McFarland-McBee House

Photo by TWest Photography

An Austin landmark and home for preservation

The McFarland-McBee House is Preservation Austin’s office and a citywide homebase for programming and advocacy on behalf of Austin’s historic places.

PROJECT TEAM

Architect: Hutson Gallagher, LLC
General Contractor: ATC Contractors, Inc
Structural Engineer: Tsen Engineering
Civil Engineer: Civilitude
Landscape Design: David Wilson Garden Design
Interior Design: Heather Herndon at JS Dwellings
Color and Finishes: Pluck Architecture
Neon: The Neon Jungle
Hand-Painted Signage: Gary Green

The McFarland-McBee House is currently open by appointment only. Email our staff to set up your visit.

About the McFarland-McBee House

This unique home dates to 1947, at the start of Austin’s postwar building boom. Its Streamline Moderne style became popular during the Great Depression and drew inspiration from the sleek ocean liners and railroad engines of the era. The metal windows, stucco, and concrete block construction combined building trends of the day with innovative style expressed through horizontal bands, porthole cutouts, and rounded corners. It is one of only three Streamline Moderne residences in the city.

A Style for a New Era

Early drawing of the McFarland family house by builder Arnn Brothers Construction. Courtesy of the McFarland Family.

The McFarlands Build Their Dream Home

J. P. and Byrdie McFarland began construction on the house while living a few doors down at 3801 Red River, working closely on the design with their builder. The McFarlands infused their dream home with their love for the Streamline Moderne houses, hotels, and nightclubs of South Florida. Its L-shaped footprint maximizes the home’s curb appeal at this prominent intersection. J. P. was Vice President of Commercial Sales for San Antonio’s Friedrich Refrigerators, Inc. He and Byrdie lived here with their young sons James and John until 1954. Family photographs show how their distinctive home served as the backdrop for their lives, with details like a doghouse built into the exterior stair for their dog Mary, and fashionable cars like their 1949 Buick Roadmaster with “Cruiserline Ventiports” displayed in the carport.

Clockwise from top left to center: Byrdie and J. P. McFarland with sons John (left) and James (right). Courtesy of the McFarland Family.

John McFarland and his bike. Courtesy of the McFarland Family.

A Landmark in Austin’s Music Scene

By 1962 the house was a rental property, providing a home to students, servicemen, and musicians. Longtime resident Tom Pittman of the Austin Lounge Lizards lived here in the 1990s with then-wife Madgie Hollingshead, and the house became a fixture in the roots music scene. Legends like Joni Mitchell, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and Lucinda Williams were among the attendees at their well-known parties, including an annual gathering at the end of SXSW.

Musicians gathered at the house for a jam session. Courtesy of Tom Pittman and Madgie Hollingshead.

Preserving the House

In 2014, Preservation Austin led a grassroots movement to save this house from demolition. Our nonprofit purchased the house in 2019, listed it in the National Register for Historic Places in 2020, and embarked on its extensive rehabilitation to serve as a headquarters for Preservation Austin’s offices, advocacy, and programming. With support from across the community, we addressed structural needs while keeping interior finishings intact.

Thanks to the generosity of the McBee Family Foundation, in 2024 Preservation Austin renamed the house in honor of Frank and Sue McBee who were themselves leaders in Austin’s cultural life and preservation movement.

Preservation Austin board member Caroline Wright, who helped save the house from demolition. Courtesy of Kelly Little.

An Icon in a Growing City

For nearly a century the house has stood out as an icon in the Hancock neighborhood, otherwise characterized by low-slung Tudor Revival, Craftsman, and Minimal Traditional houses of the 1930s. Its dramatic cantilevered balcony overlooks the Hancock Golf Course (the original location of the Austin Country Club and oldest continually operating golf course in Texas), with views of The University of Texas at Austin and State Capitol dome two miles south.

As the city around it grows–including an expanding I-35 just two blocks east–the McFarland-McBee House serves as a testament to Austin’s innovative character, while offering a true home for preservation in the community.