Per the
Texas Historical Commission Atlas records:
"This large Victorian residence has an asymmetrical plan due to the numerous late 19th century additions and structural changes. Although the original part of the house, built by local architect and builder Marcus P. Munyan, cannot be dated conclusively, it is supposed that it was constructed in the 1850s. This seems reasonable since Munyan bought the property in 1853, and adjacent houses which no longer exist were constructed in the early 1850s during the boom years of Chappell Hill. On May 18, 1866, a tract of land described as Munyan's homestead was sold to J. N. Thompsons, the original structure was a small, modest, four room home of cedar.
After J. R. Routt purchased the small cottage in 1898, it was moved from the front of the lot to the rear and incorporated into the plan of a new and larger Victorian style cottage. Between 1898 and 1900 large rooms were added, including a dining room, living room, a wide central hall, two large bedrooms, and large porches in the front and rear. The builder during this period was J. W. Heartfield, who built many local homes and commercial buildings around the turn-of-the-century. The two red-brick chimneys with corbeled caps, as well as the encircling front porch with late Victorian gingerbread trim, were added during this period.
The structure's south (front) facade is dominated by two projecting bays and an encircling porch featuring turned posts with knobs, scroll brackets, spindle-and spool-like balusters, and spindles along the porch frieze. The most distinguishing feature of the facade is the west champered bay (with clapboard and fish-scale siding) which displays a sunburst pattern and small vergeboard with cutout patterns in the peak of its gable end. Exterior windows feature window heads with a jigsaw pattern. Composition shingles cover the entire gabled roof, while the encircling front gallery has a standing seam metal cover in an unusual ogee configuration.
Interior designs of the ornate mantelpieces, woodwork, and wainscoting in the hall and dining room reflect popular trends in the late 1890s. Ceilings throughout the house measure 11 feet in height, with the exception of the kitchen which is 12 feet. Cedar boards composing the floors of the original room are wide and irregular in size. Other notable features of the interior are wood-paneled double pocket doors, and windows with bull's-eye corner blocks.
Two carved front entrance doors of oak contain transoms, as do all the interior doors in the house. Above the front double window in the living room there is stained glass trim. Throughout the house, except in the kitchen, all windows are extra large with heavy plate glass in both sashes. The kitchen windows contain 6/6 lights; the door knobs and escutcheon key plates throughout the house are of ornamental metal, perhaps copper.
Early 20th-century alterations included the 1915 enclosure of one end of the back porch to accommodate a bathroom, and the enclosure in the 1930s of a latticed porch adjoining the kitchen to form a utility room. In 1962, Thelma R. Crockett, the current owner, added a covered patio or carport and a large bathroom at the rear of the house.
General repairs have been made to the house, which is in excellent condition. Its architectural integrity has not been affected by minor modern additions to the rear. The only outbuilding remaining on the property is a small board and-batten garage. A cedar log corncrib, which was probably associated with the original structure, was recently torn down by the current owner. A cistern was originally associated with the first small structure.
The Routt House is Chappell Hill's major extant example of a once-popular late Victorian house form featuring a decorative encircling porch with gingerbread presentations of this late 19th century type were constructed on a large scale in both the central residential section and on Main Street by the town's prominent businessmen and successful farmers. This house is another good example in the residential neighborhood of the structurally evolved residence, which grew from a small central section to a more comples form during the late 19th century. It also reflects a common practice in the Chappell Hill community in the 19th century of moving houses or parts of houses. Due to its location on a low rise at the end of a street, and its close proximity to the similarly sited Sterling Smith House, the Routt House has become a landmark in the residential section. The lawn is informally landscaped and several large native pecan trees remain.
Historically, the property upon which the structure is situated is worthy of archeological investigation. Buried evidence might well yield information pertaining to the location or outbuildings of the original structure and Munyan's early lumberyard, which was situated on a tract of land (1/7 acre) to the east of the present house. A cistern was also associated historically with the first structure.
The Routt House is important, not only as the home of Marcus P. Munyon, one of Chappell Hill's earliest architects and builders, but also for its association with a prominent figure in the cotton industry, Jackson Roffe Routt. After attending school in Austin, Routt engaged in a profitable and widely known cotton warehouse business at Chappell Hill with his partner William D. Crockett. In 1905, he was elected County Commissioner of Precinct No. 2, a position he held for many years. During this term he was instrumental in the promotion of road grading and bridge building. He was also an original stockholder of the bank. His brother, Joseph E., was one of the best-known figures in the ginning business in Washington County, and held a record for continuous service in this industry.
J. R. Routt's eldest daughter, Thelma R. Crockett, acquired the house in 1962 after the death of her parents and currently occupies the home.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Washington County Deed Records, Brenham, Texas."