Mid-Century Masterpiece

March 31, 2019March 31, 2019 Tex Appeal staff Harrison House, home design, homebuilding, mid-century modern design

Harrison House showcases Temple couple’s love of clean lines, black-and-white décor

By Stacy Moser | Photography by Justin Borja

The open-concept HOUSE plan HAS AGED effortlessly.—Large, continuous spaces like this are as popular today as they were in the 1970s.

In the late 1960s, the Temple Daily Telegram featured architectural plans that readers could purchase to build their own homes. Temple residents Billie and Bill Harrison bought one of the plans and used it to build their home—enamored with the footprint of the house, shaped like the letter H.

The Telegram’s “House of the Week” advertisement for that floor plan, referred to as G-98, called the house an “unusual ranch … especially geared for informal outdoor living, with open courts at the front and rear. Its shape permits it to be used on a fairly narrow lot with no sacrifice of habitable area.”

An Aug. 3, 1969, article in the Temple Daily Telegram featured the Harrison House, built from a plan printed in the newspaper. Its black-and-white décor mirrored the couple’s personal style.

The Harrisons were well known amongst friends and colleagues for their fondness for a black-and-white color scheme. They dressed in black and white, their dishes were black and white, their linens were black and white and, yes, even their car was black and white. Once built, the Harrison’s house on Chisholm Trail in Temple was featured in the April 1970 Cultural Activities Center’s annual Tour of Homes, lauded for its clean, contemporary lines and, notably, for its crisp black-and-white décor.

According to an article in the Telegram in August 1969, the women with whom Billie worked at the Veterans Administration Center honored her with a black-and-white-themed house-warming party. The article’s writer comments that the partygoers “even came dressed in black and white, down to one white and one black shoe of the same design.”

NOW: The view from the kitchen to the dining room today. The rich wood tones of the flooring and furniture balance out the bright white walls and ceiling. The original oven, housed in a brick column, was replaced with a sleek, modern version.

Fast forward to 2013, when the home was acquired by a local architect who renovated the home, but with a loving regard for its history and previous owners’ penchants. She took great care to honor the vision of the Harrisons, blending the minimalistic architecture with updated fixtures and finishes, turning the dated mid-century modern home into a contemporary showpiece.

THEN: Billie proudly displayed her black-and-white houndstooth-checked cookware in this 1969 photo of the original kitchen.

When the renovation was completed in 2015, the home was sold to Darla and Tommy Reeder, who had just returned to the United States from India, where they’d lived for five years due to Tommy’s profession as a petroleum engineer. The couple sought to purchase a home in the Temple area when their realtor showed them photos of the Harrison house online. Darla and Tommy instantly knew the home was perfect for their lifestyle and made an offer on the spot.

This Buddhist “White Goddess Tara” welcomes all who enter the dining room. The painting, acquired by the Reeders on a trip to the Dalai Lama’s temple, SPELLS OUT aum mani padmi aum (peace to the planet) 1,000 times.

They furnished the house with a few key pieces of furniture and beloved artwork acquired during their travels. Darla has infused the house with soothing colors and zen-inspired furniture arrangements, even turning a small guest bedroom into her yoga studio.

“The bright, white walls provide an art museum-like backdrop for my colorful Indian statues, textiles and furniture,” Darla says. She acknowledges that a minimal decorating scheme isn’t for everyone. “But I thrive in this environment.

Billie Harrison in her dining room on a rare day when she dressed in colors other than black and white.

The author Marie Kondo says we should only keep around what sparks joy. When I collected pieces over the years, my test was ‘Does this object bring me comfort?’ In the end, this furniture and art from our days in India fit in so nicely here.”

An acquaintance of Darla’s, a psychic, visited the house recently and proclaimed that the spirit of a short woman was present that day, sporting a large smile and indicating that she likes what the new owners had done with the place.

“I do think Mrs. H. stops in for a visit every now and again,” Darla says, smiling. “And, I’m happy about that.”
Now, ownership of the house has come full circle. Just months after moving in, Darla took a job as an advertising executive at—you guessed it—the Temple Daily Telegram.

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