Miller, Sam and Marjorie, House

The 1937 Sam and Marjorie Miller House in McAllen is named for its original inhabitants. Sam Miller, a local citrus farmer, businessman, and banker, built the house in 1937 with his wife Marjorie as a reflection of their admiration for English Tudor architecture. One of the town's most prominent businessmen, Sam Miller played influential roles in several business and civic organizations in McAllen and his 1937 Tudor Revival house reflects his success in the community. The period of significance extends from the date of construction to the 50-year cut-off date for eligibility, during which time the Millers continuously occupied the house as their primary residence. For its associations with prominent business and civic leader Sam Miller, the house meets Criterion B in the area of Commerce at the local level of significance. The 1937 house also supports Criterion C in the area of Architecture at the local level of significance as a prominent and well-preserved example of an early 20th-century Tudor Revival residence.

Founding of the Community

The city of McAllen was incorporated in 1911, seven years after the arrival of the Hidalgo and San Miguel Extension of the St. Louis, Brownsville, and Mexico Railway. The railroad brought together the scattered ranches of the region and the resulting growth increased the town's population from 1,200 in 1916 to 6,000 in 1920. Anglo farming and food processing industries dominated the local economy, with citrus crops as a viable and important commodity due to the rich, moist soils and tropical climate of the Rio Grande Valley.

During this period of growth, Main Street, also 14th Street, expanded north and south beyond the downtown commercial area of McAllen. As the city grew and new businesses were established, successful business owners began building many of their residences north of the downtown area. Several business people chose 15th Street, one block east of Main Street, as the site for their houses. The city embellished the area by making 15th Street one of the few streets in the city to have an island of palm trees, bougainvillea plants, and street lights positioned down the middle of the street.

As the housing developed during the Depression and early war years, the neighborhood earned the nickname "Silk Stocking Row," referring to the high number of wealthy families who occupied the houses there. The 1937 Sam and Marjorie Miller House was built on the northernmost part of 15th Street on a site known as Lions Park just a few blocks from downtown McAllen.

Sam and Marjorie Miller

Sam Miller was born in Basset, Texas, on November 23, 1901. He moved to San Juan, Texas, in 1918. Sam and his brother Banks established the Miller Brothers Nursery in 1920 where they experimented with growing sour orange seedlings and budding them with different varieties of citrus fruit for orchard planting. They planted citrus orchards all over South Texas from Mission, west to Harlingen, and north to Corpus Christi.
Marjorie Williams was born on a farm in Earlaham, Iowa, on May 15, 1903. In 1917 her family became one of the many Rio Grande Valley pioneers when they decided to move and to start a broomcorn farm in San Juan, Texas, seven miles east of McAllen. Sam Miller met Marjorie Williams in 1922 and the couple married on April 2, 1924. The couple had one child, a daughter, Barbara Lynn Miller, born on July 19, 1933.

During the late 1920s, the Miller Brothers Nursery bought more land, planting hundreds of acres of citrus and growing and selling Marsh seedless grapefruit. Sam's success allowed him and Marjorie to travel through the United States and abroad. On a 1927 trip to England, the English Tudor homes inspired the Millers who took photos and made architectural notes that became the basis for the home they would eventually build in McAllen.

The depression of the 1930s closed many McAllen businesses, however, Sam Miller's citrus business continued to do well and allowed him to venture into other areas. Sam and his brother merged the assets of the failed First National Bank and the First State Bank and Trust Company in March 1933. With Sam as the new president and principal stockholder, the brothers renamed the bank City State Bank and Trust Company. Sam Miller held this position until October 1940 when the bank was sold and later nationalized under the name First National Bank of McAllen.
As an investment banker, Miller played an instrumental role in organizing the Valley Federal Savings and Loan Association of McAllen in 1934. He served as the first president and held that position until he resigned in 1949.

Sam Miller became President of Valley Bridge Company in 1939. Owned by Miller and his partners Joe and Sam Pate, this toll bridge operated between Hidalgo, Texas, and Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Miller remained President until 1952. The bridge was sold to the City of McAllen in 1959.

Sam Miller's civic generosity was exemplified in 1930 by his donation of 109 acres of land to the city of McAllen for the construction of an airport. Miller and the Trans-Texas Airlines inaugurated the first commercial flight into Miller International Airport on July 19, 1952. The Millers' daughter Barbara flew on this flight with officials and dignitaries from Houston. Upon arriving at the airport Barbara Miller christened the first Trans-Texas flight to McAllen by breaking a bottle of grapefruit juice over the fuselage of the DC-3. Miller International Airport terminal was completely rebuilt into a state-of-the-art facility in 1993. Then 90 years old, Mrs. Marjorie Miller and her daughter Barbara Wallace were on hand for the renaming and rededication ceremonies. Still bearing the Miller name, the new McAllen Miller International Airport today offers community service from three airlines, American, Continental, and Conquest.

