DUANE
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Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Back in 1925, Louis and Inez Brulay, she was born a Grider, decided they wanted a home worth remembering. Now, they weren't just anybody in Brownsville.
Louis's father, George Brulay, was a French native who had built himself a successful sugar plantation right outside the city. That's the kind of family legacy that puts a certain expectation on a house. So when Louis and Inez went looking for an architect, they didn't settle.
They contracted with E. Guy Holliday, a prominent Brownsville architect, and they told him they wanted something in the city's first suburb. Holliday knew exactly what to do.
He turned to the Spanish-Mediterranean style, which was prominent during that time and, here's the part that shows real good sense, complementary to the region's climate. You don't fight a South Texas summer. You design around it.
Curved archways went up, accented with Spanish tile. White textured stucco wrapped the walls. And up on the roof, red clay terracotta tiles laid themselves out in that warm, unmistakable pattern that says this place was built to last.
And it did last. Curved archways, stucco, terracotta, and all. The Brulay House still stands today, a French family's roots, a Brownsville architect's vision, and one first suburb's finest address, all rolled into one historic structure that refuses to be forgotten.
What the marker says
In 1925, Louis and Inez (Grider) Brulay contracted with prominent Brownsville architect E. Guy Holliday to design a house within the city's first suburb. Louis Brulay was the son of George Brulay, a French native who owned and operated the successful Brulay Sugar Plantation outside of the city. The home's architectural influence follows the Spanish-Mediterranean style, prominent during this time and complementary to the region's climate. Curved archways with Spanish tile accents, white textured stucco and red clay terracotta roof tiles adorn this historic structure. RECORDED TEXAS HISTORIC LANDMARK - 2016