The quality of wood and woodwork in this Alamo Heights house is breathtaking. Perhaps that should come as no surprise, since the owners of one of the Alamo City’s top lumber companies built it for themselves in 1927.
The home, now on the market for $3.5 million, was built for members of the Vaughan family. George C. Vaughan and two business partners launched Vaughan Lumber Co. in 1893 to buy from mills and do wholesale distribution of wood from Chicago to Mexico City, according to the website of the San Antonio company now known as Alamo Forest Products.
The family’s access to high-quality wood and millwork is apparent in the four-bedroom, five-and-a-half-bath house’s custom moldings, milled archways and the original wood parquet floor in the music room. The custom-milled windows are mostly pricy mahogany, as are the shutters.
In 1990, the Vaughan family sold the property to its current owners, former Alamo Heights mayor Louis Cooper and his wife. The Coopers did a major remodel after the purchase and, in 2002, bought the lot next door and hired local architect Don B. McDonald to expand the home and add a pool.
McDonald, who specializes in historic design, spent two years on the project that brought the total square footage to 8,671 square feet, all while retaining the property’s original Mid-Atlantic Colonial/German style.
This home is listed by Judy Barnes with The Phyllis Browning Co.
All photos and listing info via Realtor.com.
