William L. Callender House

404 West Guadalupe Street

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The Callender House is one of the best preserved antebellum buildings in the state. The house also stands out historically as being the first building constructed from pre-cut lumber in Texas. The pine and oak were ordered in 1854 by Dr. Stephen F. Cocke, a Presbyterian minister. Dr. Cocke planned to build a hunting lodge on the San Antonio River but died

before construction could begin. Dr. Thomas R. Cocke, Stephen’s brother, used that lumber to build the Callender House.

 

The original structure consisted of four rooms-two upstairs and two downstairs. It was completed in 1855, and Dr. Cocke presented the house to his brother Stephen’s oldest child, Ella, and her husband, John Cochran.

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The house has passed through a lengthy succession of owners who have updated the home, adding modern comfort, but always with an eye to keeping the originality of one of Victoria’s oldest homes. To this end, the front of the house has never been structurally changed since it was constructed. The Callender House bears the official Texas Historical Medallion, and is registered in the National Register of Historic Places, ensuring its protection for future generations to admire and enjoy.

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You can learn more about this home and the families that have lived here in Volume I of Historic Homes of Victoria, available here online through our SHOP or at the Victoria Preservation, Inc. office.