Owners E. Gary and Anna Mae Morrison purchased this idyllic spot on Lake Austin in 1953. In the early 1960s, the Morrisons commissioned George Page of Page Southerland Page to build a home on the property that would come to be known as Rockmoor Estate. The home is dramatically sited on twelve acres on Lake Austin and offers a park-like setting with grand live oak trees and beautiful lake views. Mrs. Morrison worked with the interior design firm of Cannell and Chaffin to combine comfortable Texas design with touches of French provincial style, creating a warm setting for family and friends. In 1964, the home was showcased in Architectural Digest.
Anna Mae was the consummate homemaker and hostess until her death in 2015 at the age of 99. The home remained in the Morrison family until 2017 when the current owners purchased the property and undertook a complete rehabilitation of the home.
The team at O’Connell Architecture collaborated closely with the J. Pinnelli Company and new property owners to identify and maintain the unique characteristics that define this magnificent estate. A series of restorative procedures were undertaken, including restoration of the original doors and a comprehensive repair of the masonry, both on the house and its landscaped features. The home’s signature single-glazed aluminium windows, which had deteriorated over time, were replaced by custom-designed, meticulously fabricated, thermally-broken, insulated glass steel windows matching the original character and profile. The interior saw the wood paneling being revived and replaced wherever required, preserving the integrity of the house. Special attention was given to the conservation of original elements such as hidden doors, custom cabinetry, door hardware, lighting fixtures, and bathroom amenities, reutilizing them wherever feasible. A beautiful, custom-designed stepped copper roof, reminiscent of the iconic style of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Kentuck Knob in Pennsylvania, provided a spectacular finish to this unique Austin estate.