Camille Pillot Mansion At 1817 McKinney St.

[Highrise Tower]

I noticed this awesome home the other day. Owned by the Henke and Pillot team member C.G. Pillot. This was featured in the Standard Blue Book of Texas Houston Edition dated 1907-1908.

I wonder where this was. The Heights? Downtown?

[brucesw]

Looks a bit grand for the Heights, perhaps?  Maybe Quality Hill.  

Here's the Wiki article on Henke's.  It mentions a house built by Eugene Pillot in 1868 at Chenevert and McKinney that is now in Sam Houston Park.  Perhaps the father of Camille (CG) who was the bookkeeper and later partner of the grocery store chain?  

[Ross]

Looks like 1817 McKinney at Hamilton in the 1907 and 1923 directories

Sanborn map from 1907. Block 158 is under the GRB now. House was probably demolished by the 1950's. 1803 McKinney was owned by Teolin Pillot, Camille's Brother. Their father was born in France, their mother in Louisiana. 1930 Census lists value of CG Pillot house at $100,000, Teolin Pillot house at $125,000. Camille Pillot in 1930 is shown as living there, but the head of household is his son Norman. Camille Pillot died in October 1953 at age 92, and is listed as living in the Shamrock Hotel. His son Norman died in 1947 at age 54, and his address was listed as 1 Briarwood Ct, which looks like it may still be around.

 

[Ross]

The Pillot house that's at Sam Houston Park was the house originally at 1803 McKinney https://blog.chron.com/bayoucityhistory/2010/10/then-now-25-the-pillot-house/

[FilioScotia]

That beautiful home at 1817 McKinney was on a site that's now occupied by Discovery Green about a hundred yards west of the GRB Convention Center. 

[Ross]

2 hours ago, FilioScotia said:

That beautiful home at 1817 McKinney was on a site that's now occupied by Discovery Green about a hundred yards west of the GRB Convention Center. 

I think it was farther East, since it was on the corner of McKinney and Hamilton. The block number is on the Sanborn map as Block 158. Here's the entire Sanborn Map page:

[FilioScotia]

I think you're right. It makes more sense. The original site is now directly under the GRB. It's a shame that so many of those grand old 19th century mansions were demolished and plowed under to make room for "progress". But, that's what Houston is known for. 

Edited November 28, 2022 by FilioScotia

[Ross]

2 hours ago, FilioScotia said:

I think you're right. It makes more sense. The original site is now directly under the GRB. It's a shame that so many of those grand old 19th century mansions were demolished and plowed under to make room for "progress". But, that's what Houston is known for. 

A lot of that was actually done by the owners, many of whom moved to new houses farther away from Downtown, and turned the old house into a boarding house, or sold it for another use. When I get a chance, I'll see if I can find when the CG Pillot house was demolished.

[brucesw]

I don't know if we have a thread devoted to Quality Hill, but this fits here:

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/2017/04/20/219128/quality-hill-a-tour-of-houstons-first-and-forgotten-upscale-neighborhood/

The article cites the arrival of Union Station as changing the character of the neighborhood.  Click through the slide show - captions appear when you open each picture.  

[brucesw]

20 hours ago, FilioScotia said:

That beautiful home at 1817 McKinney was on a site that's now occupied by Discovery Green about a hundred yards west of the GRB Convention Center. 

The exterior is awesome but the interior???  Stifling.  

[Ross]

40 minutes ago, brucesw said:

The exterior is awesome but the interior???  Stifling.  

That was very typical of the time. Lots of dark woods and heavy cloth.

[FilioScotia]

The heavy cloth interiors were for insulation. For the same reason walls in medieval castles were covered with tapestries.