Miller played an instrumental role in getting his friend Homer Leonard elected Speaker of the House of Representatives to the Texas Legislature in 1941. The Millers' daughter Barbara was appointed a special page to Homer Leonard in the House of Representatives during their opening session.

Miller also served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the McAllen Public Utilities from 1949 to 1961. He served as Board Chairman from 1945 until 1952. For his civic endeavors, he was named the McAllen Chamber of Commerce's "Man of the Year." He also served as the President of the McAllen Chamber of Commerce in 1941. During that time he was honored as "Most Valuable Citizen of McAllen" by the local newspaper, The Valley Evening Monitor. He was also a long-time member of the McAllen Rotary Club.

Marjorie Miller was active in the community by serving as a member and President of several civic organizations such as the McAllen Literary Club, McAllen Garden Club, and the McAllen City of Federation Clubs. She worked in her daughters' Brownie and Girl Scout Troop and the PTA. Mrs. Miller is a Life member of the Women's Auxiliary of the former McAllen Municipal Hospital. Mrs. Miller was also a charter member of the San Juan Chapter #726 of the Eastern Star. In 1933 she was honored by serving as Grand Officer in the Grand Chapter of Texas Order of the Eastern Star. She also became Deputy Grand Matron of District 5, Section 10 under the leadership of Riva C. Burnett as Worthy Grand Matron.

Sam Miller worked as a real estate investor in and around the McAllen area from 1960 until his death from cancer in October 1974. Marjorie Miller at age 94 lived in Austin near her daughter. Barbara Lynn Miller Wallace works in real estate and lives in the Austin area.

Building Practice and Style Development

During their 1927 trip to England, the Millers fell in love with English architecture. They collected several exterior and interior examples of the local buildings. Upon their return from England, Mrs. Miller drew out the basic floor plan and then commissioned locally prominent architect/builders Harry Biggers and Jack Langley of San Juan, Texas, to make the formal plans for building the house.

Tudor Revival became a dominant style for residential buildings in the U.S. during the 1920s and 1930s. Loosely based on late Medieval English buildings, the style is characterized by a focus on steeply pitched, front-facing gables. About half of all Tudor Revival buildings feature ornamental false-front timbering, as seen in the dominant front-facing gable of the Miller House, which also stems from late Medieval English examples. Although examples date to the late 19th century, the style's popularity increased during the 1920s and 1930s when building techniques allowed exteriors to closely imitate the brick and stone exteriors of English buildings. Although further research is needed, Miller's trip to England and the influence of the architecture they saw there may have been a common occurrence that contributed to the larger trend of Tudor Revival architecture in America during this period. Distinctive characteristics that make the Miller House an excellent local example of the Tudor Revival style include the mix of exterior building materials, the dominant front-facing gable, the decorative half-timbering, and the tall, narrow windows grouped in strings of three or four.

The construction of the Miller House reflected the use of local building materials. In order to preserve the structure and offer added protection from hurricanes, the cement foundation was placed on concrete pillars sunk 15 feet into the ground. The Cordova shell stone wall cladding came from the Hill Country near Austin. Large slabs of this stone were shipped to McAllen on railroad flatbed cars. Artisans then cut stone layers from the slabs of the individual stone bricks in various sizes, placing them into position using a "free form" patterned type of stonework. The fireplace in the living room featured the same Cordova stone only cut in larger pieces, then smooth and polished. Australian Gumwood, used on the staircase and doors, was brought from Corpus Christi and milled in Pharr, Texas, by a local miller, Fred Mount. All the interior walls and ceilings were done by Mr. Sorenson (first name unknown), a plaster artisan from Norway who had recently moved to Alamo, Texas, a city ten miles east of McAllen.

The Sam and Marjorie Miller House is notable for its advanced construction technology and the use of skilled artisans and quality materials. An exceptional example of the craftsmanship of a regionally prominent master builder and master sub-contractors, the home is a result of the dissemination of the English Tudor Revival philosophy and aesthetic in America during the 1930s.

Current and Future Preservation

Progress in the community has brought with it a misguided attitude of "tear down the old and build up the new." The Sam and Marjorie Miller House, along with its surrounding neighborhood, remains one of the few examples that reflect the architectural heritage of the city. These properties deserve preservation as an example of the growth of the city of McAllen and as an example of the wonderful craftsmanship created by local builders in years past.

At present, no buildings in McAllen are listed in the National Register. Over the past few years, neighborhood homeowners have met to discuss future preservation efforts and to work to fight the local politicians who are positioned to change some of the building and zoning regulations in the area. Many homeowners are applying for historical status in hopes of protecting their homes. Property owners hope to combine their efforts in the future to nominate potential historic districts. The Miller House, as a significant part of McAllen's history and architectural heritage, supports the National Register at the local level of significance.