Birdsall Parmenas Briscoe (June 10, 1876 – 1971) was an American architect active in Texas, especially in
Houston
Houston (; ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in Texas, the Southern United States#Major cities, most populous city in the Southern United States, the List of United States cities by population, fourth-most pop ...
. He was known as "Birdsall Briscoe" or "Birdsall P. Briscoe". Several of his works have been listed on the U.S.
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...
for their architecture.
Early life
Briscoe was born on June 10, 1876, in
Harrisburg, Texas
Harrisburg is a community that is now (originally documented as Harrisburgh, then shortened to Harrisburg in 1892) located within the city of Houston, Texas, United States.
The community is located east of downtown Houston, south of the Brays Ba ...
, as son of Andrew Birdsall and Annie Frances (Paine) Briscoe.
Andrew Briscoe was a grandfather and
John Richardson Harris
John Richardson Harris (October 22, 1790 – August 21, 1829) was an early settler of Mexican Texas and the namesake of Harris County, Texas. He founded the town of Harrisburg, Texas and Harris County, Texas is named in his honor.
Family life ...
, founder of Harrisburg, was a great-grandfather. His parents owned a ranch near
Goliad, Texas
Goliad ( ) is a city in Goliad County, Texas, United States. It is known for the 1836 Goliad massacre during the Texas Revolution. It had a population of 1,620 at the 2020 census. Founded on the San Antonio River, it is the county seat of Go ...
. He left the area to attend a San Antonio Academy, a preparatory school in San Antonio, Texas. He matriculated at Texas A&M University and the University of Texas.
Career
Briscoe trained as an architect under C. Lewis Wilson and Lewis Sterling Green, while later forming a three-year partnership with Green. He opened his own practice in 1912.
[ He shared an office in downtown Houston with fellow architect, Maurice P. Sullivan. He was selected by the River Oaks Company as one of three architects to design nine model homes in the nascent subdivision.
While still working outside of a partnership, Briscoe designed three homes in the ]private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...
street subdivision of Courtlandt Place, Houston. He completed the J. J. Carroll House
Courtlandt Place, Houston is a residential subdivision consisting of a single street, south of downtown Houston, planned in 1906. Courtlandt Place is a member of the Neartown Houston Association.
Overview
Courtlandt Place is a subdivision of ...
, the W. T. Carter Jr. House
Courtlandt Place, Houston is a residential subdivision consisting of a single street, south of downtown Houston, planned in 1906. Courtlandt Place is a member of the Neartown Houston Association.
Overview
Courtlandt Place is a subdivision o ...
, and the Judson L. Taylor House before World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
. All three are listed on the National Register for Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
. He won commissions for two homes in Houston for William Lockhart Clayton, both of which are historic landmarks. The first was the Georgian-Revival home sited on a whole city block in the Southmore Addition. In 1924, Briscoe completed the William L. Clayton Summer House
William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conqu ...
(NRHP-listed) in River Oaks
River Oaks is a residential community located in the center of Houston, Texas, United States. Located within the 610 Loop and between Downtown and Uptown, the community spans .Archive Established in the 1920s by brothers Will Hogg and Michael ...
, the first property to be developed in the subdivision.
Briscoe's work can also be found in the Broadacres Historic District
Broadacres is a subdivision in Houston, Texas, United States, within the Boulevard Oaks community.[Bayou Bend
Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens, located in the River Oaks community in Houston, Texas, United States, is a facility of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) that houses a collection of decorative art, paintings and furniture. Bayou Bend is t ...]
, a sprawling mansion sited on a fourteen-acre lot in River Oaks. The home was built between 1926 and 1928 under the consultation of Ima Hogg
Ima Hogg (July 10, 1882 – August 19, 1975), known as "The First Lady of Texas", was an American society leader, philanthropist, mental health advocate, patron and collector of the arts, and one of the most respected women in Texas during th ...
, who lived there with her brothers, Will and Mike. Hogg bequeathed the estate to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), is an art museum located in the Houston Museum District of Houston, Texas. With the recent completion of an eight-year campus redevelopment project, including the opening of the Nancy and Rich Kinder Bui ...
, which operates the property as a museum annex for the Bayou Bend Collection of decorative arts. Bayou Bend is NRHP-listed.
Briscoe was a veteran of the Spanish–American War
, partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence
, image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg
, image_size = 300px
, caption = (cl ...
and World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
.[
]
Death
Briscoe died on September 19, 1971, in Houston. He was interred at Oak Hill Cemetery in Goliad.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Briscoe, Birdsall
1876 births
1971 deaths
Architects from Houston
University of Texas alumni
Texas A&M University alumni
Spanish–American War
World War I