This document discusses the historical significance of two homes in College Station, Texas that are eligible for historic preservation awards. House #92 was the residence of Dr. O.D. Butler, an important figure in Texas A&M University and College of Agriculture history, who died in 1998. Built in 1953, it is now owned by Jim and Stephanie Russ. House #93 was one of the original faculty homes moved off the Texas A&M campus. It received the first historic home plaque in College Station (#1), though the original plaque was lost. The current owners Jeff and Brenda Hood reapplied for a new plaque. Paul Dutton, a resident of the house, was present to receive the new

1. House #92—700 Thomas
The historical importance of
this home lies in its having
been the residence of Dr. O.
D. Butler who died twenty
years ago in 1998. This is the
first year of eligibility for the
award that the Historic
Preservation Committee
approved in 2017.

2. The home, built in 1953, is owned by Jim & Stephanie Russ
and sits on a .35 acre lot.

3. Dr. Butler and his wife were
longtime residents of College
Station and OD, as he was
known, was an important
person in the history of Texas
A&M University and of the
College of Agriculture.
He began as an instructor at the
University in 1947; became
head of the Department of
Animal Science in 1956; vice
president for agriculture and
renewable resources in 1978;
and associate deputy chancellor
for agriculture in 1980.

4. An interesting fact noted on the
application deals with the lot next to this
house. Once known as “Clark Field” it
served as a baseball field for the
neighborhood kids, well before the
establishment of Luther Jones Park
(previously Fairview Park) in 1964.

5. House #93—601 Montclair
Approved at our November meeting, this house
originally was issued the first historic home plaque
(#1) in College Station. Over the years, the original
plaque disappeared—they are the property of the
person who filed the application, not part of the
house. The current owners, Jeff and Brenda Hood,
have reapplied for a new plaque.

6. No major renovations have
occurred since the previous
approval, and since this
house is one of the original
faculty homes moved off of
the TAMU campus, it is
automatically eligible for a
plaque. Since we are not
able to go back and recast
the original numbers, we will
be issuing #93.
This house is featured on
page 8 of “A Driving Tour of
Historic Campus Homes.”
Paul Dutton, a resident of
the house, is present tonight
to receive the plaque for the
Hoods.