The marker on the front entryway reads:
A lawyer who made a fortune
during the oil boom in this area,
Fred Weeks (1888-1977) erected this
elegant home in 1924-26. Designed
by Kansas City architect J. F. Louck,
the mansion stood in the middle
of a 13-acre landscaped tract.
Local brickmason Walter McAbee
laid the specially made Kansas
bricks. The Weeks family often
hosted musical recitals here.
Two later owners, George F. LeBus
(1876-1956) and Charles H. Featherston
(1886-1969), were also oilmen.
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark
In addition, a supplemental plate was installed beneath the Official Historical Building Medallion and interpretive plate for the Weeks Mansion, THC Order #5390, Wichita County that reads, simply, "Entered in the National Register of Historic Places."
Eventually, Fred Weeks (13 September 1888 - 3 November 1977) and his family moved to Tyler, Texas, and sold the home to George F. LeBus (14 December 1876 - 29 December 1956). Charles Featherston (5 April 1886 - 27 February 1969) bought the house in 1946 who in 1949 sold it separately from its surrounding 12 acres to Earl A. Burch, who began the building's commercial use by establishing the Town Club, a restaurant. Then in 1953, Truman K. Pennell, a young businessman, used the house as the headquarters for the American Trust Life Insurance Company. John M. Hirschi purchased the building in 1968.
Thanks to the work by John M. Hirschi in restoring the house to near-original condition, Mrs. E. E. Clack, then chair of the Wichita County Historical Commission pushed for a supplemental plate to be installed underneath the marker that said:
John M. Hirschi restored the
Weeks Mansion giving it
a new role in the community.
The proposed text was changed to:
Restored by John M. Hirschi in 1977.
The incise on the base with 1/4-inch lettering was approved by Truett Latimer. Alas, the mention of the restorer apparently met with disapproval from others.
At the time of the proposal for a marker, E. E. Clack -- Katherine Y. Clack, the chair of the Wichita County Historical Commission, proposed to have the inscription "John M. Hirschi restored the Weeks Mansion in 1977, giving it a new role in the community," included on the plaque, or otherwise included on the wall of the building in homage of Mr. Hirschi. She writes, "[ . . . ] the work of Mr. Hirschi is so outstanding and sacrificial on his part, as well as significant to the community that he deserves special recognition." The reply from the Director of Research of the Texas Historical Commission explained that "[ . . . ] restorers are absolutely not mentioned on historical markers unless they have owned the property at least twenty-five years."
In an interview, Hirschi noted that "The real struggle for anyone thinking of restoring an old building like this is trying to find a viable usage -- one that will create enough revenue to keep the owner from having to tear it down. Ideas, concepts and management are important in determining what type business will succeed, but what will make or break it is community support." From the article, "Former Weeks Mansion listed on national historic register," published on March 3rd, 1981 by the Wichita Falls Times. While under his ownership, the house was renovated and then hopped with restaurants and an antique mall.
* * *
I typed below the article published on January 7th, 1938, by the Wichita Falls Record News that tells the story of the second owners:
"LeBus Family, 'Plain Folks,' Make Green Acres Home
Below is a view of the mansion looking through the northeast gate, from Harrison Street."
Wichita's Gain Counted Loss for Longview
"Wichita Falls' gain is Longview's loss as a balance is restored to the scales that weigh community achievement.
Another former resident of Wichita county is returning to the point of beginning again, pinning his faith on the future of the KMA oil field.
George F. LeBus, who left Electra a few years ago to enter competition in the East Texas oil field at Longview, made his return to this area auspiciously significant when he purchased the baronial home of Fred Weeks, former Wichita Falls attorney, for the reputed sum of $70,000.
13-acre Estate
'Green Acres,' the name by which the estate is known to Wichitans, covers an expanse of 13 acres on Harrison avenue in southwest Wichita Falls. the construction of the home is of brick reinforced concrete, towering three stories and supplied with 19 rooms and six bathrooms.
Designed by J. F. Louck of Kansas City, construction of the mansion required more than two years, completed in 1927, and was supervised by the original owner, Mr. Weeks. The architecture is English colonial. An ornamental iron fence surrounds the grounds on which are, in addition to the luxurious home, tennis courts, tea house, greenhouse, rose arbor, rose garden, lily ponds, fountain and a four-car garage over which are comfortable quarters for two servants and laundry room.
Mr. and Mrs. LeBus left Wichita Falls early Thursday morning, bound for the happy fishing territory of Don Martin Lake in Old Mexico below Laredo.
