Preservation Houston event held at historic Broadacres home

Directors, advisory board members and guests of Preservation Houston assembled at the historic Gilmer House, 1318 North Blvd., on July 13 for a home tour and presentation by noted architectural historian Stephen Fox.

Preservation Houston was invited to hold the event by Katherine Warren with Martha Turner Sotheby’s International Realty, listing agent for the Broadacres home.

The Spanish Revivalstyle house was completed in 1926 by the architect William Ward Watkin for Brian B. Gilmer, founder of the Southern Drug Company. The home’s most recent owner was the late Mickey Rosmarin, founder of Tootsie’s.

Fox said the Gilmer House was the only Watkin-designed home in Broadacres subdivision and was significant for the architect’s superb interpretation of Spanish Mediterranean-style architecture.

A prolific architect, Watkin designed the Rice campus plan and initial buildings, and was founding dean of the school of architecture.

He collaborated on the designs of Trinity Episcopal Church, Autry House, and what is now the Julia Ideson Building of the Houston Public Library. He was the designing architect for the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; the campus plan and initial buildings of Texas Tech University; the Weiss and Heitmann houses in Shadyside; the Graves House in Shadowlawn; Cohen House, Rice’s faculty club; and Palmer Episcopal Church.

Watkin was also the planning architect for several early Houston subdivisions, most notably Southampton and Broadacres, both of which are now City of Houston historic districts.

Photo courtesy of Jeff Fitlow Among those at the event were, from left, David Bush, acting executive director of Preservation Houston; Deborah Keyser, president of Preservation Houston; John Cryer, immediate past president; Katherine Warren of Martha Turner Sotheby’s International...