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Woodlawn (Austin, Texas)
Encyclopedia
Woodlawn, also known as the Pease Mansion as well as Governor Shiver's Mansion, is a pre-Civil War
mansion located at 30.2871° -97.7581° in Austin, Texas
. The Greek Revival
style house was owned by two Texas governors. Some notable people that have visited the mansion include Sam Houston
, General George Custer
, Elisabet Ney
, Will Rogers
, and Edith Head
. Woodlawn was added to the National Register of Historic Places
on August 25, 1970.
State Comptroller
James Shaw commissioned master builder Abner H. Cook (who also designed the Texas Governor's Mansion
) to build a house for him and his fiance. Shaw's fiance later broke off the engagement, but Shaw soon found another woman that he married and they lived in the house, which was completed in 1853.
Tragedy struck when Shaw's child died at the age of two and his wife died a few months later. Shaw sold the estate to Texas governor Elisha M. Pease
and his wife Lucadia Christiane Niles Pease in 1857 and Shaw moved to Galveston
. The Peases named the estate Woodlawn. Pease developed most of the land surrounding Woodlawn into the present-day neighborhood of Enfield.
Four generations of the Pease family lived at Woodlawn until 1957 when Niles Graham sold the house and its three remaining acres to outgoing Texas governor Allan Shivers
and his wife Marialice Shary Shivers. The Shivers moved into Woodlawn on January 15, 1957, almost 100 years to the day when the Peases first moved into Woodlawn.
On October 27, 1975, the Shivers donated Woodlawn to the University of Texas at Austin
and University of Texas–Pan American
with the stipulation that they could live there until their deaths. Allen Shivers died in 1985 and Marialice died on September 29, 1996. The University of Texas sold Woodlawn to the State of Texas in December, 1997 for $2.6 million. The proceeds endowed the Allan Shivers Chair in Law and Banking at the University of Texas School of Law
and the Marialice Shivers Chair in Fine Arts at the University of Texas–Pan American.
The state bought Woodlawn as Texas Lieutenant Governor Bob Bullock
dreamed of making it the new Texas Governor's Mansion. Bullock died in 1999 and his dream passed with him. Since it no longer had a purpose for the estate and it was expensive to maintain, the State of Texas put Woodlawn up for sale in 2002 by sealed bid. Actress Sandra Bullock
reportedly toured the home as a possible buyer but did not bid on it. Only one bid was received and it was not credible.
The state then began to contact interested buyers. Austin investor and entrepreneur Jeff Sandefer signed a contract to purchase the estate in May 2002. The $3.1 million deal broke down in August 2002 as Sandefer was frustrated by the restrictions and restoration requirements from Austin's Historic Landmark Commission and what it might cost to implement. Finally, on November 15, 2002, the estate sold to Mr. Sandefer for $2,851,100 via the holding company Woodlawn-Pease, LLC.
Today, Woodlawn is the centerpiece of the Old West Austin Historic District
which consists mostly of land formerly owned by the Pease family.
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
mansion located at 30.2871° -97.7581° in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. The Greek Revival
Greek Revival architecture
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
style house was owned by two Texas governors. Some notable people that have visited the mansion include Sam Houston
Sam Houston
Samuel Houston, known as Sam Houston , was a 19th-century American statesman, politician, and soldier. He was born in Timber Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, of Scots-Irish descent. Houston became a key figure in the history of Texas and was elected as the first and third President of...
, General George Custer
George Armstrong Custer
George Armstrong Custer was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. Raised in Michigan and Ohio, Custer was admitted to West Point in 1858, where he graduated last in his class...
, Elisabet Ney
Elisabet Ney
Franzisca Bernadina Wilhelmina Elisabeth Ney was a celebrated German-born sculptor who spent the first half of her life and career in Europe, producing sculpted works of famous leaders such as Otto von Bismarck, Giuseppe Garibaldi and King George V of Hanover...
, Will Rogers
Will Rogers
William "Will" Penn Adair Rogers was an American cowboy, comedian, humorist, social commentator, vaudeville performer, film actor, and one of the world's best-known celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s....
, and Edith Head
Edith Head
Edith Head was an American costume designer who won eight Academy Awards, more than any other woman.-Early life and career:...
. Woodlawn was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on August 25, 1970.
History
The site of Woodlawn originally consisted of 365 acres (1.5 km²) in West Austin. Then TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
State Comptroller
Comptroller
A comptroller is a management level position responsible for supervising the quality of accounting and financial reporting of an organization.In British government, the Comptroller General or Comptroller and Auditor General is in most countries the external auditor of the budget execution of the...
