We reported last month that Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters acquired the 110-year-old foursquare on Tenth Street where a developer has plans for apartments.
The company’s owner, Shannon Neffendorf, is working with architect Alicia Quintans, McMillan House Movers and Miller & Sons Construction to give the house a second life at a new address. Neffendorf is moving the house to Fouraker Street, backing up to his roasting and retail operation, Davis Street Espresso.
Quintans, who also serves on the city’s Landmark Commission, found that the house has had at least two addresses up to now. It was 250 Tenth St. when it was built sometime prior to 1910 and changed to 400 W. Tenth St. in 1911, when all Dallas city streets were renumbered, she says.
“Lawrence Marnell, an accountant for the Texas & Pacific Railway, and his wife, Sarah, came to Dallas about 1885,” Quintans reports.
They built a shotgun house facing what is now Bishop Avenue but at the time was Madison. They were living in the smaller house in 1909-1910, while the larger house was under construction, historical documents indicate.
Sarah Marnell converted the main house to apartments after her husband died, and she lived in the house for about 70 years.
Quintans uncovered a trove of antique wallpaper and architectural details under decades of drywall and redos.
Here’s a full report on the house, courtesy of Preservation Dallas, followed by photos, all courtesy of Alicia Quintans.
Sarah and Lawrence P. Marnell Residence 400 W. Tenth Street
c. 1910 (c. 1890 for the smaller house)Lawrence Marnell, an accountant for the Texas & Pacific Railway, and his wife Sarah came to Dallas about 1885. They built their first residence on the southwest corner of Tenth and Madison (now Bishop – the street name was changed in 1905) about 1890, a one-story, wood-frame main house with a two-story shot-gun style residence at the back of the lot, facing onto Madison. At the time, the address of the main house was 250 Tenth Street; the address was changed to 400 W. Tenth in 1911 when all Dallas city streets were renumbered. Mrs. Marnell lived at this location until her death in 1959 – a total of almost seventy years.
About 1910, the main house was either substantially remodeled or replaced by a two- story, wood-frame residence. City directories and census records indicate that the Marnells were living in the smaller structure at the back of the lot in 1909-1910 – perhaps while work on the larger structure was taking place. Mr. Marnell died before the work was completed.
The smaller house at the back of the lot appears to be the original circa 1890 structure, although a bay window was added on the north side of the house after 1905, but before 1922. The property address changed from time to time, but was referred to as 187 S. Bishop in the years after 1911.
Mrs. Marnell rented rooms in her home as well as the smaller structure following her husband’s death, and the two houses have generally served as rental property since she died.
