Clara Driscoll and her husband Hal Sevier, the owner of the newspaper The Statesman (The Austin Statesman), purchased the property in 1914. It reminded them of Lake Como in Italy where they had honeymooned a few years earlier. In 1916, the couple built a home for themselves, designed by San Antonio architect Harvey L. Page. They named it Laguna Gloria in part after one of her family’s ranches in Duval County, “La Gloria.” The site’s proximity to water is most likely the reason they referred to it as a lagoon.
In 1905, Clara Driscoll saved the Alamo from the encroachment of commercialism by purchasing the Alamo, then deeding it to the state of Texas. She was presented a Lintel from the Alamo for her contribution. In 1917, they hired Swiss woodcarver Peter Mansbendel to carve an Alamo scene on the lintel and used her for a fireplace mantle in the house.
The contemporary at Laguna Gloria. Please visit their website here https://www.thecontemporaryaustin.org/