Wahrenberger House

The Wahrenberger house stands as a reminder of the 19th century residences that once stood in the State Capitol area. The house is situated near other important, early Austin houses such as the Carrington-Covert house (entered on the National Register 8/25/70), the John Hancock f-. the Goodman Bldg. houses (both on National Register 4/13/75). Architecturally,the Wahrenberger house is typical of the two story, central hall plan, vernacular limestone houses of the mid-19th century Austin. Few of these remain,particularly in the capitol complex area. Primarily built as a family residence, the house has also served as the first Protestant boy's school in Texas, a German-American Ladies College and a boarding house whose former tenants included several men later influential in Texas politics.

The house at 208 West Walnut — as West Fourteenth was then known — was built during the winter and spring of 1867-68 by Freidrich Huster, who sold it to Charles Klein in June, 1868.

Mr. Klein subsequently leased the residence to Misses Natalie von Schenck and Alice Nohl, who operated the German-American Ladies College in the structure from January, 1874 through December 1879.

The property was then leased to a prominent early Austin educator, Jacob Bickler, and from 1880 until 1886 the building housed the Texas German and English Academy. There were no public schools in the city during that time, and the Academy's rolls included many of the men who were important in the development of early Twentieth Century Austin. The Academy was the first Protestant boy's school in Texas.

Just after noon on November 9, 1881, the Bicklers' maid. Hiss Lucy Perry, spotted„a fire in the Old Texas Capitol nearby. The school's bell was rung to summon citizens to help fight the fire. The Capitol was lost, but Mr. Bickler and many of the older boys at the school joined in the frantic effort to rescue books and records from the burning building.

In March of 1882 the building was deeded by Klein to his daughter, Caroline Wahrenberger. Thiou2h her husband, John, died in 1864, his prominence in the city's development and the close association between his family and the structure warrant a look at this man.

A skilled baker from Switzerland, Wahrenberger emigrated to Austin in 1839, the year the city was incorporated. He held several snail jobs, carefully saved his money, and began a small bakery. The enterprise prospered and his business soon included a cafe and grocery. He also was involved in the "Archive Wars" of the lS40's and the fight to prevent the moving of the State Capitol from Austin. He died in 1864, survived by his wife, Caroline, three daughters and son.

In 1872, Caroline returned to Switzerland to complete her children's education. It is unclear just when she returned to Texas, but by 1887 the family was back in Austin, living in the house at 208 West Fourteenth.

Mrs. Wahrenberger was to remain in the house until her death in 1916, Her daughters' families occupied the house until the mid-Forties. Her son, James, a well-known architect whose work includes the Littlefield Home in Austin ( National Register 8/25/70) settled in San Antonio.

During much of the time the Wahrenberger clan lived in the house, it also served as a boardinghouse for State officials. Pat Neff, Governor of Texas from 1921-25, boarded with the Wahrenbergers in 1896-97; and Sam Rayburn, later Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, lived there in 1907-08.

The house's proximity to the State Capitol, and the prominence of many of its boarders, suggests that it was often a meeting place for Texas politicians around the turn of the century.

On Mrs. Wahrenberger's death in 1916, the house passed to her daughters, Mrs. Mary Lindemann(who, with her husband Ernest, had operated a drug store on the property immediately to the west of the house since 1883) and Josephine Cullen. When Mrs. Cullen died in 1934 her interest was sold to Mrs. Lindemann. Mrs. Lindemann continued to live in the house until her death in 1939, and her children remained there until 1946, when the property was leased by James Lindemann (Mary's grandson) to E. J. Revell as an office for his interior-decoration firm, Revell & Co.

In November, 1973, the property was sold by James Lindemann to Ford Smith, and Revell & Co. moved their offices elsewhere.

The building's continued existence had been questionable with the expansion of the state government complex. However in early 1977,the property was acquired by an Austin firm, Eskew, Brady, Womack & Muir, and the house's future seems assured as renovation is currently underway.