The Henry B. and Ellen M. Sanborn House - Amarillo, TX
N 35° 12.036 W 101° 50.766
14S E 240888 N 3899000
Built by "The Father of Amarillo" in 1902, the H.B. Sanborn House is at 1311 Madison St, Amarillo, TX, and it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
Waymark Code: WMZTJY
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 01/03/2019
Views: 2
Whitesboro's loss was Amarillo's gain.
This house is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, and a 1971 Texas Historical Marker provides some history:
Built 1902 in 500 block, South Buchanan, by principal early developer of Amarillo, Henry Bradley Sanborn (1845-1912). At original site were also owner's office building, carriage house, stables for six coach horses, and a deer park. After death of Sanborn, the home was relocated here in 1921. Losses from the original include brick chimneys and cupola with weather vane.
This is now one of the oldest houses in city of Amarillo.
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After Mr. Sanborn's house was moved here in 1921, the land was used for the Amarillo Municipal Auditorium, built in 1923, and it hosted events until the 1960s, when the current Amarillo Civic Center replaced it. Mr. Sanborn would be surprised by the development today at the site of his former home. Not only have there been upgrades to the Amarillo Civic Center over the years, but a baseball stadium, Amarillo Ballpark, will host minor league baseball games beginning in April 2019.
The National Register's Continuation Sheet (see Web Address, below) notes that the losses from the original that are referenced on the historical marker occurred when the house was moved here from Buchanan St. A photo of the house in its original glory is here, although the Continuation Sheet has a few glimpses. The Continuation Sheet further notes that the house was listed on the National Register not only because of its significance as the home of "The Father of Amarillo", but also because it is a wonderful example of late Italianate architecture, scarce in Amarillo. Its features include (per the Continuation Sheet):
"...the bellcast roof; wide overhanging eaves with decorative supporting brackets, dentils, and modillions; and bracketed lintels over windows. The original central cupola was an important feature of the style. The house also bears some Classical ornamentation such as the Ionic columns and the overall symmetry."
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