W. H. Stark House facts for kids
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W. H. Stark House
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Stark House in 2006
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 W. H. Stark House
Location in Texas
W. H. Stark House
Location in the United States
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| Location | 611 W. Green Ave., Orange, Texas |
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| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Built | 1894 |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne, Queen Anne-Eastlake |
| NRHP reference No. | 76002056 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | December 12, 1976 |
The W.H. Stark House is a beautiful, old Victorian home in Orange, Texas. It's been completely restored and looks just like it did long ago. This huge house, about 14,000-square-foot (1,300 m2), is a special place where a family lived and collected amazing things.
Contents
A Look Back at the Stark Family Home
Who Lived Here?
The W.H. Stark House was once the home of William Henry and Miriam Lutcher Stark. They spent their lives collecting many rare and special items. Miriam Lutcher moved to Orange in the late 1870s with her parents, Henry Jacob Lutcher and Frances Ann Lutcher.
Miriam's father, Henry Jacob Lutcher, was a co-owner of the Lutcher and Moore Lumber Company. He and his wife, Frances, started a tradition of giving back to the community. This tradition still helps the Orange community today.
The Stark Family's Story
In 1881, Miriam M. Lutcher married William Henry Stark. He became very successful in banking, oil, rice, insurance, and the local timber business. They moved into their new home in 1894 and lived there until 1936. They loved collecting unique objects.
Their son, H.J. Lutcher Stark, grew up seeing his parents' dedication to helping others and supporting the arts. When the Stark family moved into their house, William Henry was 43, Miriam was 35, and their son Lutcher was 7. They were the only family to ever live in the house.
Restoring a Historic Home
After William Henry and Miriam Stark passed away in 1936, Lutcher Stark closed the house. It stayed empty until 1970, when work began to restore it. The restoration took ten years, making the house look just as it did in 1894. On February 10, 1981, the house opened as a museum for people to visit.
Inside the W.H. Stark House
Victorian Style and Design
Construction on the W.H. Stark House started on June 29, 1893, and finished in 1894. The house is built in the Queen Anne architectural style. This style often features long, sloping roofs, balconies on the second floor, tall chimneys, wide porches, and round or octagonal towers.
Building Materials and Structure
The ceilings inside the house are very high. The first floor has 12 feet (3.7 m) high ceilings, the second floor has 11 feet (3.4 m) high ceilings, and the third floor has 10+1⁄2 feet (3.2 m) high ceilings. The outside walls are ten inches (25 cm) thick and have two layers of special storm sheeting. The inside double walls are sixteen inches (41 cm) thick.
The house has three stories, and the first two floors have similar layouts. It also has a concrete basement, which was very unusual for Southeast Texas at the time. Cypress wood was chosen as the main building material because of the damp weather in the area. Longleaf yellow pine was used for the detailed designs. All the wood for the house came from the Lutcher and Moore Lumber Mills.
Treasures and Collections
Today, this 14,000-square-foot (1,300 m2) home is decorated much like it was in the 1920s. It has fifteen rooms across three stories, filled with the family's original furniture, carpets, silver, old porcelains, and beautiful cut glass.
The ceiling in the Music Room has a special oil painting on canvas by artist E. Theo Behr. It shows a scene with cherubs. The house also holds many unique items. These include a one-of-a-kind sterling silver tea set from the Gorham Manufacturing Company and a rare copy of the Napoleon death mask. There are also many other decorative silver and china pieces.
The W.H. Stark House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is also recognized as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark by the Texas Historical Commission.
The Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation
The W.H. Stark House is owned and managed by the Nelda C. and H.J. Lutcher Stark Foundation. This is a private, non-profit organization started in 1961 in Orange, Texas. Its goal is to improve life in Southeast Texas by supporting education, the arts, and health services.
The Foundation achieves its mission through several programs:
- The Stark Museum of Art
- The W.H. Stark House
- Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center
- Lutcher Theater
These programs offer the community wonderful places to learn about and enjoy art, history, nature, and culture.
See also
