Victoria in Victoria County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
J. Meredith Tatton House
Photographed by Jim Evans, October 24, 2019
1. J. Meredith Tatton House Marker
Inscription.
J. Meredith Tatton House. . J. Meredith Tatton (1901-1970), conservationist, composer, cattleman, and writer, was born in Leek, Staffordshire, England. In 1930, Tatton came to Texas and married Victoria native Virginia Drake Hallinan (1901-1993), a great-granddaughter of legendary cattleman Thomas OConnor. The couple lived in England from 1932-36 before returning to make Victoria their home; they had one son. The Tattons had extensive area ranching interests. “Jack” Tatton was also a director of Victoria Bank and Trust Co., a director of the National Quarter Horse Breeders Association, a trustee of Our Lady of the Lake College (San Antonio), a senator of the University of St. Thomas (Houston), and president of the South Texas Historical Association., Noted architect John F. Staub designed this home for the Tattons in 1936, and it was completed the following year. Staub, a Tennessee native, worked for country house architect Harrie Thomas Lindeberg in New York before relocating in 1921 to Houston, where he soon opened his own practice. Staub was a co-founder of the South Texas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 1924. Staub and his associates designed varied projects, including several university campus buildings, but became best known for single-family houses. In 1933, Joseph Vandenberge hired Staub to remodel the Frederick C. Proctor house; the Tatton house on the same block became his second commission in Victoria. The Colonial Revival and Monterey-style inspired house features brick and frame cladding, second-story bedrooms, study, balcony, and rear porches. William and Lucile Welder Murphy, representing two more notable south Texas cattle ranching families, bought the house in 1949, and it remained in their family until 2005.
J. Meredith Tatton (1901-1970), conservationist, composer, cattleman, and writer, was born in Leek, Staffordshire, England. In 1930, Tatton came to Texas and married Victoria native Virginia Drake Hallinan (1901-1993), a great-granddaughter of legendary cattleman Thomas OConnor. The couple lived in England from 1932-36 before returning to make Victoria their home; they had one son. The Tattons had extensive area ranching interests. “Jack” Tatton was also a director of Victoria Bank & Trust Co., a director of the National Quarter Horse Breeders Association, a trustee of Our Lady of the Lake College (San Antonio), a senator of the University of St. Thomas (Houston), and president of the South Texas Historical Association.
Noted architect John F. Staub designed this home for the Tattons in 1936, and it was completed the following year. Staub, a Tennessee native, worked for country house architect Harrie Thomas Lindeberg in New York before relocating in 1921 to Houston, where he soon opened his own practice. Staub was a co-founder of the South Texas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 1924. Staub and his associates designed varied projects, including several university campus buildings, but became best known for single-family houses. In 1933, Joseph Vandenberge hired Staub to remodel the Frederick C. Proctor house; the Tatton house on the same block became his second commission in Victoria. The Colonial Revival and Monterey-style inspired house features brick and frame cladding, second-story bedrooms, study, balcony, and rear porches. William and Lucile Welder Murphy, representing two more notable south Texas cattle ranching families, bought the house in 1949, and it remained in their family until 2005.
Erected 2011 by Texas Historical Commission. (Marker Number 16919.)
Location. 28° 48.36′ N, 97° 0.552′ W. Marker is in Victoria, Texas, in Victoria County. It is on West North Street west of North Victoria Street, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 601 West North Street, Victoria TX 77901, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the American South and on the Gulf Coast. Globally, it is in North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Republic of Texas, and one of the Confederate States of America.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 23, 2019. It was originally submitted on October 27, 2019, by Jim Evans of Houston, Texas. This page has been viewed 703 times since then and 34 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on October 27, 2019, by Jim Evans of Houston, Texas. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
