Thistle Hill, Fort Worth

This three-story Georgian Revival house, of red brick, and featuring stately columns on the portico, was originally built for the daughter of a Texas cattle baron as a wedding gift. The original owners lived and entertained lavishly in the house for some years. Over the years, the house went through some extensive remodelling, being bought by a real estate tycoon in 1910, who replaced the decorative woodwork with wrought iron, the wooden columns with marble columns, and the shingled roof with green tile imported from Italy. The house was then used by the Girls Service League of Fort Worth, from 1940 to 1968, and then stood empty until 1975. Bought by a community organization in 1976, the house was painstakingly restored to its 1912 beauty, and features eighteen rooms, six baths, five fireplaces, tiffany windows, and an impressive horseshoe staircase.