Frank Crook House, Ocean Boulevard, Corpus Christi, Texas
We've all seen those movies or shows where the lead actor gets a little upstaged by a supporting actor. The same is true with houses. The scene-stealer might be the landscaping, an interesting outbuilding, or even the view the house overlooks. With the Frank Crook house, all of those things are stars.
It's right across Ocean Boulevard from Corpus Christi Bay.
It has a 2,632 square feet Lord & Burnham greenhouse, lush gardens, and is surrounded by magnolia and palm trees.
All of those things deserve their share of attention, but we haven't even talked about the gate and fence yet.
{source}
The fence pre-dates the house. By a lot. It even pre-dates our country.
{source}
It was made in 1750 in New Orleans. After the house it belonged to there burned in 1926, Frank Crook bought it and later installed it around his own property.
When a portion of it was damaged by Hurricane Celia in 1970, Mr. Crook sold it to Lady Bird Johnson. Now, as the historic picture says, it is on the grounds of the Johnson family cemetery.
Mr. Crook also brought in antique light posts from New Orleans, to illuminate his and wife Marie Pease Crook's many garden parties.
It's a little more understated than its co-stars...
but it doesn't have to be. It could use a little design inspiration, like this:
Meanwhile, the dining room...
should go for a more dramatic role, like this:
The kitchen and bathrooms have all been recently remodeled.
The butler's pantry now includes a warming drawer and a drinks fridge.
The breakfast nook was also updated, inspired by the view of the palms:
If it were mine, I'd just bring in more of the blues and greens from our other design inspirations, like this:
That's C.S. Stockwell's famous banana leaf Martinique wallpaper, made famous by the Beverly Hills Hotel.
{source}
It's kind of neat coincidence that we just saw it in actress Lily Collins' former foyer, below:
By the way, it had been in my house, too. We found a patch of it (or one very similar) when we renovated our bathroom recently. I think it works better in these grander rooms, though!
The library/den, sunroom, and powder bath round out the first floor.
Once again you see the recent renovations. Stay tuned until the end and I'll show you more of them.
Upstairs are four bedrooms and three more bathrooms. The house has 4,911 square feet.
As pretty as those rooms are, this house just seems to draw you outside.
The 836 square feet guesthouse doubles as a pool house and has its own kitchen.
The overhead view brings our attention back to the greenhouse.
Frank Crook (1892-1980) was an avid collector of rare plants and flowers. In addition to over 250 magnolia trees -- reportedly one of every species that grows in Texas -- he grew azaleas, amaryllis, African violets, and orchids.
One was officially named for him in 1956 -- the Vanda Frank Crook. He also grew giant Victoria Amazonica waterlilies in a special pond.
{source}
He owned the Port Compress Company, which stored and processed cotton prior to shipping it.
{source}
Much like the upstaged actor, ready information about his company is limited to this straightforward plan and a lawsuit by a guy wanting overtime pay. Giant waterlilies and a 275 year old fence are much more interesting.
Also interesting -- the photos from the recent renovation that really highlight what this house has to offer:
{source}
The listing is here.
This week's YouTube video is the 1750 Silas Gardner House. The link is here.
