James Thomas Taylor, a native of England, was president of the James T. Taylor Co., a sash and door manufacturer, a founder of the Portland Cement Factory in Dallas, and a contractor of public roads. Between 1915 and 1917 Taylor purchased four adjoining lots from the River Crest Land Co. Construction of the house began about 1916. Mr. and Mrs. Charles F. Roeser owned the property from 1927-1939. Later owners included Bertrand N. and Mary Lou Thompson Honea; he was vice president and general manager of Caner Publications, Inc. which published the Fort Worth Star Telegram. Early photographs depict a house of imposing proportions of irregularly coursed rubble solid wall construction. The flat-roofed house featured a battlemented parapet above a visor roof clad in Mission tile. The square plan was interrupted on the west elevation by a one-story heavy stone arched portico. Changes to the house since initial construction include the removal of the tiled visor roof and the addition of a coat of stucco and white paint to the exterior. Further alterations comprise a pair of dependencies on the east and west facades; these were probably constructed in 1930 when the Roesers carried out a number of improvements to the house. The Classical Revival loggias appear to have replaced the one-story stone portico on the west facade; apparently at this time the north elevation became the primary, formal facade. The house retains its door and window surrounds and Craftsman style hardware of high quality. Ivy has grown over the central portion of the house in a romantic fashion. The later changes to the house alter its character but do not diminish its dignity. The grounds were landscaped by Hare and Hare of Kansas City, again probably in the 1930s during the Roesers’ ownership. Enclosed by a low rubble stone wall identical to the wall and shelters in River Crest Country Club (1501 Western Avenue) and the entrance gates on Alta Drive at Crestline (4700-4800 block Crestline Road), the architect or builder responsible for this important stone house remains unknown. The structure may be eligible for the National Register following further documentation.
