Sparks House

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Sparks House in Travis County. Now, some houses just sit there. This one announces itself.

Built in 1927 for former state treasurer Sam Sparks and his wife, Bertha May, known to everyone as Polly, Jones Mulkey Sparks, this place was not put together quietly. The Sparks house went up in one of Austin's oldest neighborhoods, a stretch called Judges Hill, so named for the concentration of judges who resided in the area back in the nineteenth century. You get the picture.

This was a neighborhood that had seen serious people come and go for a long time before Sam and Polly ever moved in. And when they did move in, they moved in with some style. The architects were Page Brothers, an Austin-based firm with a long list of credits behind them, homes, schools, and the 1930 Travis County courthouse among them.

For the Sparks house, they reached for Spanish eclectic design, and they did not hold back. The materials alone tell you something. Brick.

Limestone. Cast concrete. Tile.

These are not the choices of people in a hurry. And then there are the details that make you stop and look twice. An elaborate bas-relief around the front windows.

Multiple arched doorways. A decorative fan above the north entry. Stone sills.

And weigl ironwork running through it all like a signature. Every one of those touches was a decision, a deliberate choice to make something worth looking at for a long, long time. Judges Hill has had its share of serious residents over the years.

But the Sparks house, built in 1927 and still standing proud, makes sure nobody drives past without noticing that something special happened on this lot.

What the marker says

The Sparks house was built in 1927 for former state treasurer Sam Sparks and his wife, Bertha May "Polly" Jones Mulkey Sparks. Austin-based firm Page Brothers, architects of many homes, schools and the 1930 Travis county courthouse, designed this house in Spanish eclectic style. It was built in one of Austin's oldest neighborhoods, Judges Hill, so named for the concentration of judges in the nineteenth century who resided in the area. The house was built of brick, limestone, cast concrete and tile. Features of note include an elaborate bas-relief around the front windows, multiple arched doorways, a decorative fan above the north entry, stone sills, and weigl ironwork. RECORDED TEXAS HISTORIC LANDMARK - 2016