Neese, William, Sr., Homestead

Built in 1869-1870 in the small community of Warrenton, Texas, this two-story stucco-covered stone house was erected for William Neese, Sr., a German immigrant merchant and farmer. Its late Greek Revival design features a symmetrical plan, a five-bay east facade and a pedimented double gallery with cast-iron balustrade. Nine-over-six windows of local cedar, quoins and a belt course give it a somewhat Georgian look. A central hall organizes the ground floor, while the upstairs combines several spaces into a thirty-nine by thirty foot ballroom with a polychrome painted ceiling. The interior was listed for its original decorative work, including stenciled walls and ceilings, wood graining that imitates burr oak, and marbleized ballroom doors, which blend American and Germanic folk art. The house has remained essentially unaltered. A ruinous Italianate brick greenhouse and a barn survive on the six-acre site. Plans called for a museum of Texas furniture and cultural events in the ballroom.