Wolf-Laborde Victorian

Restore America : Episode RAM-304 -- More Projects »
San Antonio, Texas

San Antonio's King William District was developed in the 1840s after Texas became part of the U.S. The city's elite built grand Victorian homes during this period, including one built for local merchant Abraham Wolf in 1891. By the time Kathleen and Ralph Laborde saw the home in 1991, however, a succession of vandals and vagrants had caused considerable damage.

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The electrical and plumbing in the house were outdated, and floors and stairways were close to falling down. The interior was filled with trash and the exterior had been modernized with stucco.

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After the Labordes closed on the house in 1993, they cleaned it thoroughly and moved in before starting the restoration. Ralph discovered the home's Victorian origins underneath the exterior stucco, which was probably applied in the 1920s to make the home look like other Mediterranean-style structures in San Antonio.

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Armed with a flashlight and a tool to poke holes, Ralph uncovered the home's original woodwork, including the porch columns, lattice and other parts of the original porch.

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After the porch was restored, all the plumbing and electrical were replaced, along with most of the original parquet floors.

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The parquet was damaged by water, so the Labordes hired an artist to create a compatible, starburst pattern using the same type of wood. The Labordes preserved some of the floor's watermarks to remind them of what the home looked like when they moved in.

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By 1997, all of the stucco from the exterior had been chipped away, exposing the original brick facade. Some of the old stucco was intentionally left around one window as a reminder of how many people once called this house a home.

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(Homeowners Ralph and Kathleen Laborde have requested that their contact information remain private.)

Resources
San Antonio Conservation Society
San Antonio Conservation Society
107 King William St.
San Antonio, TX 78204
Phone: 210-224-6163
Fax: 210-224-6168
Website: www.saconservation.org

San Antonio Convention and Visitors Bureau
Website: www.sanantoniovisit.com

King William Historic District Association
King William Historic District Association
1032 South Alamo Street
San Antonio, TX 78210
USA
Phone: 210-227-8786
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