This is most likely a great example of where blogging is often done for an audience of one, as there are probably only a couple of other visitors who will have any interest in this (besides me). But I feel the need to make some rather significant progress known, as far as this all-consuming topic is concerned.
In the month or so since I
thought I'd completed
a final post about Diedrich Rulfs and the various residential and commercial structures he designed and built (or renovated) in the East Texas area from the 1880s through roughly 1925, I've done mucho tweaking and revising to that "final" post. In some cases I needed to change the date of construction as new information came to light about specific structures. Other times I've replaced some of the original post's photographs with ones I consider to be superior or have retaken. I've also revised many of the descriptions of particular structures. But most importantly (and thrillingly) I've confirmed eleven additional structures as being Rulfs', raising my original number to forty-six. Sources I found indicated there were anywhere from fifty to fifty-five standing structures in Nacogdoches and surrounding cities.
The confidence to "call" them as Rulfs' comes with additional footwork, a visit to the
East Texas Research Center, as well as information gleaned from the books
Old Nacogdoches in the Jazz Age,
The Bicentennial Commemorative History of Nacogdoches,
The Nacogdoches Story: An Informal History,
Nacogdoches: The History of Texas’ Oldest City , and
Nacogdoches, Texas: A Pictorial History. As I said at the very beginning of this post, this has been all-consuming. As of this posting, I am still four short of the fifty structures (at least in Nacogdoches) Rulfs designed supposedly still standing. Like the consummate collector, I am obsessed with completing the set, so this quest goes on (for example, I am currently pursuing leads on clues as to what I'm calling "the Price House," which was once, and may still be, on Mound Street). An update of this update may be required at some point!
The Swift House
Swift House (1890, r. 1910)
703 East Main Street
The Stick-Style Victorian Swift House was moved from its given address back in the 1960s to make room for a car wash. Its description from the
Texas Historical Commission Atlas site: "two-story gallery porch across south (front) and east, turned wood posts with spindle railing at second floor, pedimented entry onto porch, entry door wood paneled with upper glass light, transom light above; chamfered bay at southwest corner with small balcony at second story window." When the THC survey was done in 1986, its condition was listed as "fair," so it would appear renovation has been done since then.
The James I. and Myrta Blake Perkins House
James I. and Myrta Blake Perkins House (1893-1895)
510 Lone Oak Street, Rusk, Texas
Originally built around 1851 as a one-story home, two-story wings and Victorian detailing were added by Rulfs around 1893 for James I. Perkins.
The Duncan House
Duncan House (1898)
809 Texas Street
The address given at the
Texas Historical Commission Atlas site is 109 Baxter Duncan, which is where it was "moved west one city lot from corner" on North Street. It must have been moved at least once more, because it is currently nearly a mile north-east (completely across North Street) of the Baxter Duncan Street address. This is a nice example of Steamboat style, as well as being Italianate Victorian, with Queen Anne details.
The Jordan House
Jordan House (1899-1905)
123 Houston Street
My research indicated there had been a possibly Rulfs-designed home called the "Jordan House" which had been moved from its corner spot at Houston and North Street at some point due to the construction of a gas station. This sad old place is most likely that house. It fits this description from the 1986 Texas Historical Commission survey:
"Two story; wood frame construction with lapped wood siding and shingles at bays and gable ends; brick foundation; irregular plan with two story chamfered bay on east facade; gable and flat roofs with enriched modillion brackets at second story eaves, composition shingles, cornice returns; one story two bay porch with flat roof and brick porch supports resting on brick piers, low brick wall; windows 2/2 and some 6/6 at rear wood double hung with hood molds on front facade; entry door with sidelights and transom above with low relief ornamentation; front yard is heavily planted and partially obscures the view."
In recent years, it had been condemned. On June 17, 2009, the home was demolished.
The House at 816 North Street
House at 816 North Street (1900)
816 North Street (at King Street)
The Heritage Club of Nacogdoches has two Diedrich Rulfs plaques downtown - on the Cox Building, and one other on the Old Opera House. It says (with detail from me in parenthesis): "The business expansion of the 1960s destroyed most of Rulfs' houses along North Street, but there are still fine examples along the street at the intersection of King, Powers (Laura Blount House), Starr (Sam Hayter House), and Rusk (Eugene H. Blount House)." This is the house at the intersection of King.
