Warren House Terrell,Texas

The Warren house has undergone a complete 14-month top-to-bottom restoration.  Built between 1897 and 1904 by Robert Lee Warren, this Colonial Revival-Prairie School-style mansion had fallen into disrepair. The current owners are lovers of old houses who felt the house needed a complete restoration to save one of Terrell’s and Texas’s unique historical architectural properties.  

The house is currently a single-family residence. Even so, it would serve well for special occasion meetings or as a movie set. We would be pleased to discuss the possibilities. 

In the coming months, we will add more information about the house's history, additional pictures, restoration details, and other relevant information to this website.

The house initially had a Music room (now a downstairs bedroom); the lady's Parlor remains, and the gentlemen’s parlor is now the Library. I left the baseboard trim behind the cabinets in the library if anyone wants to return to the original room. 

Each room has architectural and special features that make it unique. For example, the Library has a beamed ceiling, a large fireplace, a ceiling height of eleven feet, 8 ft X 8 ft pocket doors, two built-in seating-storage areas, and a large picture window with leaded glass. We also added custom bookcases. Every room has similar design features, including hallways and bathrooms.

During the restoration, many long-standing condition issues were addressed, such as water accumulation in the basement, the attic being open to pests and creatures around the frieze, the cellar being open to pests and other creatures via the crawl space, and no screened chimney caps to keep rain and flying creatures from nesting. There was no sink in the downstairs half bath, no convenient washer-dryer connection, and a lack of a pantry. There were no handrails; we installed them in six locations, 3-interior staircases, and all exterior porches except the front for historical reasons. We kept all the original windows, ceilings, doors, locks, and woodwork that we could. 

This home is 120 years old (built 1897-1904); it has the character of a grand old lady who has seen all those 120+ years. Some windows are not operatable, and some doors do have a mind of their own. A glass marble laid on the floor may not stand still. The front clear stained glass is original, and we left it alone, though some attention wouldn't hurt. We cannot attest to the validity of rumors of ghosts, but then again, the rumors entertain children and make for a lively conversation. This home has many unique characteristics and features that add to its charm. For such a large home, it is a very livable floor plan and feels comfortable.

We hope we have set this grand structure on a better course for the next 100 years, and we know the improvements will make the home more enjoyable.