Herblin - Shoe House ❖ 1900

Address: 712 W 16th Street

Historic Designations:

• City of Austin Historic Landmark (1985)

• Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (1985)

Built in 1899–1900 by local contractor John Allen Greathouse for William Herblin, a superintendent in the cottonseed oil industry, this two-story Late Victorian/Queen Anne home changed hands several times before being purchased by William and Mary Shoe in 1927. Their daughter, Lucy Shoe Meritt, a renowned classical archaeologist and professor, spent summers in the home beginning in 1927 and returned permanently in 1971 with her husband, Greek epigrapher Benjamin Meritt. The home remained unairconditioned and served as their primary residence until their deaths. Lucy continued her academic work as a visiting scholar at UT Austin until she died in 2003.