James Shaw commissioned master builder Abner H. Cook (who also designed the Texas Governor's Mansion
Texas Governor's Mansion
The Texas Governor's Mansion, also known simply as Governor's Mansion is a historic home for the Governor of Texas in downtown Austin, Texas...
) to build a house for him and his fiance. Shaw's fiance later broke off the engagement, but Shaw soon found another woman that he married and they lived in the house, which was completed in 1853.
Tragedy struck when Shaw's child died at the age of two and his wife died a few months later. Shaw sold the estate to Texas governor Elisha M. Pease
Elisha M. Pease
Elisha Marshall Pease was a U.S. politician from the 1830s through the 1870s. He served as the fifth and 13th Governor of Texas .A native of Enfield, Connecticut, Pease moved to Mexican Texas in 1835...
and his wife Lucadia Christiane Niles Pease in 1857 and Shaw moved to Galveston
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
. The Peases named the estate Woodlawn. Pease developed most of the land surrounding Woodlawn into the present-day neighborhood of Enfield.
Four generations of the Pease family lived at Woodlawn until 1957 when Niles Graham sold the house and its three remaining acres to outgoing Texas governor Allan Shivers
Allan Shivers
Robert Allan Shivers was a Texas politician who led the conservative faction of the Texas Democratic Party during the turbulent 1940s and 1950s...
and his wife Marialice Shary Shivers. The Shivers moved into Woodlawn on January 15, 1957, almost 100 years to the day when the Peases first moved into Woodlawn.
On October 27, 1975, the Shivers donated Woodlawn to the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
and University of Texas–Pan American
University of Texas–Pan American
The University of Texas–Pan American , founded as Edinberg College, is a state university located in Edinburg, Texas. Founded in 1927, it is a component institution of The University of Texas System. The university serves the Rio Grande Valley and South Texas with baccalaureate,...
with the stipulation that they could live there until their deaths. Allen Shivers died in 1985 and Marialice died on September 29, 1996. The University of Texas sold Woodlawn to the State of Texas in December, 1997 for $2.6 million. The proceeds endowed the Allan Shivers Chair in Law and Banking at the University of Texas School of Law
University of Texas School of Law
The University of Texas School of Law, also known as UT Law, is an ABA-certified American law school located on the University of Texas at Austin campus. The law school has been in operation since the founding of the University in 1883. It was one of only two schools at the University when it was...
and the Marialice Shivers Chair in Fine Arts at the University of Texas–Pan American.
The state bought Woodlawn as Texas Lieutenant Governor Bob Bullock
Bob Bullock
Robert Douglas Bullock, known as Bob Bullock , was a Democratic politician from Texas, whose career spanned four decades. His service culminated in his term as Lieutenant Governor of Texas from January 15, 1991–January 19, 1999 during the terms of Governors Ann Richards and George W...
dreamed of making it the new Texas Governor's Mansion. Bullock died in 1999 and his dream passed with him. Since it no longer had a purpose for the estate and it was expensive to maintain, the State of Texas put Woodlawn up for sale in 2002 by sealed bid. Actress Sandra Bullock
Sandra Bullock
Sandra Annette Bullock is an Academy Award winning American actress and producer who rose to fame in the 1990s after roles in successful films such as Demolition Man, Speed, The Net, A Time to Kill, and While You Were Sleeping. She continued with films such as Miss Congeniality, The Lake House,...
reportedly toured the home as a possible buyer but did not bid on it. Only one bid was received and it was not credible.
The state then began to contact interested buyers. Austin investor and entrepreneur Jeff Sandefer signed a contract to purchase the estate in May 2002. The $3.1 million deal broke down in August 2002 as Sandefer was frustrated by the restrictions and restoration requirements from Austin's Historic Landmark Commission and what it might cost to implement. Finally, on November 15, 2002, the estate sold to Mr. Sandefer for $2,851,100 via the holding company Woodlawn-Pease, LLC.
Today, Woodlawn is the centerpiece of the Old West Austin Historic District
Old West Austin Historic District
The Old West Austin Historic District is a residential community in Austin, Texas, United States. It is composed of three neighborhoods located on a plateau just west of downtown Austin: Old Enfield, Pemberton Heights, and Bryker Woods...
which consists mostly of land formerly owned by the Pease family.