LeBus 'Young Man'
One of the youngest semi-elderly men of the state, LeBus has kept his physical being in condition with constant outdoor work and play, depending upon fishing, hunting, golf and other sports for his sunshine and fresh air. All the nine LeBus children, all married and the entire congregation of 19 grandchildren, along with Mrs. LeBus, are consecrated to the proposition of spending as much time as possible in the open and all are healthy in body, wealthy accomplishments and wise to what life bestows.
LeBus prides himself and wife upon the fact that they are 'common people,' looking ahead with youth, always associating with young people and, consequently, they have remained young in body, spirit and mind. "As a man thinketh," Mr. LeBus quoted, explaining his tendency to remain young, "so is he."
LeBus is thrilled with the prospects of the Wichita Falls area. He says there is a lot of business here and will soon be opening his office in Wichita Falls, having under his control 1,200 acres in the heart of KMA field to insure drilling of at least 120 wells. He believes this territory is in for a long reign of prosperity.
'A Lot of Living'
Mrs. LeBus said Thursday that it "'takes a lot of living in a house to make it a home' and the LeBus family has always been of that contention and intends to do a lot of living.'"
But the LeBuses didn't buy Green Acres with the expectation of diverting it to modern 'society' channels. They like to be able to walk down the street and be known by those they meet, and the older they get the less transplanting from one community to another is their collective aim. Their gate will be unlocked to any and all of their friends; the front door will forever remain ajar, they said.
Green Acres will be reconditioned and renovated immediately. There'll be a 'house warming' early in the spring.
'Wichita Falls has gained a real asset,' Weeks declared Thursday, 'in the LeBus family. Three is not better family alive. They are good, Christian people, being members of the Christian church and they'll be active in things beneficial.
Drilled Extension
'LeBus really drilled the actual extension of the KMA field,' Weeks said. 'He superintended the putting down of the well that is responsible for the present activity in the field when he drilled the Lewis well, sometimes known as the South LeBus, southwest of KMA proper. He has 1,200 acres in the heart of the field. Soon a LeBus machine shop will be erected because LeBus builds one wherever he is engaged. He has shops at Talco, Greggton, and Turnerville now.'
A peculiar quirk has bobbed up to interest the LeBus' lately. LeBus was born and raised in Flora, Ill., near the site of the recent oil field in that state. He came to Texas to find his fortune in 'black gold' only to learn that it was waiting for him in his own backyard. Mrs. LeBus is a native Texan.
Weeks left here in 1931, moving to Tyler. He has enjoyed a complete comeback. Never, he says, has there been a greater bunch of lawyers than those here and his residence elsewhere has given him the opportunity to make comparisons---Wichita Falls' attorneys lead that field. His plans will shape up within the next three or four months and it won't be at all surprising to meet Fred Weeks returning to Wichita Falls to make his home.
The LeBus children include Frank of Longview, father of Frank, Jr., who was a whirlwind backfield star on the star championship Loboes this past year; Mrs. Homer Griswold [NOTE: Someone underlined the name Griswold and then scribbled on the page the word, Grizzle.] of Longview; Mrs. Bennett Nance, Kerryvile; Jack, Longview; Mrs. Paul Brilby, Talco [NOTE: Another scribble shows Brilby is underlined and next to it is written in longhand the word Bilbry.]; Roy, owner of the Electra Chevrolet company; Mrs. Laura Dietrich, George F. Jr., and Mrs. W. J. Sheldon, the latter three live at home.
The former Weeks home was planned with great care. The reception room, the enormous studio living room and the library, all on the first floor, are paneled in walnut. The sun room has a tile floor with the ceiling in fresco. The great kitchen is black and white tile, as is the large breakfast room.
A beautiful winding stairway leads to the mezzanine living room and on the third floor are the bedrooms, each artistically canvassed. The master bedroom is on the second floor. Each bedroom in the house has its individual bath."
* * *
The nomination form, dated September 15, 1980, for the National Register of Historic Places was prepared thoroughly by J. W. Strong, Researcher/Consultant, Austin, Texas, using F. D. Monahan, Jr.'s description of the house as his major reference. Bring yourself a cup of tea because it is lengthy and quite an experience to read Monahan's narrative:
"The Weeks' House, 2112 Kell Boulevard, is a generously proportioned and stately mansion built during the 1920s for a wealthy Wichita Falls lawyer. Unmistakably revivalistic in concept, the Weeks' mansion derives its symmetry and ornamental vocabulary largely from the Renaissance, to a lesser extent from Tudor England. It is a two-wing, central portico building, 2 1/2 stories in elevation with symmetrical massing on two fronts. Vitrified brick sheathes load-bearing masonry walls twenty inches thick. A multi-hipped, slate roof, now turned green with age, contrasts with the red brick and white trim of the exterior. Three brick chimneys with decorated crowns pierce the roofline. The house is basically U-shaped in plan, but all facades exhibit irregularities on this plan. Fenestration varies in both size and ornamentation from facade to facade.
