There are a lot of interesting things about the 4,665-square-foot J.R. Bailey Home, but the one you don't see coming is its original owner's claim to fame.
According to the website for the Hancock neighborhood where the house is located, Dr. Bailey was one of two scientists who figured out the formula for Novocaine during WWI, when the German government was keeping it a secret.
Bailey was also a major player in the creation of the Beau Site minidistrict where his home was built in 1909. The Hancock site notes that it was envisioned as an elegant, private enclave, with very large lots and somewhat inaccessible to foot traffic from the surrounding neighborhood.
Most of that stuff has changed, but the stately elegance of the Bailey home is intact—either in well-maintained original form or restored to integrate with original features. Situated on more than half an acre, the five-bedroom, five bathroom house features original plaster walls, tongue-and-groove oak floors, original long leaf pine floors, custom light fixtures, and 10 foot ceilings.
The lush grounds are covered with mature Live Oaks, and the once-exclusive enclave is now convenient to the University of Texas, Downtown, and the usual amenities one enjoys when living in the central city.
• 3504 Hampton Road site [Gottesman Residential Real Estate]
• Beau Site: A Case Study [Hancock Neighborhood Association]