Goodall Wooten House❖1900
Address: 1900 Rio Grande Street
Historic Designations:
National Register of Historic Places (1975)
City of Austin Historic Landmark (1990)
Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (1990)
The Goodall Wooten House is a historic home built from 1898 to 1900 by local doctor and benefactor Goodall H. Wooten and his wife, Ella. The building has served many purposes since passing out of the Wooten family in 1944, such as a student residence hall, a chemical dependency treatment center, a luxury hotel called “The Mansion at Judges’ Hill” and currently, a boutique hotel called “Hotel Ella.”
The Wootens began planning the house in 1897, when they were married. On July 20, 1898, they purchased the land from Wooten's father, Dr. Thomas D. Wooten, with whom they lived while the house was being built. Construction was completed on January 20, 1900, and the family moved in.
The house has three stories and a basement. The basement had servant sleeping quarters, a game room, and storage. The first floor boasted an impressive entry foyer, sitting room, music room, dining room, and kitchen. The second floor had four bedrooms, another sitting room, a bathroom, and a room for Wooten's extensive gun collection. There was room in the attic for more storage.
In 1910, the house underwent a major renovation and expansion. The west end of the house was expanded, and the lower sitting room was merged into a new library, and another bedroom was added. The plain hip roof was replaced and received new dormers. Ella hired Neiman-Marcus to redecorate the interior. It was the first house in Austin the Dallas-based company worked on.
Goodhall Wooten died on January 30, 1942, and Ella became the sole owner of the house. Ella sold the house on June 24, 1944. On October 20, 1953, the property was sold to Christian Faith and Life Community, who operated the house until 1972 as a student residence hall. The house was referred to as Lads House, Wooten House, Wooten Dormitory, and Wooten Hall. In 2013, the house became the “Hotel Ella.”