Open House Tour ~ September 12, 2026 ~ 2pm to 6pm
The House That Braun Built
Between 1882 and 1883, George Braun commissioned local architect-builder John B. McDougall — also responsible for St. Patrick's Church and St. Xavier's Academy — to design a residence befitting his standing in the community. Inspired by the grand Italianate-style homes he had admired in St. Louis, Braun selected that same architectural tradition for his Denison home.
He brought carpenters over from Germany to construct it, along with a Bavarian woodcarver whose work can still be seen in the ornate fireplaces and interior millwork that grace the house today. The two-story wooden structure featured a flat roof with elaborate cast-iron balustrades, fourteen-foot ceilings throughout, Louisiana curly pine doors with carved hood molds, and cast-iron mantles adorned with gargoyles, rosettes, and floral motifs. A detached greenhouse, carriage house, gazebo, and formal gardens once surrounded the property, encircled by a cast-iron fence.
Upon its completion in the fall of 1883, the Braun residence was considered one of the finest homes in Denison — and one of the few examples of the Italianate Victorian style in the entire city.
Building a Business Empire
George Braun was not a man content with a single enterprise. Recognizing an untapped need on the sun-scorched Texas prairie, he founded the Northern Lake Ice Company — Denison's first ice house — bringing in northern lake and river ice and making possible the sale of fish, oysters, celery, and other perishables that were virtually unheard of in the region at the time. By November 1883, he had expanded further, breaking ground on a full ice manufacturing facility near the Missouri Pacific freight depot on Gandy Street.
His business instincts were sound, his reputation for integrity well-established, and his contributions to the commercial development of Denison were widely recognized. As one contemporary account noted, industrial Denison owed much to him — he was consistently willing to invest both time and resources in the betterment of his adopted hometown.
George Braun passed away on November 17, 1903, at his home on Austin Avenue, after a prolonged battle with rheumatism. He was 68 years old. His entire estate passed to Minna, who continued living in the home until 1919. She passed away in 1934 and was laid to rest alongside her husband at Fairview Cemetery in Denison.
The house changed hands several times over the following decades until it was purchased by Joe Pollaro in 1974. Pollaro undertook a meticulous restoration of the interior, preserving the carved pocket doors, elaborate fireplaces, and Victorian detailing that define the home's character. In the year 2000, the structure was relocated from its original downtown lot to a sprawling hillside site just north of Munson Park — where it sits today on 14 private acres, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
What began as one man's vision for a home worthy of his ambitions has become The Braun Manor — a living piece of Texas history, available to those who wish to experience it for themselves.