President's House

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the President's House in Hunt County. Now, some buildings just sit there. They hold their ground, collect a little dust, and let the years wash over them without much fuss.

And then there are buildings like this one, buildings that keep finding new purpose every time the world moves on without them. This is that kind of story. Back in 1927, two Greenville architects, George Lindsey and Roy Kilmer, put their heads together and designed what would become the President's House.

The land itself came from Daniel and Annie Bachman, and what went up on that ground was something worth noticing. Not flashy, mind you. The marker calls it an understated adaptation of Georgian revival style, and that word, understated, is doing a lot of work there.

Dark red brick, white trim, simple classical details. The kind of place that carries itself with quiet dignity, the way a good Texan tends to do. No need to holler about it.

It spoke for itself. Now, a house called the President's House carries a certain weight of expectation, and this one held that title for decades. Then 1968 rolled around, a new president's house was built, and this old girl got reassigned.

She became offices. Not exactly a graceful transition, but she endured it. Then came 1995, and somebody looked at this building and decided it deserved better.

They renamed it Heritage House, and they restored it, all the way back to its 1930s appearance, so it could serve as a heritage center. The house that started as a quiet, dignified home, became an office, became a landmark worth preserving. Some things just refuse to be forgotten.

What the marker says

Designed by Greenville architects George Lindsey and Roy Kilmer in 1927, the President's House was built on land purchased from Daniel and Annie Bachman. The house exhibits an understated adaptation of Georgian revival style elements in its dark red brick and white trim with simple classical details. After the construction of a new president's house in 1968, the house served as offices. In 1995, the home was renamed "Heritage House" and restored to its 1930s appearance for use as a heritage center. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1997