Historic Tyler on Tour, 2005
The Ihrig Home
Michelle and Nathan Ihrig
1002 South College
Originally built in 1932 for Mr. Bob Collins, this English Tudor house is now home to the Ihrig family. Mr. Collins was a building contractor and built Hogg Middle School between 1928 and 1932. Because of his building connections, he was able to build three houses from the leftover materials from the Hogg site. The bricks on this house were made at the Lindale brickyard, but were actually over-fired. The accidental over-firing of these "clinker bricks" gave them a distinctive appearance and extra strength. Rumor has it, the bricks were gotten at no cost. The multicolored tile entranceway, library and sunroom floors are original to the house and were "leftover" from the Hogg project.
The original house was built on pier and beam, but subsequent additions are set on a slab. Chandeliers in the entrance hall, breakfast room and dining room are from the Collins' tenure. All hardware in the 1932 part of the home is original as are the floors, though the hardwood floors have been refinished. The mantle in the living room as well as the hardwood paneling in the study are original to the house and have gone through many different colors and finishes over the years. The Ihrigs personally scrubbed four to five layers of paint off of the woodwork in the study.
Mr. Collins built the home for himself, but quickly sold it to Mr. And Mrs. L.M. Glascow. By 1943, the home had been sold to Mr. And Mrs. A.Y. Lewis who lived here until 1973 with their four daughters. In 1948 the Lewis purchased the house next door on the south side. The house had been built very close to their house and the Lewis decided to have it moved. They leveled the lot and created a side yard. Among their other considerable projects were the two-storey addition of a "Hollywood" kitchen with metal cabinets, bomb shelter/basement, elevator, bath, garage, and master bedroom. The effect of the addition on the first floor doubled their downstairs den and created a sunroom.
In 1975, Mr. and Mrs. Horton Bunch purchased the home. They were attracted to both the home and its location on the Azalea trail. Though they changed little structurally, the home served as a beautiful backdrop for their extensive collection of antiques. The Bunches removed the existing entrance doors and replaced them with doors from an English pub.
Though the Ihrigs have made mostly cosmetic changes on the first floor, the second floor has been more challenging. They have re-oriented the stairway and opened the landing of the stairway to both first and second stories. The upstairs office has 1950's era built-ins that have been edited for more modern use. The bathrooms retain their original tile flooring and most fixtures. The doors between the upstairs hall and the master wing are the original front doors that were found by the Ihrigs and recycled for this purpose. The addition of the master bedroom in the 1950's has more recently been remodeled giving the Ihrigs a very luxurious bathroom space and beautiful bedroom suite.
The Ihrig's English Tudor style home is both old and new, traditional and current, a representative of the past and a modern home for the present.
