The Crusemann-Clark-Marsh-Bell House is a contributing property in the National Register’s Old West Austin Historic District (OWAHD). Although listed in that district as a 1927 home, it was originally built in 1917, possibly the first home in the Enfield subdivision. An extensive remodel in 1924 gave the home its present embodiment in the asymmetrical Tudor Revival style. The home is closely linked to the development of the Enfield subdivision through its association with the home’s first occupant, Margaret Graham Crusemann, a granddaughter of Governor Pease.
The house is also associated with Charles E. Marsh, who was at the center of Austin’s political and financial life for two decades as the co-owner and publisher of the Austin American-Statesman. Although the architect of the original home and its Tudor remodel remains uncertain, the house is clearly of value architecturally and historically. Moreover, the lovely carvings by Peter Mansbendel in the library and entry, as well as the Fortunate Weigl ironwork in the interior and exterior, represent some of these craftsmen’s best work. The integrity of the home’s exterior, as well as much of its interior, is largely intact and clearly deserves preservation with status as a City of Austin Historic Landmark as well as a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark. (Content contributed by Phoebe Allen © 2008)