Maria Boswell Flake Home At 1103 Berry St.

Highrise Tower · July 1, 2023

This week I learned about the Maria Boswell's Flake Home located at 1103 Berry Street in Midtown. The home for the female aged/dying and was active in the 1910s and 1920s.

Fun fact, the original building still exists! The building was home to the (former) site of Adkin's Architectural Antiques. I believe the historic mansion of Henry MacGregor was located across the street, at 3530 Fannin Street.

I searched HAIF for information about the Flake Home. I only found a single blurb from 14 years ago. Appears the retirement/sick home was not much discussed. I decided to create a thread so people can learn more about this time in history.

From the newspaper The Houston Post. dated May 21, 1922.

Formal Opening of Maria B. Flake Home For Old Women to Be on Monday.

Top- The Flake home, 1103 Berry street.
Insert- Mrs. Maria B. Flake, the donor.
Center- The dining room.
Below- A corner of the living room.

Accommodation For But Six Inmates Now; Enlarged Later

The formal opening of the Maria B. Flake Home for Old Women will be held Monday. The home was purchased by C.W. Harrell, executor of the Flake estate, to comply with the wishes of Mrs. Flake, who left a large amount of her money to be used in caring for the aged women of Houston.

The estate is controlled by the executor and a board of trustee composed of J.T. Scott, Will Cochran and Judge J.C. Hutcheson.

Mrs. Flake was known to be a very lonely woman. All of her immediate relatives were dead and she spent as good part of her tie trying to help others. Se specified in her will that the home should be a handsome structure and should be large enough to care for 10 women and a matron.

She was blind and this kept her from any pleasures and diversions and during her later years she spent most her time in planning the home. It is said by those who knew her best, that at times she even denied herself ordinary comforts in life in order morefully to realize her dream.

When she died about six years ago, all of her household furnishings were boxed an stored for use in the home. Besides a number of pieces of old mahogany furniture, many portraits of members of her family will be placed in the building. She also left an eggshell China dinner set, silverware, vases, books, and candlesticks which have been used in decorating the interior of the home.

Skillful management has changed the value of the estate and there are ample funds on hand to support the institution, which will now be turned over to the board of managers composed of Mrs. J.K.P. Gillespie, Mrs. H.F. Ring, Mrs. H. Raidwin Rice, Mrs. Mary Bates, Mrs. Milton Howe, and Mrs. F.B. Rose

Mrs. Gillespie and Mrs. Ring, chairman and vice chairman of the board, has given three weeks to preparation of the home. It has been completed furnished under their supervision and changes have been made to the building to better adopt it to the new use. More room will be added in order to care for ten women, as requested in the will as now there is a provision but six occupants.

Many applications for admission have bee received and will be acted upon immediately after the formal opening.

The following auxiliary committee of young women will share the responsibility of operating the home. Mrs. *** S. Cochran, Miss Laura Rice, Mrs. J. W. Garren, Mrs. J.M. Goss, Miss Royland Ring, Miss Carrie Scott and Miss Ruth Curtin.