The F.H. Tucker House
F.H. Tucker House (1901)
504 North Mound Street
This Victorian Cottage is one of many Rulfs-designed houses along
Mound Street. I was sure this was a home he had done, but I had no proof. But after I noticed how one of the front windows has diamond-patterned muntons identical to one on the
John Garrison House right next door, I looked a little bit harder. An address search at the
Texas Historical Commission Atlas site led to a confirmation of Rulfs' involvement.
The Walter Gintz House
Walter Gintz House (1902)
1703 North Street
A Victorian cottage with stained glass windows, Eastlake porch decorations and motifs, the little Walter Gintz house is surrounded by commercial property and threatened on all sides. And to think prior to the 1960s, North Street was lined with such homes.
The Johnson Furniture Company
Johnson Furniture Company (1905)
106-111 East Main Street
According the plaque on this Victorian Commercial building:
"While little is known about the original bank structure, the brick building of 1905 was the work of architect D. Rulfs. He designed the front, with its cast iron columns and stepped brick work, to blend with the buildings he had earlier designed to the east."
Those buildings would include the Wettermark Bank Building (1896), the Mayer & Schmidt Building (1888), the Old Opera House (1888), and the Old Commercial Bank Building (1903), just to name a few.
The Hoya House
Hoya House (1910-1915)
610 Park Street
The Texas Historical Commission Atlas site designates this Bungalow-style house as "possibly" being designed by Rulfs. It is right around the corner from
Mound Street and the
Dr. A.T. Mast House, which is similar in style.
The Aikman-Needham Building
Aikman-Needham Building (1918)
204-208 East Pilar Street
This Victorian Commercial-style building stands on the site of the original Nacogdoches County Courthouse, which was torn down in 1916. Needham was a local barber who created his own hair tonic, named "Mahdeen" (his own name spelled backwards). This building was built to produce and market Mahdeen. Large oak vats used to mix Mahdeen hair tonic are still apparently
on the third floor.
The Dr. A.T. Mast House
Dr. A.T. Mast House (est. 1920-30)
614 North Mound Street
From Martha Anne Turner's
Old Nacogdoches in the Jazz Age:
"The home of Mr. and Mrs. A.T. Mast, Sr., at 614 North Mound Street, signified a departure from the Victorian gingerbread influence in architecture. A contemporary house of the early twenties, it was one of the first in Nacogdoches to feature the sleek low lines that later distinguished the so-called ranch-house architeture." (p. 139)
The home was furnished entirely with rare, priceless antiques. Note the modern touch in my photo -- the DeLorean.
Diedrich Rulfs, probably early 1920sFrom
Old Nacogdoches in the Jazz Age, by Martha Anne Turner, in relation to a book she'd read about the history of Nacogdoches:
"The second reading released a floodtide of memory that sent me scurrying back to the period of Nacogdoches history with which I was most conversant--the post-World War I era or the Jazz Age of the early 1920s. As a young person during that period I had felt Nacogdoches' enchantment, had worn its mantle of romance as I listened to ghost-voices of the past echoing from hill to stream and reechoing through narrow, winding streets. For me, light summer rain revived the scent of antiquity that permeated the main square like lingering musk..."I know too well what she meant.
Labels: Diedrich Rulfs, Nacogdoches, photography, small town
Do you remember The Jam? They sort of took Pete Townshend's "Mod" aesthetic to a whole new level. Being an American, I didn't hear too much of their music, but I thought they looked really cool and wore awesome clothes. And isn't that what rock and roll is largely about?? Anyway, that group's Pete Townshend, Paul Weller, formed a group after The Jam dissolved, called The Style Council. If you came of age in the '80s, perhaps you recall "You're the Best Thing" or "My Ever Changing Moods." These songs were off of The Style Council's second album, titled Café Bleu. To capitalize on the relative success of "My Ever Changing Moods," the album was renamed for it in the U.S. 
Being prone to intense melancholy as a teenager, I sort of intrinsically connected with the overall vibe of the music. I went to London and Paris with a bud as part of a high school graduation present during the summer of 1985 (we were in London during Live Aid). While in London, I bought a cassette tape copy of Café Bleu and listened to it over and over again, especially as we rode the Eurail to Paris. "The Paris Match" is one of those tunes from the album that really spoke to my 