On the front or east face, terraced stone steps ascend gently to the dominant feature, a handsome three-bay stone portico with four pairs of columns carrying simple entablature. It combines round Doric columns flanked by square pilasters and has recently been veiled by tinted glass. The portico arches are flat; slightly projecting beyond the flanking arches, the central arch is crowned with a segmental pediment and crest. A single front door is tucked beneath the portico and framed by a round arch with fanlight and sidelights. Two Palladian arched windows flank the front door and appear to be the same size as the door. At the second level, the single-story portico supports a balcony with a combination stone and iron railing. Three previously shuttered doors visually reinforce the three-bay portico below. These doors are surmounted at the roof by three hipped dormers.
Symmetrical paris of shuttered, casement windows flank the portico at both levels. The 8/16 windows of the ground floor are further ornamented with stones sills and keystones whereas the 4/16 windows of the second story are adorned with only the sill. This large shuttered, casement window also appears on the south and north facades.
The strong horizontality of the Weeks' House is emphasized repeatedly on the east facade by a variety of elements: a string course of flat stones dividing upper story from lower; wide, louvered green shutters surrounding the windows, plain quoins on the lower floor; bracketed cornice with paneled frieze under the soffitts; and iron railings on two pairs of semi-circular balconies projecting from the second story wing windows.
Curiously, the north facade, rather than the main (east) face, is the most highly decorative facade of the building. Here, the architect drew heavily on classical motifs to increase the dramatic effect of the dominate feature, a one-story carriage entrance. It, too, has a hipped slate roof, but unlike that of the house, the carriage roof is low-pitched. The carriage entrance is adorned with pilasters and two arched openings which in massing, proportion and detail are reminiscent of Roman triumphal arches. Two pairs of columns carrying a simple entablature support each stone arch. The outermost columns are square with square capitals while the inner pair is round with Ionic capitals. Sheltered beneath the porte cochere is an eight-paneled, single door with semi-elliptical fanlight and sidelights. Above the carriage entrances rises a projecting gable which is pierced by a circular window at roof level and three small, single unit windows at the second story. Four massive piers support the entrance, and overhanging foliate ironwork ornaments its vehicle entrance and exit.
Dominating the other elements of the south facade is a two-story bay window with inset cut stone decoration at roof level. The windows of the bay are ornamented by stone framework and are shaded by modern awnings. The bay window is juxtaposed alongside a one-story Tudor bow window with crenellated parapets and a three-window, double hung 8/12 unit, also framed in stone.
The west facade, like the east facade, is reached by steps leading to a terrace. The centered, double back door is set into a two-story bay window glazed with stained glass. The other two doors of the west facade are crowned by broken triangular pediments supported by brackets. Stone sills emphasize the single unit, double hung, 8/8 ground floor windows and the 16/16 second story windows.
The interior of the house was planned with formal living, entertaining and dining areas on the ground floor, sleeping and sitting quarters of the second and utility and recreational space in the basement. After the house was completed, additional entertaining space, including a living room and ballroom, was carved out of the basement. The kitchen, breakfast, two stairwells, conservatory, dining room and solarium occupy the south wing, ground floor. The formal entrance hall, music room and formal stairwell occupy the 'curve' of the U-plan while the south wing holds a library, two bathrooms, study and stairwell. Upstairs, in addition to bathrooms, sitting and sleeping quarters, a mezzanine overlooks the formal entrance hall and music room. There are 15,000 square feet in the house.
Contrasting with a relatively restrained exterior, the interior exhibits a varied and sumptuous use of finishing materials and detail. The floors on the ground and second floors are hardwood except in the kitchen, bathrooms and solarium, which are tile. Dark-stained, two and three-tiered, Italian walnut paneling is copiously used for the walls of several ground floor rooms, including library, entrance hall and dining room. Dramatic stained glass windows two stories in elevation complement the walnut wainscoting and plaster walls in the music room. The walls in the stairwell are also wainscoted and plastered. Plaster sheathes the study, mezzanine and solarium walls. Ceilings of the ground floor are either plaster, cast plaster or paneled walnut.
