Hodnette-McKesson House   •  4300 Avenue F

A snowy day at the Hodnette-McKesson House sometime around 1950.


A young resident goes for a ride in 1926.

The Hodnette House is a fine Prairie style structure, with two stunning Mission-style lanterns suspended from the eaves. It shows the strong influence of Frank Lloyd Wright, particularly in the wide overhangs, low-profile hipped roof, and dominant horizontal lines. It may be the best example in Hyde Park of Wright's Prairie School aesthetic. Note the hitching posts for visitors' horses that flank the front sidewalk.

Inside, quarter-sawn pecan floors most of the house. Spacious front rooms nod to each other like mirror images, while the family rooms give off a central hallway. Previous moves of the kitchen and pantry were undone by the current owner, and a boarded-up fireplace was rescued from oblivion. Servants' quarters at the rear of the property have disappeared, replaced by the garage during the late 1940s.