DUANE
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Duane's take
The way I tell it, I'm following the official marker on the Robert Cyrus Allen Home in Robertson County, so let's get into it. Now, when a man decides to build a Victorian residence as a wedding present for his bride, you can be pretty sure he's not thinking small. Robert Cyrus Allen was born in 1871, and by the time 1900 rolled around, he had something to prove, or maybe something to give.
He had this home built that very year, a gift for his bride Florence Blair. Just think about that for a moment. Not a ring, not a parcel of land.
A whole Victorian house. And Allen was the kind of man who could pull that off. He was a prominent merchant, a banker, a civic leader in the area.
He served as mayor of the city. And if that weren't enough, he was instrumental in the organization of the Hearne and Brazos Valley Railroad. The man had range.
The house itself went up on the site of his family home, which gives it a certain weight, a certain rootedness. And he didn't hire just anybody to design it. He brought in W.
W. Larmour, a noted architect out of Waco, and Larmour delivered. The exterior shows off decorative shingling and classical revival detailing.
Step inside and you find intricate woodwork running throughout, and seven fireplaces. Seven. That house was built to be felt.
The name carved on the base says Hearnewood, and it has been preserved by Jack and Norma Holloway, which means this gift Allen built for Florence is still standing, still telling its story. Robert Cyrus Allen died in 1933. The house outlasted him.
Some presents have a way of doing that.
What the marker says
(1871-1933) Had this Victorian residence built in 1900 as a wedding present for his bride Florence (Blair). A prominent area merchant, banker, and civic leader, Allen also served as mayor of the city and was instrumental in the organization of the Hearne and Brazos Valley Railroad. This house, constructed on the site of his family home, was designed by the noted Waco architect W. W. Larmour. The exterior features decorative shingling and classical revival detailing. Interior furnishings include intricate woodwork and seven fireplaces. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1981 Incise on base: Hearnewood - Preserved by Jack and Norma Holloway