DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my take on what the official marker has to say about the Gilmer-Cage-Cohn House, and let me tell you, this one's got layers. Way back in 1905, somebody in Houston decided that if you're going to build a house, you might as well build one that makes antiquity itself sit up and take notice. What rose up was a Classical Revival residence — pillared, stately, and anchored by four monumental columns with Ionic capitals stretching across a three-bay main façade.
That inset porch, those corner pilasters, that low hipped roof with a tympanum crowning the whole affair, and an elliptical second-floor balcony with a balustrade — this place was making a statement before you even knocked on the off-center front door. And that off-center door, by the way, is exactly the kind of detail that tells you the architect had opinions. The house wears both Neoclassical and Arts and Crafts influences the way certain Texans wear a good hat — naturally, and all at once.
The main house and a detached two-story carriage house both clad in horizontal wood siding, the whole property sitting there like it knows it's something. Now the first man to call it home was Brian Brewster Gilmer, who walked in as secretary-treasurer of the Standard Milling Company and walked out a national leader — having organized the Southern Drug Company and served as president of both the Houston Chamber of Commerce and the Houston Bankers, Wholesalers and Manufacturers Association. His wife Edna, born a Daffan, kept house in one of Houston's finest early examples of Classical Revival architecture.
But the Gilmers didn't stay long. The property passed to Elliott and Roene Cage — Elliott a prominent Houston attorney and proprietor of the Cage Cotton Company, Roene the president and longtime board member of DePelchin Faith Home, which is the kind of civic commitment that deserves its own marker. By 1920, the Cages, too, moved on, and into this storied house stepped Harry Joseph Cohn, a native of Latvia, and his wife Etta Frieda, a native of Russia — a prosperous merchant in dry goods and furniture with a family that clearly knew a good thing when they saw one.
Because the Cohn family lived in that house for sixty-four years. Sixty-four years of Ionic capitals watching over them, of that elliptical balcony catching whatever breeze Houston offers, of that off-center door swinging open and shut through decades of life. The Texas Historical Commission made it official in 2008 — a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark — and if those four monumental columns could talk, I suspect they'd say it was about time.
What the marker says
The 1905 Gilmer-Cage-Cohn House is a stately, pillared, Classical Revival residence that reflects a respect for antiquity. It is a well-designed and early example of this style in Houston. Brian Brewster and Edna (Daffan) Gilmer were the first owners. B.B. Gilmer was secretary-treasurer of the Standard Milling Company when he bought this lot. He organized the Southern Drug Company and became a national leader in his industry. Gilmer also made significant civic contributions, including terms as president of the Houston Chamber of Commerce and the Houston Bankers, Wholesalers and Manufacturers Association. After a short time in the house the Gilmers sold the property to Elliott and Roene (Masterson) Cage. Elliott was a prominent Houston attorney and proprietor of the Cage Cotton Company, while Roene was president and longtime board member of DePelchin Faith Home. By 1920, the Cages sold the house to Harry Joseph Cohn, a native of Latvia, and his wife Etta Frieda, a native of Russia. Harry Cohn was a prosperous merchant in dry goods and furniture. The Cohn family lived in the house for 64 years. The history property includes a large main house and a detached two-story carriage house, with both structures clad in horizontal wood siding. Four monumental columns with Ionic capitals dominate the house's three bay main façade. The house shows both Neoclassical and Arts and Crafts influences. Significant features include the main columns and inset porch, corner pilasters, low hipped roof with tympanum, window and door molding, off-center entrance and elliptical second floor balcony with balustrade. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2008