their name to the area, Robertson Hill. According to the records, land on which the Rogers-Bell House sits was purchased for $600.00 in 1891 by Martin E. Rogers who at that time was bridge foreman for the Austin and Northwestern Railroad. In 1893, construction of the structure at 1001 East 8th Street was completed and became home of Rogers and his wife. Addle Loving Rogers. The Rogers occupied the home until Mr. Rogers' death In 1942. During that time, Martin Rogers rose in the ranks of the Houston and Texas Central Railroad and ultimately served as Assistant Roadmaster and Superintendent of Buildings and Bridges.
In 1943, Lewis D. Lyons purchased the home from the estate of Martin E. Rogers for the sum of $4,000.00. L.D. Lyons, one of Austin's most prominent Black citizens and land holders, owned and operated the red brick grocery store at 518 East 6th Street in the present-day Sixth Street Historic District (NR 1975). Mr. Lyons was a lay leader at Wesley Chapel Methodist Church, a trustee at Samuel Huston College, secretary of the Friend in Need Society of Austin, and was known as "the Black Mayor of East Austin." Mr. Lyons was the only Black bondsman in Austin at the time of his death in 1944. Mr. Lyons' widow, Mattle Ruth Lyons, continued to live in the house at 1001 East 8th Street and married Mr. Jerry Bell in 1951. Mr. Bell was employed by Governor Allan Shivers for over thirty years as chauffeur and houseman and was on staff during the years the Shivers family lived in the Texas Governor's Mansion (1949-1957).
After Mr. Bell moved from the Rogers-Bell House in 1984 into a nearby nursing home, the house stood vacant for one year until it was acquired by the present owner, Emily Little.
The restoration of the Rogers-Hill House has significantly enhanced the integrity of the historic neighborhood. Due to its prominent siting and high visibility from the adjacent French Legation, the Rogers-Bell House is an important visual and historical link with East Austin's past. The house is of special interest architecturally due to its unusual brick construction and display of distinctive Victorian stylistic elements.
Bibliography
Travis County Probate Records
Travis County Marriage Records
Austin-Travis County Collection: City Directories and Newspaper files Mrs. Allan Shivers to Betty Little, Interview by telephone, November 14, L987.
"The Historical and Biographical Souvenir and Program of the 25th Anniversary of Metropolitan A.M.E. Church, Austin, Texas, 1882-1907", May 6 to 14, 1907, C.W. Abington.
Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
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.