Hoopes-Smith House

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, in my own words. Now, some houses just sit there. Four walls, a roof, maybe a porch if you're lucky.

And then there are houses that seem to have lived their own full life, independent of whoever happened to be staying inside at the time. The Hoopes-Smith House in Aransas County is that second kind. Pull up a chair.

This one's got layers. James M. Hoopes was a prominent local businessman and land developer, born in 1839.

The man knew how to make things happen, and sometime between 1890 and 1892, he made this happen. He had this home built, and he did not build it plain. No sir.

The Late Victorian Queen Anne style was not exactly known for its restraint, and this house proves the point. We're talking milled woodwork, roof cresting, a turret, and stained glass windows. A turret.

In Aransas County. That tells you something about the ambition of the thing. Now, a house that fine doesn't just sit quietly, and sure enough it didn't.

Between 1894 and 1930, the home served as a hotel and boardinghouse. Travelers came and went. Stories piled up in those rooms like luggage in a hallway.

Then in 1934, the house was sold to T. Noah Smith, Sr., born 1881, a prominent oilman and shipbuilder. That is a resume.

The house passed into new hands, took a new name, and kept right on standing. The Hoopes-Smith House. Two names on one door, and every bit of that stained glass still catching the light.

What the marker says

Prominent local businessman and land developer James M. Hoopes (1839-1931) had this home built between 1890 and 1892. The home later served as a hotel and boardinghouse between 1894 and 1930. It was sold in 1934 to T. Noah Smith, Sr. (1881-1955), a prominent oilman and shipbuilder. Features of the Late Victorian Queen Anne home include milled woodwork, roof cresting, a turret, and stained glass windows. It is regarded as a local landmark. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1989