The W. A. "Bay" Evans Home

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the W. A. 'Bay' Evans Home in Montgomery County. Now settle in, because this story's got oil money, civic ambition, and one very particular architect behind it.

Back in 1933, a man named Blum E. Hester sat down to draw some plans. Hester was no stranger to grand visions.

This was the same architect who designed the Creighton Theatre, and when William Arthur Evans came calling, Hester brought that same eye for something lasting to the drafting table. What rose from those plans was a residence built in the Renaissance Revival style, a house that had no intention of blending into the background. The man it was built for went by Bay, as in William Arthur 'Bay' Evans, born in 1900.

He and his wife Garnet would call this place home. Now, the timing matters here. Conroe in 1933 was riding the roar of an oil boom, and Bay Evans was right in the thick of it.

He operated the Humble Oil Company Bulk Station, which put him at the center of that particular current of Texas fortune. But Evans didn't stop there. He was a director of the First National Bank.

He served as a city councilman. He was president of the Chamber of Commerce. The man was, by any measure, woven into the fabric of Conroe during one of its most consequential chapters.

Bay Evans passed in 1954, but the house Blum Hester drew up in 1933 still stands as a monument to that era, to that boom, to that particular breed of civic Texan who figured if you were going to build something, you might as well build it to last.

What the marker says

Architect Blum E. Hester, who designed the Creighton Theatre, drew the plans for this house in 1933. Built for William Arthur "Bay" Evans (1900-1954) and his wife Garnet, the residence features elements of the Renaissance Revival style. A leader in Conroe during the city's oil boom period, Evans operated the Humble Oil Co. Bulk Station and was a director of the First National Bank. He also served as a city councilman and Chamber of Commerce president. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1984