THE KYLE HOUSE

 

The Victorian home was established in 1898 by George Samuel Parker, of Parker Lumber Company. The home was originally built as a three story structure. It is said that Samuel Parker traveled throughout Texas selecting the woods he wanted to include in the home. Note the beautiful inlaid floors throughout the house. The two remaining fireplaces in the home are original to the house and are of special note as the tile surrounding them was imported from France. These items still remain in the home today. The Parker home was eventually sold to the M.E. Wallace family who lived in the home until 1943. The Yeager's were the next Brazos Valley family to live in the home and resided here until it caught fire in 1947. The second and third stories, consisting of five bedrooms and baths, were lost. The remainder of the home was saved, the roof line lowered and the exterior of the house repaired and stuccoed. 

After the fire, Dr. Edwin Jackson Kyle and his wife Alice Myers bought the home and resided in the garage apartment while the interior of the house was restored and decorated to look much as it does today. In the 1950s, the Kyles had a complete suite of dining room furniture made for the large dining room. The beautiful inlaid solid mahogany furniture was produced in Grand Rapids, Michigan by the Williams-Kimp Furniture Company and the Grand Ledge Chair Company, circa 1925. When the Kyles sold the home to the McVeys in 1963 the suite stayed in the home to continue complimenting the dining room, along with the crystal chandelier from Czechoslovakia, both items remain in the dining room today. 

This beautiful home is named after Dr. Edwin Jackson Kyle, 1876-1963. In 1904, the Board of Texas A&M University set aside an area on the campus as a permanent athletic field. Edwin Jackson Kyle, who joined the faculty of A&M as professor of horticulture, was chairman of the Athletic Council. Kyle first had the area fenced off with barbed wire, then replaced the wire with a wooden fence. In addition, the covered grandstand at Bryan's fair grounds was purchased, which Kyle gave as a personal note, since the Athletic Council had no money. The five hundred seat bleacher was moved and rebuilt on campus during the 1906 season. The field soon became known as Kyle Field, and his name now graces the home field of the Fightin' Texas Aggie Football team. Dr. Kyle was without question a great inspiration and tireless worker in the development of A&M's athletic program. Dr. Kyle was Dean of the Texas A&M Agricultural Department from 1911-1944, and then President Harry Truman appointed him as U.S. Ambassador to Guatemala, 1944-1948. Dean Kyle, as he was affectionately known, and his wife Alice, resided here from 1948 until his death in 1963.

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While historically the Kyle house has served as a beautiful home in downtown Bryan, today it is a full service coffee shop and the home of Polite Coffee’s roasting operation and training facility.