Wade and Mamie Irvin House

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'm just the one passin' it along. Picture a Houston summer, 1927, and a house rising up out of the Texas heat like something conjured from old Spain and the courts of the Moors. That's the Wade and Mamie Irvin House, and the man who drew it up was Joseph Finger, one of Houston's most prominent architects.

Finger didn't do anything halfway, and this house was no exception. Spanish Colonial Revival all the way, with stucco walls, a tile roof, decorative metalwork, tile panels, and a Moorish arch motif woven through the whole design. You look at it and you know somebody meant business.

Somebody with taste, and money, and something to prove. That somebody was Wade Irvin, born in 1872, and his wife Mamie, born in 1878. Wade was a Houston business leader of the first order.

He and Mamie owned a number of companies between them, and Wade was the founder and president of Citizens State Bank. These were not people who did things small. They built this house as a summer home, which already tells you something.

When most folks were trying to survive a Texas summer, the Irvins were entertaining lavishly at a private retreat they'd had purpose-built by one of the city's finest architects. And entertaining is the right word. The Irvins were known for lavish entertaining, the kind that people talked about.

But here's the detail that tends to stop folks cold when they hear it: on the grounds of this very home, Wade and Mamie maintained a private zoo. A zoo. On their summer property.

No further explanation offered, and honestly, none needed. Wade Irvin passed in 1941. Mamie followed in 1957.

The house they built together still stands, all stucco and tile and Moorish arches, keeping its secrets and its stories right there in Harris County. Some summers leave a mark that lasts a good while longer than the season.

What the marker says

Designed by prominent Houston architect Joseph Finger, this house was built in 1927 as the summer home of Houston business leaders Wade (1872-1941) and Mamie (1878-1957) Irvin. They owned a number of companies, and Wade was the founder and president of Citizens State Bank. The Irvins were known for lavish entertaining and maintained a private zoo on the grounds of this home. Outstanding features of the Spanish Colonial Revival style house include a combination of stucco wall finishes, tile roof, decorative metal work and tile panel, and a Moorish arch motif. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1991