William and Adele Skinner House

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the William and Adele Skinner House in Galveston County. Now settle in, because this is a house worth talking about. In 1895, a local banker by the name of William Cooke Skinner bought a parcel of land with one purpose in mind: a home for his young family.

His wife, Adele Preston Skinner, was right there alongside him in that vision. And when you decide to build a family home, the next question is who do you trust to design the thing. Well, the Skinners had an answer for that.

They brought in Charles William Bulger, a noted Texas architect, and the man did not disappoint. Bulger turned in a two-story Queen Anne-style home, completed in 1896, and by all accounts it stands as one of his more ornate residential designs. Now that's saying something.

The front of the house comes at you with two gables rising up proud, a gallery that wraps itself around the southwest corner like it's trying to keep the whole street company, and a distinctive tripartite bay window that gives the facade a kind of bold, layered presence. Then there are the windows themselves, irregularly spaced in that asymmetrical way that Queen Anne style practically demands, and most of them, most of them, still carry their original historic wooden shutters. That's over a century of Galveston weather, and those shutters are still on the job.

Step inside and the story keeps going. The interior ornamental trim is still there. The stained glass in the stairwell is still there, catching light the same way it did when the Skinners first walked through the door.

William Cooke Skinner was born in 1870 and lived until 1953. Adele Preston Skinner was born in 1874 and lived until 1966. The house they chose to build together in 1895 is still standing right where Bulger left it.

Some houses just decide they're not going anywhere.

What the marker says

In 1895, local banker William Cooke Skinner (1870-1953) and his wife, Adele (Preston) Skinner (1874-1966), bought this parcel for a home for their young family. Charles William Bulger (1851-1922), noted Texas architect, designed the two-story Queen Anne-style home, which was completed in 1896 and remains one of his more ornate residential designs. The primary façade features two gables, a gallery that wraps around the southwest corner, and a distinctive tripartite bay window. Most of the irregularly spaced windows, characteristic of Queen Anne style asymmetry, retain their historic wooden shutters. Other surviving original elements are the interior ornamental trim and stained glass in the stairwell. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2017