DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, if you want to understand something about the bones of Austin — the actual skeleton of this city — you'd do well to pay attention to a man named Jacob Larmour. Born in 1822, Larmour came to Austin with his family in 1871, and he did not come quietly.
This man played a major role in the design of many of the city's commercial and residential buildings. Commercial. Residential.
That covers a whole lot of ground. And as if that weren't enough, he was appointed State Architect in 1879. State Architect.
The whole state, people. So when Larmour built himself a Victorian cottage in 1875, you have to figure the man knew exactly what he was doing. He wasn't going to cut corners on his own house.
That cottage stood originally at 1909 Whitis — sat right there for decades, watching Austin grow up around it, watching the city fill in with the very kinds of buildings its creator had helped shape. Then along came pharmacist Oscar G. Eckhardt, who bought the home in 1910.
And that family held onto it. More than fifty years that home stayed in the Eckhardt family. Fifty years is a long time for a city to keep changing around you, and that cottage just kept standing.
Now here's where the story takes a turn that would've surprised even Larmour himself — in 1979, more than a century after he built the thing, the house was picked up and moved to a new location entirely. Moved. The whole structure.
And it's still standing right here today, a Victorian cottage that has outlasted the man who built it, outlasted the family that kept it, and outlasted its own original address. Some things in Texas just refuse to stay put — and some things, once built right, refuse to fall down.
What the marker says
This Victorian cottage was built in 1875for architect Jacob Larmour (1822-1901), who came to Austin with his family in 1871. He played a major role in the design of many of the city's commercial and residential buildings and was appointed State Architect in 1879. Pharmacist Oscar G. Eckhardt bought the home in 1910, and it remained in his family for more than 50 years. Originally located at 1909 Whitis, thehouse was moved to this location in 1979. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1982