Kozmetsky House ❖ 1955

Address: 1001 W 17th Street

Historic Designation: City of Austin Historic Landmark (2012)

Built by Judge James McClendon and his wife Anne Watt McClendon in 1955 as 905 W. 17th. The city directory for 1960 indicates the address as 909 W. 17th, with Mary A. McClendon as the resident owner. Judge McClendon was appointed chief justice of the Court of Civil Appeals by Governor Pat Neff in 1923; he served in that position until 1949, when he retired. As chief justice of the Court of Civil Appeals in 1948, McClendon presided over the landmark case Sweatt v. Painter, in which Heman M. Sweatt, a black postal employee, charged that he was denied entry to the UT law school because of his race.

The home was purchased by the Kozmetsky family in 1966. George Kozmetsky served as the University of Texas Business School Dean (1966-82). Dr. Kozmetsky mentored his student/protégé Michael Dell, who spent many hours at the house.