Vuylsteke House

Duane's take

The official marker's the word on this one, and here's how Duane tells it. Now, every good story starts somewhere unexpected, and this one starts in Rotterdam, Holland. A man named Adrianus Jacobus Maria Vuylsteke was born there in 1873, and by 1893 he had packed up and immigrated to the United States.

That name alone is worth the price of admission. Somewhere between 1894 and 1896, he made his way to Texas, and he didn't just show up and look around. He helped plat the town of Port Arthur.

Helped draw the lines on the map, if you will. Then in 1898 he married Nettie Minerva White, and the two of them settled right there in Port Arthur. That's where Vuylsteke planted his flag.

He worked as an agent for various shipping lines and as assistant secretary of the American Land and Oil Company. Not a man who sat idle. Then, in 1903, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, by royal decree, appointed him Dutch Vice-Consul in Port Arthur.

Three years later, in 1906, another royal decree elevated him to Dutch Consul. Port Arthur, Texas, with its own Dutch Consul. You can't script that.

Now, in 1905, a house was built for the Vuylsteke family. A man named J. E.

Alexander constructed it in about 75 days. The style was Colonial Revival, and it wore its owner's Dutch heritage openly. A full-width balustraded porch with classical columns.

A pedimented entry bay. Centered dormers. Pilasters at the corners.

The whole thing had a kind of formal elegance that said: someone of standing lives here. But Vuylsteke sold the house in 1908 to a man named John W. Tryon, who would go on to serve as mayor of Port Arthur from 1917 to 1921.

The house changed hands again over the years, and later owners Howard and Olive Fuss did something not everyone would attempt: in 1939 they moved the entire home to its current location. After that, it was remodeled into apartments, and then it gradually deteriorated. It sat vacant.

A house that had once been built in 75 days and appointed by royal decree was quietly fallin apart. Then, in 1980, the Port Arthur College Foundation purchased it, and by 1986 it had been fully restored. Adrianus Jacobus Maria Vuylsteke, born in Rotterdam in 1873, gone by 1912, left behind a house that nearly a century later someone thought worth saving.

Some houses just insist on sticking around.

What the marker says

Born in Rotterdam, Holland, Adrianus Jacobus Maria Vuylsteke (1873-1912) immigrated to the U. S. in 1893. In 1894-96 he moved to Texas and helped plat the town of Port Arthur. Following his marriage to Nettie Minerva White in 1898, they settled in Port Arthur. Vuylsteke was an agent for various shipping lines and assistant secretary of the American Land and Oil Company. In 1903 he was appointed Dutch Vice-Consul in Port Arthur, and Dutch Consul in 1906, both by royal decree of the Netherlands. Built for the Vuylsteke family in 1905, this house was constructed by J. E. Alexander in about 75 days. Reflecting the Dutch heritage of its original owner, the Colonial Revival style house features a full width balustraded porch with classical columns, a pedimented entry bay, centered dormers, and pilasters that articulate the corners of the building. The Vuylstekes sold the house in 1908 to John W. Tryon, mayor of Port Arthur from 1917 to 1921. Subsequent owners Howard and Olive Fuss moved the home in 1939 to this location. Later remodeled into apartments, it gradually deteriorated and was vacant. The home was purchased by the Port Arthur College Foundation in 1980 and restored by 1986. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1996