DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Kopperl House. Now settle in, because sometimes the most interesting stories are the ones hiding behind a quiet front porch. In 1896, somebody built a home right here in Travis County — built it for four thousand two hundred dollars, which wasn't pocket change in those days.
And the very same year it went up, a woman named Loula Dale Kopperl bought it. That's right, the ink was barely dry on the construction bills. Loula Dale Kopperl — born in 1861 — was known as a sportswoman, and already that tells you something about the kind of person she was.
Not exactly a wallflower. She and her husband Morris moved in together, made this their home, shared it through the years. But by 1912, that arrangement had run its course, and the two of them divorced.
Now here's where the story gets quiet and a little bit stubborn in the best way — Loula Dale didn't go anywhere. She stayed right here in that house. Kept living in it, kept it hers, all the way until her death in 1919.
The house itself is something to look at, even now. It's a late Victorian-era cottage done up in Eastlake style — and that means fine milled-wood detailing, the kind of ornamental woodwork that took real craft to produce, and a pyramidal roof crowned with a deck up top. Stands there like it knows exactly what it is.
In fact, it's considered one of the best examples of that style in the entire city. Loula Dale Kopperl bought this place the year it was built, weathered what life brought her, and never left. The house is still standing.
Some things just hold.
What the marker says
Built in 1896 at a cost of $4,200, this home was purchased the same year by sportswoman Loula Dale Kopperl (1861-1919). She and her husband Morris lived here prior to their divorce in 1912, and she continued to occupy the home until her death. The late Victorian-era cottage retains its Eastlake style ornamentation in the fine milled-wood detailing and pyramidal roof with crowned deck. It stands as one of the best examples of its style in the city. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1989