DUANE
Duane's take
The way the official marker tells it, here's the story of the Percy Herman House. Now, McAllen didn't just happen. It took people — the right people, at the right time, with the nerve to bet everything on a stretch of South Texas.
Percy Herman was one of those people. Born in Fort Dodge, Iowa, back in 1884, Herman wasn't a Texan by birth — but he sure became one by deed. In 1910, he married Stella H.
Lazarus, and before long, he had his family packed up and pointed south. He opened stores across various South Texas towns, working his way through the valley until, in 1916, he and his family settled in McAllen and opened the valley mercantile store. The Hermans prospered.
They became widely successful, and they were considered one of the first Jewish families in McAllen — putting down roots in a place still finding its own footing. By 1933, Percy Herman had done well enough to build himself a proper home. And he wasn't about to settle for ordinary.
He hired Edwin W. Byers — a man born in 1896 who had designed buildings across the country — to draw it up. What Byers delivered was something McAllen hadn't quite seen before: Spanish eclectic style, an asymmetrical floor plan, two facades sitting bold on a corner lot.
Stucco on the outside, clay roof tiles on top, wrought-iron fixtures catching the South Texas light, and cast concrete decorative elements worked into every turn. Percy Herman lived until 1967, long enough to see the city he'd helped build grow up around that house. The building still stands on that corner — two facades, no apologies — a quiet monument to a man who came a long way from Fort Dodge to leave his mark on the valley.
What the marker says
This house was built in 1933 for Percy Herman (1884-1967), a major influence in the development of McAllen. Herman was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa, and in 1910, he married Stella H. Lazarus. Herman soon moved his family to Texas where he opened stores across various South Texas towns. He and his family finally settled in McAllen, opening the valley mercantile store in 1916. The Hermans became widely successful and were considered one of the first Jewish families in McAllen. Percy Herman hired Edwin W. Byers (1896-1957), who had designed buildings across the country, to design this home. Its Spanish eclectic style with an asymmetrical floor plan features two facades on a corner lot, a stucco exterior and clay roof tiles. Wrought-iron fixtures and cast concrete decorative elements add to the home’s design and style.