The historic Peter P. Leyendecker home at 1714 Houston Street — which was built circa 1914 in classical revival style and which over recent years had fallen into serious disrepair — regains its prominence as an architectural gem in the St. Peter’s Historic District thanks to the ongoing restoration efforts of Beto Gonzalez of Design Ideals.
Its handsome exterior of Corinthian columns, upstairs and downstairs wrap-around porches, and original fenestration and doors have all found renewal in Gonzalez’s attention to detail to counter the wear of a century.
The two-story 4,000+ square-foot brick home sits on a 12,346 square-foot lot first owned by Gus Benz, who sold it to Lt. Bethel Custer for $50 on Dec. 27, 1873. Lt. Custer later sold the lot to Calvin G. Brewster for $400.
It is said that Peter P. Leyendecker, using materials from City Lumber Company, the lumberyard he owned, built the structure for about $12,000. Pedro Palacios and Jesus Martinez were part of the work crew.
The house wears well the elegance of beveled glass windows (that still open and close soundly), beautifully crafted wooden moulding throughout, long leaf pine floors, stained glass windows, its original chandeliers, and seven fireplaces.
Gonzalez — who works alongside his parents, architects Roberto and Teresa, in the restoration endeavor — estimates that work on the home is at 60 percent completion. The exterior wears a new coat of paint. Columns, railings, and porches have been repaired. Wooden floors have been stripped in preparation for staining and sealing. Plumbing and electrical infrastructure have been brought to code compliance.
Gonzalez purchased the structure from the Laredo Independent School District last fall.
He said that the second floor of the Leyendecker Home will feature four bed and breakfast suites, each which will be named for the style in which they are decorated — contemporary, Victorian, French, and Mexican. The ground floor of the home will be used for company offices.
Gonzalez, who lives just down the street from the Leyendecker Home, said he would like the historic homes of the St. Peter’s Historic District to become part of an arts and entertainment district.
“There is so much potential down here,” he said.
Pointing directly across the street to the former LISD magnet school building for art and film instruction, he added, “That would be a perfect building for studios for artists or shops, and its courtyard lends itself to a coffee shop or a restaurant.”
Margarita Araiza, executive director of the Webb County Heritage Foundation, called the Leyendecker Home a Classical Revival jewel of a structure in the St. Peter’s Historic District.”
She noted the neglect into which the building had fallen in the custodianship of the school district.
“After years of deferred maintenance by the LISD, it had fallen into a state of impending demolition by neglect. We are overjoyed that Mr. Gonzalez has taken on the task of saving this beautiful treasure of local architecture. He appears to be taking great steps in repairing and restoring significant historic elements of the house, and is apparently, personally supervising as well as performing many of the more important parts of that construction work,” she said.
She called the reversal of fortune for the Leyendecker Home “the best outcome we could have foreseen for the building and for the neighborhood. It will stand as a testament to the viability and importance of historic preservation in Laredo.”
