DUANE
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Duane's take
The official marker for the Joe and Annie Lucas House in Orange County is what I'm bringing you now, and I'll tell it the way it deserves to be told. Now, pull up a chair, because this is a story about a house that grew right along with the people inside it. Joe Lucas, a prominent local jeweler, born in 1865, and his wife Annie, born in 1879, built their home here in 1907.
Modest, practical, two stories of vernacular structure. Nothing flashy. Just a solid place to hang your hat at the end of the day.
But here's the thing about Joe and Annie Lucas. The business did well. Real well.
And when a jeweler's business does well, you can bet something is about to get adorned. Come 1918, they went back to that modest little house and gave it something to talk about. A Queen Anne style wraparound gallery.
A gazebo-like corner. Paired Corinthian columns standing at attention like they had somewhere important to be. Arched windows catching the light just so.
And up on the second level, a two-bay porch looking out over the world with a certain quiet confidence. That house went from sensible to spectacular, and every bit of it earned. The Lucas family held onto that home for decades after Joe and Annie built it, right up until 1965.
From 1907 to 1965, one family, one house, watching Orange County move through the years from behind those Corinthian columns. Annie herself lived all the way to 1978. Some houses hold a family.
Some families hold a house. Out here in Orange County, the Lucases managed both.
What the marker says
Prominent local jeweler Joe Lucas (1865-1944) and his wife Annie (1879-1978) built this home in 1907 as a modest 2-story vernacular structure. As a result of business success they improved their home by adding a Queen Anne style wraparound gallery and gazebo-like corner in 1918. Prominent features include paired Corinthian columns, arched windows, and a 2-bay porch on the second level. The house remained in the Lucas family until 1965. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1992