Two of the three ground floor fireplaces are in original condition. A third fireplace, located in the dining room, has been reconstructed after damage sustained from a 1978 fire. Faced with glazed tile, the library fireplace is green marble, as is its hearth. Paneled walnut pilasters flank the fireplace. The spectacular music room fireplace, mantel and overmantel of highly ornate cast plaster, is faced with glazed ceramic tile and has a Tudor-arched opening which is framed with pairs of tapered pilasters and ornamented with a cartouche. A heavily moulded mantle supports a figured and foliated over mantle with six fluted pilasters, in turn carrying an elaborate entablature.
Containing the formal stairwell and mezzanine is a continuous wood andiron stair rail, which is ornamented with painted floral decorations in classical style. Brass hardware on windows and some doors is original. Wood trim and fluted colonnettes define an elegant triple-arched display case at the landing of the formal stairwell.
The solarium originally had a tiled water fountain and hand painted designs on its walls. The latter have been obscured by later generation-paintings.
Except for several reconstructed shutters, the exterior of the Weeks' House is basically unaltered. the interior has undergone some modification during its lifetime, much of which was returned to original status during the 1973 Hirschi restoration. The ground floor bathrooms have been modernized, and the kitchen has been enlarged by an extension into the pantry. All light fixtures, with one exception, are the 1920-style replacements of 1950 fluorescent fixtures. Some doors in the entertainment area were removed during the 1950s but have been replaced with French doors matching the originals.
Upstairs, the master bath has been converted to a bar, but its original sky light is intact. Some walls and closets have been roomed, and the ceilings in several bedrooms and sitting rooms were lowered during the 1950s to accommodate air conditioning. In most of those cases, the original ceilings above are intact.
The property was originally part of a 12-acre tract but has been reduced to less than one acre in area. There are a few parking places on the east, north and south sides of the property.
With its revivalistic tendencies, grandiose scale and remarkable interior, the Weeks' House -- like The Breakers in Newport, Rhode Island -- is a notable example of Second Renaissance Revival architecture in America. The Weeks' House also drew on Tudor England for some of its ornamental detail. Few buildings in Texas exhibit interiors designed as elegantly as this mansion. Excellently preserved and solidly constructed of the finest materials available at the time, the house reflects a socially fluid and economically bumptious environment as well as a Texas lawyer's aggressive rise to affluence and influence in Wichita Falls. The families who resided there all made fortunes through the oil industry; thus, the structure records the opulent lifestyle of the small but enormously influential class of American society. Today the Weeks' House is hemmed in by modern apartments and a freeway. Even so, it stands as an extravagant reminder of a boomtown period in Wichita Falls' history.
Like others before him, notably Cornelius Vanderbilt who built The Breakers, J. Fred Weeks of Wichita Falls and architect J. F. Louck of Kansas City chose to revive the Renaissance image and vocabulary for the Weeks' family residence. Renaissance principles of symmetry and harmony naturally impart respectability and prestige on a social level. This style was ideally suited to the social aspirations of wealthy men like Weeks and Vanderbilt before him. Though The Breakers is certainly a more elaborate and precise statement of the Second Renaissance Revival than is the Weeks' House, the two mansions share some features, including classical symmetry, detailing and articulation of their main facades.
Fred Weeks made at least two fortunes, largely from the North Texas oil boom. With part of the first, he built his home in Wichita Falls. Trained to practice law, he became a famous trial and criminal lawyer specializing in oil and gas interests. Weeks was also active in real estate development, as well as civic and philanthropic affairs, in Wichita Falls. One of the early and active supporters of the Spudder's professional baseball team, he and his brother Henry donated substantial park land to the city. Weeks Park is named for them.
The Weeks were active in social and cultural affairs. Mrs. Katie Lou Avis Weeks, in particular, was vitally interested in music. She used her home, clearly designed for entertainment purposes, for many musically and socially prestigious concerts. Her keen interest in landscape gardening was demonstrated by her designs for the acreage that originally surrounded the mansion and by the early landscaping of Weeks' Park. After living in the mansion for only five years, Weeks lost his fortune in 1931. He and his family moved to Tyler where he built up a second fortune, again by practicing law in an oil- and gas-rich economy.
