DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the Texas Historical Commission put on the marker for the Arnett House in Lubbock County. Now settle in, because this one starts the way all the best stories do — with a wedding gift. The year was 1915, and somebody decided that a proper Craftsman bungalow was the right way to say congratulations to J.
Lanham and Glenn Pratt Higginbotham. Not a quilt. Not a silver candlestick.
A whole house. Designed by a Fort Worth architect named M. L.
Waller — the same man who put his mark on other buildings in Lubbock and drew up the Crosby County Courthouse — this eight-room, one-and-a-half-story wood frame house sat facing Avenue L, just south of the Lubbock Sanitarium, with its wide porches and gabled and hip roof sections and a low knee wall that said, quietly but firmly, somebody of consequence lives here. And for a good long while, somebody did. The house passed into the hands of Alice and Sam C.
Arnett — Alice Ford Arnett and Sam C. Arnett, pioneer rancher, banker, and for decades one of the major forces in the development of Lubbock itself. That's the kind of man who leaves a mark on a city the way a brand leaves a mark on hide.
In 1956, Sam Arnett passed away, and here's where the story takes one of those turns that reminds you a house can have more than one life. His son, Dr. Sam C.
Arnett Jr., and his wife Olga, donated the house to Lubbock Christian College — later to become Lubbock Christian University, LCU. And they didn't just donate it in name. They moved it.
Picked the whole thing up and set it down on the college campus, where it became the institution's very first Administration Building. It fulfilled various functions over the years — as buildings will when they're sturdy enough and lucky enough to keep getting asked — until 1975, when it was given over to the Associates of Lubbock Christian College, a women's organization built around support and fundraising for the college. They took custody of it, and they took that responsibility seriously.
By 1978 and into 1979, the house was renovated by C. R. Billingsley of Billingsley and Stracener, with Claude Martin and Sons serving as contractors.
And the interior restoration? That was overseen by Lucille Melcher of Cagle Brothers Furniture. The Associates funded the entire project.
Every bit of it. And they kept right on maintaining the home and using it for events supporting the university, year after year. In 2015 — the same year this marker was recorded — the Associates celebrated the house's one hundredth birthday with several events.
One hundred years. Think about that. While Lubbock grew up around it, while the twentieth century did everything the twentieth century did, this Craftsman bungalow — born as a wedding gift, shaped by a Fort Worth architect, named for a pioneer rancher — just kept standing.
The marker notes it's one of the few early twentieth century residences in Lubbock still standing today, and when you hear that, you understand what that means. Most of the others didn't make it. This one did.
And that, friend, is a story worth stopping for.
What the marker says
First built as a wedding gift for J. Lanham and Glenn (Pratt) Higginbotham in 1915, the Arnett House became the longtime home of the family of Alice (Ford) and Sam C. Arnett, pioneer rancher and banker. For decades, Arnett served as a major businessman and leader in the development of Lubbock. In 1956, Arnett passed away, and his son, Dr. Sam C. Arnett Jr., and his wife, Olga, donated the house to Lubbock Christian College (later Lubbock Christian University, or LCU). The house was moved to the campus to serve as its first Administration Building. The house fulfilled various functions until 1975, when it was given to the Associates of Lubbock Christian College, a women's organization dedicated to support and fundraising for the college. The Craftsman style bungalow was designed by Fort Worth architect M. L. Waller, who designed other buildings in Lubbock and also the Crosby County Courthouse. The Arnett house is one of the few early 20th century residences of Lubbock still standing today. In its original location it faced Avenue L just south of the Lubbock Sanitarium. Now on the LCU campus, the eight room, 1 1/2-story wood frame house features gabled and hip roof sections, wide porches and a low knee wall. The house was renovated in 1978-79 by C. R. Billingsley of Billingsley and Stracener, with Claude Martin and Sons as contractors. Lucille Melcher of Cagle Brothers Furniture oversaw the interior restoration. The Associates of Lubbock Christian University provided the funding for the entire project and continue to maintain the home and to use it for events supporting the university. This organization celebrated the 100th birthday of the house with several events in 2015. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark -- 2015