How often do you cruise along Discovery Street? Have you ever wondered about that little pink house that sits on the corner of Discovery and Via Vera Cruz? (Or at least that where it was sitting until a few weeks ago). Back in May, if you drove along Discovery, you were probably even more puzzled to watch as the house was lifted and moved down the street away from the corner.
Why? What is the significance of this house? Why was it moved?
We talked with Tanis Brown at the San Marcos Historical Society and learned a little bit about the history of this house where they refer to it as the Meyer/Doran House. It was built around 1889 by Wilhelm Meyer. He was a widow and father of four and his daughter Emma inherited the property after his death around 1906.
After the house was built, a man named William Doran approached Mr. Meyer about subletting some of the property around the Meyer house. Eventually, Doran managed the entire property.
The Meyer house made news one year when Doran got in a scuffle with one of his partners – Gus Eliason. Eliason had a reputation for drinking too much and on this particular day, he and Doran got into a quarrel. During the scuffle, Eliason was shot and died three days later. No one knows exactly what happened that day, but Doran was acquitted of the crime a few months later and his reputation recovered quickly. In 1912, he married Meyer’s daughter, Emma, who owned the property and in 1917, he was elected to the state Assembly.
Today the City owns this property, which sits within the area planned for the Creekside District. There aren’t many of these original farm houses left in San Marcos, so the pink house is being saved. As the City prepares to begin improvements on the Via Vera Cruz bridge, the house had to be moved. So, it was lifted off of its foundation and moved away from the corner.
Plans have been developed to transform the area surrounding the pink house into park and trail space. And, while several options are being considered for the future use of the pink house itself, there are currently no plans in place. Only time will tell.
For now, the little house sits as a bridge between the past and the future of San Marcos.
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