Aron-Harris House

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, most houses out here on the Texas prairie are humble by design; the land humbles you first, and you build accordingly. But every now and then, somebody decided to do things differently.

Somebody decided to bring a little of the wider world right down into Collin County. The man behind this particular statement was Putnam Russell, an architect from New York City. Not Dallas.

Not Austin. New York. And when Morris Aron, a local merchant, and his wife Henrietta commissioned Russell to design them a home, ol' Putnam didn't hold back.

He reached into his full bag of tricks and pulled out something the neighbors would be talking about for generations. The house went up in 1889. Queen Anne styling, they call it; and if you're standing in front of it right now, you already know those words don't quite capture what your eyes are seeing.

There's intricate ornamentation covering this place like the architect was settling a personal score with simplicity. And then (and here's where it gets theatrical) there's a corner turret. With a bell-shaped roof.

Just sitting up there like it's keeping watch over all of Collin County. Step inside and it only gets richer: ornate woodwork, marble detailing. Morris and Henrietta were not whispering with this house.

They were speaking at full volume. Now, Morris and Henrietta had their years in this remarkable home, and then in 1897, eight years after it was built, Plummer and Josie Harris came along and purchased the property. And you want to know the thing about the Harris family?

They stayed. That corner turret kept watch over their family not for a decade, not for two, but all the way until 1951. More than half a century under one family's care.

A New York architect, a Texas merchant, a bell-shaped roof, and a family that knew when they'd found something worth keeping. That's the Aron-Harris House. Some things just speak for themselves.

What the marker says

Designed by Putnam Russell, an architect from New York, this house was constructed in 1889 for local merchant Morris Aron and his wife Henrietta. In 1897 the home was purchased by Plummer and Josie Harris and it remained in their family until 1951. The Queen Anne styling features intricate ornamentation and a corner turret with a bell-shaped roof. The interior includes ornate woodwork and marble detailing. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1980***