MISSION, Texas (AP) - Tucked away in the north part of the city, a quaint two-story house holds tales of the history of Mission and of the man who built it.
The Monitor (https://bit.ly/2fy9L96 ) reports the Bryan House, named after former Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan, was built in 1909.
Much of the history of the house has been forgotten by locals but owner Ariel King is determined to keep that history alive.
King and her husband purchased the property in 2014 and converted it into a bed and breakfast and an event center.
“When people come here, the first thing they say is, ’Oh my gosh, I don’t feel like I’m in the Valley’ because they’re not used to seeing old houses anymore,” King said. “There’s a handful left but no one’s done anything with them, I think.”
Bryan, who unsuccessfully ran for president three times and later became secretary of state under Woodrow Wilson, had the house built as a winter home for his family.
He sold the property in 1915 to the Council family. The house stayed within the family over many generations until 1989 when it was sold to Jane and Gerald Wilson in 1989.
King lives just down the road from the house, located on the corner of Bryan and Mile 2 Road, so she knew right away when the house was up for sale.
She and her husband purchased the house in December 2014 and began the restorations around March 2015. King said they worked around the clock for about seven months just on the house itself. Then she worked on acquiring furniture and after that, started work on the outside.
“It’s a journey. It’s not like I came in and I was like ’Oh I’m going to do this, this, this and this,’” she said. “It’s just taking the time to absorb it and recognize the potential and not trying to just come in and do it so fast that I miss out on opportunities to not recognize the needs, not only of the customers but also of the habitat.”
King received $10,000 through Ruby Red Ventures, a program run by the Mission Economic Development Corporation.
With the funds she created an additional exit, built a small garden, created an outdoor kitchen out of an old shed, and repaired the driveway.
“I have to think about the whole lot and work with what’s on here so that it helps tell the story of not only Bryan, but the house and early Mission,” she said. “And that’s my goal with this.”
In renovating the house, King said she tried to identify interesting architectural features of the home and work with that to create the personality of the room.
A lot of work also went into the basement, which she said was used by the previous owner as a man-cave.
She had to tear off the old, gray carpet, scrap off the popcorn finish and waterproof the walls.
King said she hopes the room will serve as an extension for events that she hopes to hold at the house.
In January, she will hold event to help promote the city’s citrus parade and said she wants to have reels of the history of the parade displayed on the walls of the basement.
“Once a month, I want to do something that allows the public to come in and see the space,” she said. “It’s my way to contribute back to the community.”
For private events like weddings, couples can rent out the entire house and stay overnight.
The house has two bedrooms, one upstairs and one downstairs, and three bathrooms, which she said required the most work because their layouts were so off.
But the most important thing the house required was knowledge of the history, according to King.
Before she began work, she said she did research on its history to make sure she maintained its historical significance.
“The trouble with old houses is that you don’t know what you’re going to find,” she said.
“It’s kind of like being on a scavenger hunt, really, this whole process for me has been a scavenger hunt.”
King said she hopes that people in the community who have old photos of the house or Bryan would be willing to share copies with her so she can hang them in the house. Though, she said she has been able to find photographs on online and estate sales.
“I’m just having to pound the pavement to find items that are relevant,” said.
“When we started this restoration, people were really curious and have been very supportive because everyone likes to see an old house get rescued,” she said. “I mean that’s just something that tugs on our heartstrings because we have so few places down here that we can really take people to.”
King lamented the recent demolition of the McAllen Civic Center.
“But to get them to think outside the box is a little tricky,” she said. “Rather than seeing these things as burdens, we need to see this as opportunity.”
“It would’ve been a lot easier for my husband and I to have sold this house or to rent it out to a family or an attorney or a doctor,” King said. “We’re trying to do something that opens up the house to the public and uses it as a tool of education and that saves the house but also gives back to the community.
“It hasn’t been an easy thing but it’s been fun,” she said. “It’s been a lot of fun.”
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Information from: The Monitor, https://www.themonitor.com
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