Restored Bell House now open to the public
Published June 12, 2012
TEXAS CITY — Amid smiles, handshakes and congratulations, the public got its first look at the fully restored historic Bell House in Texas City.
The home, built in 1887, is at the heart of the nationally recognized historic district known as The 1867 Settlement. While the home at 117 South Bell Drive is fully restored, it had fallen in to disrepair and had been closed to the public for years.
On Friday, Texas City Mayor Matt Doyle was joined by the mayors of neighboring La Marque and Santa Fe, other city and education leaders, members of The 1867 Settlement Historical Preservation Committee and area residents for a tour of the house.
The house was restored from the exterior paint to the cedar shake roof and front porch.
DSW Homes of Galveston, one of the builders participating in a program that takes federal money and builds new homes to replace those destroyed by Hurricane Ike, did the work on the house for free.
Steve Mataro, one of the partners with the company, said the company’s participation started when he and the company’s other owner, Jim Schumer, asked Doyle if there was some way the company could give back to the community.
“The mayor said, ‘I got one for you,’” Mataro said.
The company worked on the Bell House for three months and spent about $80,000 on the project, Mataro said.
While the original scope of the project was to repair the outside of the house, the company restored the interior as well.
“It’s an important treasure to the community,” Mataro said. “We couldn’t bear not to leave it right.”
The Bell House sits in the middle of a community established at the start of Reconstruction by African-American cowboys. They were former slaves who made enough money on the Chisholm Trail to buy land, build houses and raise families.
Mataro told the crowd it was an honor for the company to be involved.
“Our hearts are in it,” he said. “We wanted to be able to give as much as we could to the community.”
Doyle visited the house once or twice a week while it was being worked on.
“We can’t thank DSW (Homes of Galveston) enough,” he said. “The house just turned out perfect.”
Doyle was not alone in praising the restoration work. Sam Collins III, a member of the board of advisers for the National Trust for Historic Preservation and a member of the Texas Historical Commission’s state board of review, had been worried about the historical accuracy of the work.
But on Friday, Collins admitted he was impressed with how the house looks.
“I’m thankful that DSW donated their services, and I think Texas City should be proud of the effort to preserve the history,” Collins said.
And the house is ready for visitors just in time for this year’s Juneteenth celebration. A bus tour starting in Galveston will visit the historic Stringfellow Orchards in Hitchcock, followed by a stop and tour of the Bell House. While the bus tour is sold out, people can visit both sites by car. Admission is $10 for the two sites.
Vera Bell-Gary, whose grandfather, Frank Bell Sr., built the Bell House, said she could not be happier with how the house looks.
“I’m just so elated over this,” Bell-Gary said.
Bell-Gary is part of The 1867 Settlement Historical Preservation Committee, and she, like many others in the community, has worked for years to bring attention and improvements to the house and district.
“This is one of things that I dreamed of,” Bell-Gary said. “It really came true. It came true, and we are going to carry on this tradition.”
The home, built in 1887, is at the heart of the nationally recognized historic district known as The 1867 Settlement. While the home at 117 South Bell Drive is fully restored, it had fallen in to disrepair and had been closed to the public for years.
On Friday, Texas City Mayor Matt Doyle was joined by the mayors of neighboring La Marque and Santa Fe, other city and education leaders, members of The 1867 Settlement Historical Preservation Committee and area residents for a tour of the house.
The house was restored from the exterior paint to the cedar shake roof and front porch.
DSW Homes of Galveston, one of the builders participating in a program that takes federal money and builds new homes to replace those destroyed by Hurricane Ike, did the work on the house for free.
Steve Mataro, one of the partners with the company, said the company’s participation started when he and the company’s other owner, Jim Schumer, asked Doyle if there was some way the company could give back to the community.
“The mayor said, ‘I got one for you,’” Mataro said.
The company worked on the Bell House for three months and spent about $80,000 on the project, Mataro said.
While the original scope of the project was to repair the outside of the house, the company restored the interior as well.
“It’s an important treasure to the community,” Mataro said. “We couldn’t bear not to leave it right.”
The Bell House sits in the middle of a community established at the start of Reconstruction by African-American cowboys. They were former slaves who made enough money on the Chisholm Trail to buy land, build houses and raise families.
Mataro told the crowd it was an honor for the company to be involved.
“Our hearts are in it,” he said. “We wanted to be able to give as much as we could to the community.”
Doyle visited the house once or twice a week while it was being worked on.
“We can’t thank DSW (Homes of Galveston) enough,” he said. “The house just turned out perfect.”
Doyle was not alone in praising the restoration work. Sam Collins III, a member of the board of advisers for the National Trust for Historic Preservation and a member of the Texas Historical Commission’s state board of review, had been worried about the historical accuracy of the work.
But on Friday, Collins admitted he was impressed with how the house looks.
“I’m thankful that DSW donated their services, and I think Texas City should be proud of the effort to preserve the history,” Collins said.
And the house is ready for visitors just in time for this year’s Juneteenth celebration. A bus tour starting in Galveston will visit the historic Stringfellow Orchards in Hitchcock, followed by a stop and tour of the Bell House. While the bus tour is sold out, people can visit both sites by car. Admission is $10 for the two sites.
Vera Bell-Gary, whose grandfather, Frank Bell Sr., built the Bell House, said she could not be happier with how the house looks.
“I’m just so elated over this,” Bell-Gary said.
Bell-Gary is part of The 1867 Settlement Historical Preservation Committee, and she, like many others in the community, has worked for years to bring attention and improvements to the house and district.
“This is one of things that I dreamed of,” Bell-Gary said. “It really came true. It came true, and we are going to carry on this tradition.”
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