Historic Tyler on Tour, 2002
Bracken - Clark House
1404 S. Chilton Avenue
In 1932 J. Atticus Bracken built the house at 1404 South Chilton. Its present owners, Tyler attorney Charles Clark and his wife, Nancy, describe it as “the first of the big oil mansions in Tyler”. At the time of its construction, on almost an acre of land, it rose imposingly at the southern outskirts of the city.
Sitting high above street level, this typical country French chateau was designed by Dallas Architect Arthur E. Thomas. With the finest materials and labor available, the house was built in the midst of the Great Depression at a cost of ,000.
The exterior is tan brick with stone quoins at the corners. The roof is red tile and copper gutters were designed to carry off the heavy flow of East Texas rain. Leaded glass windows at the entry feature stained glass fleur de lis, and inside the walls are of plaster over metal lath. Dressed with oriental rugs, Tiger oak flooring in either quarter-sawn planks or parquet is used throughout the house.
In the entry, the oak staircase with swirled wrought iron railing is carpeted with its original Oriental runner. At the landing, a tall gilt pier mirror stands beside a leaded glass window to separate private upstairs areas from public rooms below.
A pickled wood mantle edges the marble facing of the living room fireplace. The brass wall sconces and chandeliers are original to the home. Elegant plasterwork in defined panels and a diamond designed curved cornice complete the gracious setting. The dining room woodwork is native East Texas gumwood, which joins with leaded glass to form corner cabinets.
Back splashes in the kitchen and butler’s pantry are Portuguese tile with a peasant design, and were added in the 1960's by their son, Glen Bracken. The home’s bathrooms are original and tiled in shades of pink, green and brown.
Upstairs, the fireplace distinguishes the master suite. A glass-enclosed morning room filled with greenery overlooks the generous back yard, and just off the bedroom is a small sitting room. Lined with multi-paned windows, it catches the morning sun.
Members of the Bracken family lived there for fifty-one years, yet the house was so well designed and built that few changes have been made through the years. Central air-conditioning, a kitchen update and a service elevator have been added. The conversion of a back porch to a den was a gift to the Brackens from their children. These are minimal changes for this seventy-year-old mansion.
The Clarks bought the home in 1989 and are especially proud of the authenticity of this historic Tyler home. Today they find pleasure in its original design, gentled with the patina of seven decades.
