Designer was Alex Griffen Architectural Style-Queen Anne 503 W. Alamo St Notes-also known as Marek House; The historic F.W. Schuerenberg House, originally built in 1895, was one of the finest examples of early Victorian residential architecture in Brenham. After years of neglect, the home located at 503 West Alamo Street was purchased by an owner who wished to see the barren, sagging features restored to their earlier grandeur. The owner’s intent was to open “A Victorian Retreat” Bed and Breakfast. The architectural solution included the careful research and appropriate restoration measures of the home’s unique features. This included the preservation, refabrication or replacement in kind of the wraparound porches’ extensively decorated woodwork – turned columns, balustrades with turned balusters, wide fan brackets, and jigsaw fretwork. To support the home’s new use, the design and addition of secondary entrances and porches, compatible with the home’s character, were necessary. Upgrades in plumbing and mechanical systems were undertaken so as to minimize alterations to the building. The exterior was repainted with colors reminiscent of the home’s time period. 1990 info on the house from Tx Historical Commission follows---The F.W. Schuerenberg House is a 2 1/2-story frame dwelling designed in a Victorian eclecticism combining Queen Anne and Eastlake elements. Queen Anne features include the turret, multiple exterior finishes, and cresting at the northeast corner of the roof while the Eastlake features include the spindle and ball and jigsawn fretwork on the first and second story open galleries. Although in fair condition, the house retains most of its original architectural elements and continues to reflect the eclectic and asymmetrical spirit of this styling. The 2 1/2-story, rectangular plan Schuerenberg House faces north on a large lot in a mostly residential neighborhood of West Brenham. It rests on brick piers and is covered in a wood shingled roof of intersecting gables. The frame structure consists of clapboard siding on the first story and decorative wood shingles on the second story which slightly overhangs the first. Numerous 1/1 double-hung wooden windows, many with original wooden screens, are found around the house with the first floor windows being slightly taller than the second floor ones. Large deciduous trees and shrubbery surround the house almost obscuring the view from West Alamo Street. Overall, the house reflects the typical characteristics of Victorian residential buildings. It is symmetrically arranged with the Queen Anne features of decorative gables, dormers, and a turret dominating the building. Two-story, open wraparound galleries on the north and east facades with turned columns, balustrades with turned balusters, wide fan brackets, and ball-spindle and jigsawn fretwork complete the composition with a strong Eastlake influence. The principal (north) facade presents the boldest architectural statement. At the northwest corner an closed gable pediment with sunburst woodwork highlights the entryway under the gallery. Multiple concrete steps with side stoops lead under the gable to the double front doors with transom. Ornate Victorian screens and Queen Anne entry doors complete the design features. A second closed gable pediment with sunburst defines the northeast corner above the second story and below the multi-sided turret. The turret is characterized by multi-light windows and a pointed top with cresting that rises significantly above the attic 1/2 story. A third closed gable pediment with sunburst is centered on the roofline above the second story and serves as a screened porch. A corbelled brick chimney stands just to the south of the turret. The exterior of the house shows signs of neglect (painting, roof and siding deterioration) but is in generally fair condition. Most of the original architectural features are present and no loss of integrity is evident. A frame, hipped roof one-car garage with metal shingles at the southwest corner of the lot contributes to the property. No information is available on the interior spaces. The F.W. Schuerenberg House (c. 1895) is eligible under Criterion C and is significant as one of two exceptional residential interpretations of the Victorian Queen Anne and Eastlake styles in Brenham. This property is associated with the local context "Community Development and Regional Expansion in Brenham, 1870-1941." The Schuerenberg House (c. 1895) was built for Frederick William Schuerenberg, II, and Bertha Reichardt Schuerenberg in one of the first additions along Peabody, Jackson, and Alamo Streets in West Brenham by local contractor Alex Griffin. Schuerenberg purchased a number of lots on Peabody, Jackson, and Alamo Streets and built eight rental houses, reserving this large lot on West Alamo for his own residence. Schuerenberg's father, Captain Frederick William Schuerenberg, was a successful local businessman who established "The Old Forge" blacksmith shop and farm implement business on West Main in 1875. About 1884 Frederick W. and his brother, R.A. (Site No. 612), took over and began to expand the business to carry carriages, curries, hardware, guns, crystal, china, and other household merchandise. After motor vehicles became available, the business served as the local dealership for Ford vehicles and John Deere machinery. The business grew to include five downtown buildings. This property was built during the growth and prosperous years of the Schuerenberg business. The use of the popular and ostentatious Queen Anne and Eastlake styles suggests that the owners were aware of decorative trends and interested in making a statement to the community. Probably borrowed from pattern books of the day, the house is an exceptional interpretation of the styles that remains relatively intact. One other property, the Wood-Hughes House (Site No. 161A at 614 South Austin), is similar in design and form and also was constructed by Alex Griffen at about the same time. These are the two finest houses representing Victorian styling and this period in Brenham. After being disable in an accident, F.W. and Bertha Schuerenberg moved to his wife's family home immediately east of this house. This house was purchased by the daughter of the Schuerenberg's, Mrs. J.J. Marek, in 1919. She was married to a veterinarian Dr. J.J. Marek. Many years later the widows of F.W. and R.A. built two bungalows to the west of this house. Heirs of the Schuerenberg's currently own the property, but it is unoccupied. Updated info...house is occupied and has gone thru the renovations mentioned in the first of this information.