Proctor-Vandenberge House in Victoria, TX

Victoria, Texas, a small city in South Texas, was the third chartered city in Texas and is one of the state’s old historic cities. In the 19th century, it was one of the wealthiest cities in America. It remains an important point of entry with a barge canal linking Victoria to the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, and the city itself is within two hours of Houston, Austin, San Antonio and Corpus Christi. Dozens of historic homes and buildings still exist on the quiet city blocks, including the Proctor-Vandenberge House, which houses an approximately 100-year old Zuber El Dorado wallpaper, which has been there since it was installed.

The house has been the home to several prominent figures in Texas history and was a refuge for Victoria residents in 1840 during the last great Comanche raid of the Texas coast, four years after Texas Independence. Hamilton Ledbetter, builder of the first part of the house, fought the Comanches and fled with his family to escape death. The Victorians successfully defended their city and little damage was done to the house or to the town itself.

Later owners of the house included Judge A. H. Phillips (1844-71); Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice John Stayton (1871-88); lawyer Samuel B. Dabney (1888-91); Confederate Major Felix McReynolds (1891-93); and attorney Fred Proctor (1893-1907), who dramatically enlarged the existing home. The exterior was redesigned in the early 1930s by Houston architect John F. Staub for Mary Traylor Austin Vandenberge, and it remains largely the same to this day.

Scenic Wallpaper was asked to restore the antique Zuber wallpaper in the entryway, which had not been climate controlled until recently.

We cleaned the paper, re-attached seams which had lifted or darkened from being improperly secured in the past, and restored various chips, water spots and leaks, including a large leak beside the staircase.