Seaquist House

The Honor Award for the Seaquist House in Mason, Texas was presented to Jan Appleby on behalf of the Seaquist House Foundation at Preservation Texas’s Central Texas Regional Preservation Summit in San Marcos on September 21, 2023. The house was previously included on Preservation Texas’s Most Endangered Places List in 2014.

“The Seaquist House is no longer endangered, and we are proud to share this project as an example of what can be accomplished by passionate local advocates,” said Evan Thompson, Executive Director of Preservation Texas.

Presented every other year, Preservation Texas Honor Awards recognize outstanding efforts to restore, preserve, rehabilitate or reconstruct historic places that have been individually included on Preservation Texas's Most Endangered Places list or relate to a previous statewide thematic endangered listing. This year’s Honor Awards celebrate the remarkable efforts made by individuals, organizations, and communities to rehabilitate once imperiled historic places, breathing new life into cherished structures while honoring their historical significance and architectural integrity.

*From Left to Right: Kate Johnson, Board of Directors, Preservation Texas; Jan Appleby, Seaquist House Foundation; Samantha Hunick, Central Texas Program Officer, Preservation Texas*

Construction of the Seaquist House was initiated in 1886 by Thomas Broad, an English master stonemason. The house was later sold to Edward Reynolds, a local banker, who constructed a third story addition to be used as a Masonic meeting place.

In 1919, the house was sold to Swedish immigrant, Oscar Seaquist, whose family lived there until around 2005 when the property was more or less abandoned. The house quickly fell into disrepair, receiving no maintenance, suffering from animal infestation and vandalism. The Seaquist house was put up for sale in 2012, and sat on the market for two years. In 2014, rumors about selling the stained glass windows, doors and eastlake hardware abounded, and local advocate Jan Appleby decided to take action. Led by Jan, the Seaquist House Foundation was formed with the goal of purchasing and restoring the long-neglected house.

Thanks to the generosity of local donors, the Foundation was able to purchase the house in 2015. With the help of many dedicated volunteers over the last 8 years, the Foundation has completed the majority of the interior restoration, and the house is now open for tours. The group’s next big project will be the exterior restoration.

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