W. H. Stark House
Encyclopedia
The W. H. Stark House is a fully restored, 14000 square feet (1,300.6 m²) Victorian home located on the corner between Green Avenue and Sixth Street in Orange, Texas
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and Miriam Lutcher Stark, who spent a lifetime collecting rare and unique decorative objects. Miriam Melissa Lutcher Stark moved to Orange with her parents, Henry Jacob Lutcher and Frances Ann Lutcher, in the late 1870s. As co-owner of the Lutcher and Moore Lumber Company, Henry Jacob Lutcher, along with his wife, began the philanthropic dynasty that continues to benefit the Orange community today.
In 1881 Miriam M. Lutcher married William Henry Stark, who made his fortune in banking, oil, rice, insurance, and the timber industry. They moved into their home in 1894 and occupied it until 1936. They were passionate collectors and instilled in their son, H. J. Lutcher Stark, a lifetime dedication to philanthropy and the arts.
When the Stark family moved into their new home, W. H. Stark was forty-three, Miriam was thirty-five, and their son Lutcher was seven. They were the only family to inhabit the house. When W. H. and Miriam Stark died in 1936, Lutcher Stark closed the house, which remained vacant until 1970 when restoration began. Restoration continued for ten years until the house was opened to the public for tours on February 10, 1981.
architectural style, which is characterized by long sloping roofs, second floor balconies, Jacobean chimneys, wide verandas, and octagonal or round towers.
Interior ceilings are 12 feet (3.7 m) high on the first floor, 11 feet (3.4 m) high on the second floor, and 10 ½ feet (3.2 m) high on the third floor. Exterior walls are ten inches (25 cm) thick with two layers of diagonal storm sheeting. Interior double walls are sixteen inches (41 cm) thick. The floor plan is duplicated on two of the three stories and includes a concrete basement, which is unique in Southeast Texas.
Cypress was chosen as the basic material for the structure of the W. H. Stark House because of the damp conditions in the area. Longleaf yellow pine was used for the intricate design work. Turned pieces were formed on a foot-operated machine lathe, and each board had to be cut and measured for a precise fit. All framework was selected from the Lutcher and Moore Lumber Mills.
The 14000 square feet (1,300.6 m²) home appears much as it did in the 1920s with fifteen rooms and three stories of original family furniture, carpets, silver, antique porcelains, and American Brilliant Period cut glass. The ceiling in the Music Room is oil painted on canvas by artist E. Theo Behr and features an allegorical scene with cherubs. The house also holds many unique objects, including a one-of-a-kind sterling silver Gorham Manufacturing Company
tea service in the Louis XVI style, a rare copy of the Napoleon death mask, and decorative silver and china.
The W. H. Stark House is listed in the National Register of Historic Places
and is designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark by the Texas Historical Commission
.
, the W. H. Stark House, Lutcher Theater
, and Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center
. These programs offer the community a rich resource for study and enjoyment of the arts, history, and nature.
Orange, Texas
Orange is a city in Orange County, Texas, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 18,643. It is the county seat of Orange County, and is the easternmost city in Texas. Located on the Sabine River at the border with Louisiana, it is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur...
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History
The W. H. Stark House was home to William HenryWilliam Henry Stark
William Henry Stark was an industrial leader whose contributions helped the city of Orange, Texas develop financially. Stark was the president of the Lutcher Moore Cypress Lumber Company of Lutcher, Louisiana....
and Miriam Lutcher Stark, who spent a lifetime collecting rare and unique decorative objects. Miriam Melissa Lutcher Stark moved to Orange with her parents, Henry Jacob Lutcher and Frances Ann Lutcher, in the late 1870s. As co-owner of the Lutcher and Moore Lumber Company, Henry Jacob Lutcher, along with his wife, began the philanthropic dynasty that continues to benefit the Orange community today.
In 1881 Miriam M. Lutcher married William Henry Stark, who made his fortune in banking, oil, rice, insurance, and the timber industry. They moved into their home in 1894 and occupied it until 1936. They were passionate collectors and instilled in their son, H. J. Lutcher Stark, a lifetime dedication to philanthropy and the arts.
When the Stark family moved into their new home, W. H. Stark was forty-three, Miriam was thirty-five, and their son Lutcher was seven. They were the only family to inhabit the house. When W. H. and Miriam Stark died in 1936, Lutcher Stark closed the house, which remained vacant until 1970 when restoration began. Restoration continued for ten years until the house was opened to the public for tours on February 10, 1981.
Architecture and Decorative Highlights
Construction on the W. H. Stark House began on June 29, 1893, with completion in 1894. The house is classified in the Queen AnneQueen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
architectural style, which is characterized by long sloping roofs, second floor balconies, Jacobean chimneys, wide verandas, and octagonal or round towers.
Interior ceilings are 12 feet (3.7 m) high on the first floor, 11 feet (3.4 m) high on the second floor, and 10 ½ feet (3.2 m) high on the third floor. Exterior walls are ten inches (25 cm) thick with two layers of diagonal storm sheeting. Interior double walls are sixteen inches (41 cm) thick. The floor plan is duplicated on two of the three stories and includes a concrete basement, which is unique in Southeast Texas.
Cypress was chosen as the basic material for the structure of the W. H. Stark House because of the damp conditions in the area. Longleaf yellow pine was used for the intricate design work. Turned pieces were formed on a foot-operated machine lathe, and each board had to be cut and measured for a precise fit. All framework was selected from the Lutcher and Moore Lumber Mills.
The 14000 square feet (1,300.6 m²) home appears much as it did in the 1920s with fifteen rooms and three stories of original family furniture, carpets, silver, antique porcelains, and American Brilliant Period cut glass. The ceiling in the Music Room is oil painted on canvas by artist E. Theo Behr and features an allegorical scene with cherubs. The house also holds many unique objects, including a one-of-a-kind sterling silver Gorham Manufacturing Company
Gorham Manufacturing Company
The Gorham Manufacturing Company is an American manufacturer of sterling and silverplate.-History:Gorham Silver was founded in Providence, Rhode Island 1831 by Jabez Gorham, a master craftsman, in partnership with Henry L. Webster. The firm's chief product was spoons of coin silver. The company...
tea service in the Louis XVI style, a rare copy of the Napoleon death mask, and decorative silver and china.
The W. H. Stark House is listed in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
and is designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark by the Texas Historical Commission
Texas Historical Commission
The Texas Historical Commission is an agency dedicated to historic preservation within the state of Texas. It administers the National Register of Historic Places for sites in Texas....
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The Nelda C. and H. J. Lutcher Stark Foundation
The W. H. Stark House is owned and operated by the Nelda C. and H. J. Lutcher Stark Foundation, a private, non-profit foundation established in 1961 in Orange, Texas. It aims to improve the quality of life in Southeast Texas by encouraging, promoting, and assisting education, the arts, and health and human services. It carries out its mission through the Stark Museum of ArtStark Museum of Art
The Stark Museum of Art, in Orange, Texas, houses one of the nation’s most significant collections of American Western art. The Western Art collection conveys the artistic interpretation of the western region over two centuries....
, the W. H. Stark House, Lutcher Theater
Lutcher Theater
Lutcher Theater is a 1,450-seat, non-profit performing arts facility located at 707 Main Street in Orange, Texas. It is the largest Performing Arts Series from Houston, Texas, to New Orleans, Louisiana, with annual attendance at approximately 30,000 adults and children.-Features:The six-story...
, and Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center
Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center
Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center are private botanical gardens and a nature preserve located in the center of Orange, Texas....
. These programs offer the community a rich resource for study and enjoyment of the arts, history, and nature.