Hochwald House

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

This attractive home is the historic Hochwald House, which was built by its namesake Isaac Hochwald, who was one of the prominent figures of the city's Jewish community during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The house, which Hochwald erected in 1894, is further notable for its design, which incorporates elements of the Mission, Stick and Colonial Revival architectural styles. It features a large, two-story porch with fluted columns topped by Ionic columns, a red tile roof, and painted decorative trusses. The house remains a private residence today.

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Hochwald House was built in 1894 by Isaac Hochwald, who was a successful businessman and a prominent member of the local Jewish community.

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

Isaac Hochwald rose to become a successful businessman and a key player in the founding of the Moses Montefiore Synagogue. It is not clear where he was born exactly, but he was a twelve-year-old orphan in New Orleans when a French Jewish man, Lionel Kahn, adopted him. They moved to Marshall in 1887. There, Kahn and his brother, E. Kahn, opened the Great Railway Supply Store which became very successful. They sold plantation clothing and supplies and offered farmers credit at the start of the planting season. They also offered services to workers of the Texas & Pacific Railway such as extending them credit, lending money, and cashing paychecks.

Hochwald worked in the store and went to school at an all-boy academy. As a young man, he apparently attended college in Cincinnati where he obtained a business degree. He got married in 1891 to his wife, Amelia, and built the house in 1894. After the death of Lionel Kahn in 1896, Hochwald inherited Kahn's half of the business. Hochwald assumed full ownership when E. Kahn passed away in 1909. By then, the store was the most successful one in northeastern Texas.

Hochwald contributed to the community in a number of ways beyond the business. He served as a trustee of the school system, organized and served as the first president of the Marshall Rotary Club, and established and owned the East Texas Baseball League. Furthermore, as noted above, Hochwald was actively involved in the local Jewish community. In addition to contributing funds to build the synagogue, which was built in 1900, he was president of the congregation for over 20 years.

Hochwald died in 1956 and his daughter, Roberta, inherited the house. She, however, did not live there and sold it in 1960. Over the years, the house was altered on a number of occasions, including in 1912 when Hochwald expanded it. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

Sources

"Hochwald House." Stephen F. Austin University. Accessed October 15, 2020. https://catalog.archives.gov/OpaAPI/media/40972507/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/83004487.pdf.

Lale, Max S. & Moore, Michael R. "Hochwald House." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. July 14, 1983. https://catalog.archives.gov/OpaAPI/media/40972507/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/83004487.pdf.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hochwald-house.jpg

Additional Information

National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Hochwald House