 |
|
|
Relocation and Reconstruction of the
Inglish Residence
Alfred Giles, a London architect who came to San Antonio in the 1870's designed the Vance Ranch House.
The house was constructed on a ranch outside of San Antonio in 1888. Over the years, the house always passed through the hands of the Vance Gillespie family. Many of the original pieces of furniture and fixtures had also survived from the earlier time. San Antonio's growth surrounded the ranch many years ago. The house was suffering from its age and required major structural repairs when one of the Gillespie daughters, Claire Inglish, decide that she would take on the responsibility for its future by moving it outside of the city. Property on the Guadalupe River was purchased as the house's new home.
The home had been remodeled in the earlier part of this century. Its original dark Victorian finishes were replaced by light tones reflecting the Classical revival tastes of Mrs. Gillespie. Mrs. Inglish decided to keep the style of her grandmother's remodeling and to finish the home in light colors while reusing many of its antiques.
Fisher Heck was hired to see that the house was properly dismantled and that the essential historic fabric was salvaged for reuse. The first step was to document the existing conditions through a set of record drawings, and these were turned into drawings that were used to dismantle the house. Next, a design process established how the house would be reused. Finally, a set of construction documents was developed for the reconstruction of the house, and the building of new improvements to make the home usable into the future.
The location of the house is in a relatively flat clearing overlooking the floodplain of the river. The wraparound porch will once again face down a hillside where cattle graze and Texas wild flowers bloom.
Boerne, Texas
Client: Mrs. Claire Inglish
Completed: 2006
Construction budget: DND
|
|
