Historic cottage with intricate front porch asks $899K

Some homes offer a clear historic pedigree—like this Sarasota midcentury modern—while others are a blend of styles and renovations added over the decades. Take this adorable three-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath home in Houston, Texas, which has its roots in vernacular and Victorian architecture.

The house was originally constructed in 1883 as a one-story, three-room Gulf Coast Cottage made from Louisiana cypress with a tin shingle roof. It was the home of a successful coffee merchant, Mr. Stephen A. Kuhn, who took advantage of the Texas and New Orleans railroad to expand his mercantile business from Louisiana to Houston. Using his skills as a carpenter, Mr. Kuhn’s son, Andrew, eventually remodeled the cottage—adding three more rooms and a myriad of upgrades that were in the Queen Anne Victorian style popular at the time.

The interiors were enhanced with wainscoting, faux-bois detailing, stenciled ceilings, and piped-in gas, but the most stunning upgrade was the new Steamboat Gothic front porch. Because of the porch, the house became known as the Steamboat House, a nickname that lasts to this day.

A recent multi-year restoration sought to return the 2,071-square-foot home to its former glory. The porch includes a fleur de lis motif to honor the Kuhn family’s New Orleans heritage, while the foyer boasts stained glass and original floors and wainscoting. The wood floors, fireplaces, and the updated kitchen all feature materials reclaimed from other historic properties, and the house is currently painted in its original 1893 colors; the owner had a chemical analysis of the paint conducted to determine the original layers.

Love what you see? 2214 Kane Street is on the market for $899,000.