Eakle-Archer House

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Eakle-Archer House in Potter County. Now, most houses in Amarillo are content just being houses. Four walls, a roof, maybe a porch if you're feeling ambitious.

But every once in a while, somebody comes along with a bigger imagination. Guy A. Carlander was that somebody.

A prominent Amarillo architect, Carlander drew up something in 1923 that folks would still be craning their necks at decades later. He called it an airplane bungalow. A craftsman-style airplane bungalow, to be precise, and he built it for the Clarence M.

Eakle family. Now, you're probably already asking yourself, what on earth does an airplane bungalow look like? Picture this: a cockpit-like upper floor perched up top, and sweeping multiple gable roofs reaching out in every direction like wings fixing to catch a current.

And the details, well, the details are where Carlander really opened up the throttle. Flared oriental eaves, arts and crafts brackets, and a facade that doesn't pick just one material and call it a day. Brick.

Stucco. River stone. And native Alibates flint, that striking Texas stone with a history all its own.

The whole thing together is dramatic, and that word comes straight from the marker, so you know they meant it. The Eakle family had themselves quite a home. Then 1926 rolled around, and rancher and oilman Sam B.

Archer and his family bought the house. They didn't just pass through, either. The Archer family lived there from 1926 all the way until 1945.

Nearly two decades of boots on those craftsman floors, kids growing up under those gable roofs, life unfolding inside those Alibates flint walls. So the next time you're rolling through Amarillo and you spot something that looks a little like it's about to leave the ground, you'll know exactly what you're looking at.

What the marker says

Prominent Amarillo architect Guy A. Carlander designed this dramatic craftsman "airplane bungalow" for the Clarence M. Eakle family. Built in 1923, it features a "cockpit-like" upper floor and sweeping multiple gable roofs. Flared oriental and arts and crafts eaves and brackets are enhanced by various facade materials: brick, stucco, river stone, and native Alibates flint. Rancher and oilman Sam B. Archer and family bought the house in 1926 and resided here until 1945. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1994.