In 1938, the house sold to George F. LeBus and family. LeBus was a mechanical genius who made his fortune by developing innovation oil drilling equipment. From machinery invention, LeBus developed profitable interests in oil exploration and drilling in Texas and the Southwest. Charles H. Featherston purchased the house in 1946. Featherston was first a rancher, then an oil entrepreneur, drilling the second production well in the Burkburnett field. Other business interests included real estate development and insurance, both highly lucrative endeavors for Featherston. Like Weeks, he was a civic leader in Wichita Falls, and in Oklahoma as well.
Since 1949, the Weeks House has been used for commercial ventures. That year it was sold separately from its 11.2 surrounding acres. Apartments were built on the acreage and the house was converted to use as a private dining club. The mansion later housed an insurance company, followed by an education service center and a small theater group in the basement. Its current owner, who with a team of professionals restored the house to near-original condition in 1973, today leases the upper floors as a mini-mall of exclusive boutiques and the basement as a restaurant."
* * *
An article published by the Wichita Falls Times on February 2, 1975, reports the opening of the Gatsby Club, a restaurant with a 1920s theme.
"The Gatsby . . .nostalgia personified
The Gatsby is probably the city's best known example of restoration or more specifically, preservation.
Its walls today are reverberating with the laughter and music of a new generation -- but coincidental with the Charleston rhythm and gaiety of the '30s when the famed Weeks Mansion was in its heyday.
The Gatsby, located at 2000 Harrison, was opened two years ago as a private club and restaurant by John Hirschi, a Wichita Falls realtor, as the latest renovation to the mansion since it was built in 1925 by Fred Weeks, wealthy attorney and oil man.
Just recently it was acquired by the Trade Winds Motor Hotel and is under management of Burl Kirkland. The Gatsby will remain as a club, but with something to be added for the public.
The imposing mansion is said to have cost a half million dollars to build and its 20-inch thick masonry walls, 11 fireplaces, most of them Italian marble, 9 bathrooms, winding staircase, huge ballroom and individual balconies will attest to that.
The house has Italian walnut woodwork, exquisite chandeliers, leaded glass windows and many other features that give it a character definitely reflecting a bygone era.
Ben Hoaldridge, assistant manager of The Gatsby, talked about the newest plans for this elegant showplace.
The Gatsby is going public with its restaurant, The Ritz. The main floor restaurant will be open to the public for dining. a charcoal broiler and prime rib carving area is under construction now. These new facilities will be located in what was the original front entrance to the ballroom. (Guests now enter through the door from the portico.)
The second floor, game rooms and bars will be for private members only.
The mansion has been well preserved all these 50 years. Construction is said to have taken more than two years when it was built on the original 13 acre lot. It has been kept intact since 1931 when Weeks left Wichita Falls to make his home in Tyler.
Among businesses which have occupied the building have been an insurance company, the Town Club in the 1950s, Region IX Education Center, and more recently, the Backdoor Players.
The Gatsby took its name from F. Scott Fritzgerald's novel, "The Great Gatsby," a story of wealth and power with a 1920s setting, and it doesn't take much imagination to envision this mansion as a replica of Jay Gatsby's original showplace. The decor is in a 1920s theme.
Many of the original light fixtures have remained, including the intricate brass one, discovered in the basement and rehung over the main dance floor. Other fixtures and furnishings are originals from this era -- which was the intent of interior designer, Barbara Thompson when she decorated The Gatsby.
'We acquired most of the furnishing in the Wichita Falls and North Texas area. In the 'Lucky Lindy' game room, for example, all the Lindburgh poster and memorabilia were bought from a collector.
The old signs throughout the Gatsby are original ones and the many photographs of automobiles and scenes are from Wichita Falls,' she said.
A ceiling fan, barber pole and hanging planter buckets are features of the Yellow Roadster Bar, while church pews, old books and other accessories are reminders of the past. Round oak tables, odd early-day chairs are used throughout also.
The menu goes right along with the decor also, while other rooms in the mansion are The Veranda, a dining area with a garden atmosphere, the Bathtub Bar, the Library for private dinner parties and the Flapper Disco where contemporary music is played.
The disc jockey stand was designed from head and foot boards of a Victorian bed.
Hoaldridge says all of the fireplaces are working in the mansion with three of them used in the winter -- and along with candlelight certainly add atmosphere to the club.
Entering The Gatsby is like a nostalgic step into the past as well as an example of what can be accomplished in preserving our heritage."
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The Weeks' House is the first home in Wichita Falls to receive both a listing on the National Register and a Texas Historical Marker. The brief ceremony was held on June 2, 1979, with John M. Hirschi doing the unveiling of the marker. Later in the day, string ensemble entertained the guests of the open house.
Thus ends the file about the marker for the Weeks' House.
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