Historic Name:	WT Williams
		Architect | Builder:	Peter Mansbendel
		Year:	1932
		Style:	Tudor Revival Cottage
		Areas of Significance:	Art, Architecture
		City:	Austin

This was Peter Mansbendel's daughter Valerie and her husband W.T. Williams home in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Austin. Mansbendel carved many elements in and around this home including Valerie's and W.T. portrait's in limestone on the house which you see below.

Bill Williams writes (PM's grandson): The living room floor was 6-8 inches lower than the rest of the house and the 2x4 oak boards were placed with the narrow part up and connected with black half inch dowels and 3 inch butterflies on 4-6 feet centers. There was a 24 inch gate between the living room and dining room. The fireplace had a door on the outside for ease in emptying ashes. The Dining room had knotty pine walls with a lightly varnished finish, lantern like sconces around the room on 3-4 foot centers, a built in china hutch enhanced with Mansbendel carvings, a taxidermist's Elk skull with horns. and a dining room suite built by Mansbendel 2X3 inch hearts cut out of the backs of the chairs representing the fact that mom and dad were married on valentine's day. There also was a Mansbendel carved library table in the living room. A room was added during the late 40s with book shelves on two of the four walls for my dad's law books. The third wall had doors to the Kitchen and back yard. The fourth wall was all windows with the window treatment being drapes sewed by my dad. Dad also sewed majorette's and cheer leader uniforms for Dee Dee. Except for a window unit in the new room, the house didn't have air conditioning until the mid to late 50's. The house was cooled by an attic fan.

The windows, vaulted or cathedral ceiling, faux beams, and chandelier very similar to the faux beams and chandelier in the Mansbendel home but a lighter color. Until dad installed storm windows, the windows cranked open similar to those on the Mansbendel sleeping porch, were 18 inches wide and extended from about 24 inches off the floor to the ceiling at the lowest point of a gable roof. The roof had a cast iron weather vane with a rooster indicating the wind's direction that could have been made by Weigl.

Traditionally the Williams trimmed their Christmas tree on Christmas eve after Dee Dee and I had gone to bed. On December 7, 1941, Dad was making doll houses from apple crates for Priss Cunningham and Nan Carolyn Bray when we heard on the radio about Pearl Harbor.