The restoration of three historic railworkers’ cottages in Texas

By Christianne Raymer

Published: Saturday, 17 September 2022 at 12:00 am

Nearly 40 years ago, when artist Salle Werner Vaughn first discovered the railworkers’ houses of Magnolia Grove in Houston, Texas, they were in danger of being swallowed up by the relentless sprawl of the city. The long-abandoned wooden houses, much like Russian dachas in appearance, sat all but forgotten in overgrown gardens, shaded by live oaks and pecan trees.

The neighbourhood was established in the 1880s by German immigrants working on the construction of the new railway that linked the interior to the burgeoning port of Galveston. The area, known as a frontier district, was situated way out of town, and the land had been divided into small plots on which the workers could build houses for themselves and their families.

With hurricanes a regular occurrence from June to November, they adopted the use of timber-stud frames, known as balloon frames, which could be swiftly re-erected using a block-and-tackle pulley system should a house collapse in a storm. Salle and the group of like-minded artists and friends who discovered the run-down district, quickly realised that the few historic buildings that remained would soon be lost unless they and fellow conservationists bought them.

Salle, who lives mostly in Houston, decided that by restoring one of these houses she could create the perfect retreat for herself: a place to unwind, paint and escape the city. With that in mind, she named it ‘Now & Then’. ‘I planned to just make the house liveable and come out on weekends and enjoy the garden,’ she says. But after talking to a friend, who had bought several houses and plots with a view to expanding his garden as well as building a gallery, she thought she too should buy a second house.

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In the end, Salle bought a six-plot site, which came with three surviving cottages. One became her home, the second remains a work in progress. The third, however, was beyond saving. Luckily, a neighbour had a spare house which, because of the ingenious balloon-frame construction, was easily moved onto her plot. She has since turned it into an intriguing gallery space named ‘Here & There’.

Typically, these old Southern cottages are rectangular in shape – the narrow end facing the lanes that run between the plots. There are still no pavements, just storm drains, many of which bloom with clumps of yellow iris. The front almost always has a good-sized porch, sometimes with impressive columns, and the exteriors are all clad with pastel-painted clapboard. Each building has a large living room, usually two bedrooms, plus a rudimentary kitchen at the back.

‘Now & Then’ was in a dreadful state when Salle bought it. ‘But it wasn’t derelict like some I saw,’ she says, ‘and I was careful to save whatever I could.’ A few changes were necessary, however, and while respecting the original structure of the house, she removed a wall between the kitchen and bedroom in order to create an open-plan space. A tiny corridor leads to a 1930s-style bathroom on the left and just one bedroom beyond. There has been no attempt to make a conventional house for entertaining or for visitors – it is very much a personal space with the most basic kitchen and no dining area.

This house was to be a place where Salle could see her own work again, she explains. Her paintings are set against walls coloured according to the mood she intends to create. She mixed three shades of lilac paint in order to achieve exactly the right shade for the living room – a bold choice that charms and draws the viewer to look more closely at what is hanging on the walls in the low ethereal light.

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Furniture and decorative pieces were chosen to enhance the experience of each room, rather than being purely functional. ‘Beauty is my lodestar,’ she says. ‘When I decorate a room, I intend the colour to resonate with the objects. Each part has a message. I’m trying to evoke another time and place – something out of the ordinary.’

To say that the interiors are eclectic seems an understatement. The atmosphere in Salle’s house is positively other-worldly, and wherever one looks there is an amazing array of exquisite objects to study: a Roman sculpture, a pair of 500-year-old Italian chairs and various small, exquisite antiquities.

‘I like to think about the artists and their lives,’ Salle says, expounding on the influence of Egyptian art and sculpture, while also recounting the immense joy she feels when visiting the great collections in the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, as if they are dear old friends.

Salle is lyrical when talking about her cottages. ‘I call the compound ‘Harmonium’, and my goal is to bring order and harmony to the place,’ Salle explains. To this end she buys mature trees, such as crepe myrtles, to preserve and enhance the area as a sanctuary for all kinds of wildlife. And it is thanks to Salle and her far-sighted friends that the historically significant and charming wooden cottages of Magnolia Grove have been able to survive and thrive.

"Lodestar
The front porch, a feature of all the houses in Magnolia Grove, and an emblem of Southern American style, is a cool, sociable space. The painted rocking chair is a Texan antique, as is the 19th-century breadmaking table behind.
"Shaded
Shaded by well-established trees and covered with climbers, Salle’s house seems to have emerged from the plot on which it stands.
"Lodestar
In the smaller of two living rooms, a pair of panels, Dawn and Dusk, create a dream-like atmosphere. The striped sofa and chair are 1920s in the American directoire style. The blue bench is 18th-century Italian.
"Salle
Salle Werner Vaughn is a life-long Texan resident, collector, artist and writer.
"Salle
Salle mixed three shades of lilac paint to obtain exactly the right hue for the main living room. The walls are hung with her paintings, many in antique frames that she bought in New York. The 18th-century gilded table is Italian and has a rare yellow marble top.
"Salle
Salle regards chairs as one of her ‘signatures in life and art’. Here she uses a pair of early 17th-century Italian chairs with their original tapestry upholstery as a sculptural installation rather than practical seating.
"A
A 19th-century lacquered Japanese cabinet is used to store and display Salle’s collection of Song dynasty (960-1279) Chinese ceramics. Collected over a period of 30 years, some pieces were bought in the United States and others while travelling in China.
"The1820s
The1820s painted bed is Austrian and came from an antiques shop in Los Alamos.
"In
In contrast to the living room, Salle’s bedroom is painted an ethereal shade of grey and is filled with surreal paintings and curios.
"Lodestar
Salle’s house is filled with interesting and unusual works of art, such as this old saw blade painted with a winter scene entitled The Red Barn. Salle bought it from a neighbour who collects curios.
"Lodestar
The second of Salle’s little houses was built around 1900 and is used as a gallery and studio space. She has taken Pompeii as her theme for the decoration, which includes painted decorations on the floors and walls. Salle added the pillars when she took out a wall and needed to support the ceiling. Slim plinths are used to display sculptures and the chaise longue was a Hollywood film prop.
"Salle
Salle and her faithful spaniel on the steps of the gallery opposite her house.