The meticulous Greek Revival house was built by John B. McLane, for C. W. Lawrence between 1896 and 1901.   John B. McLane, who owned a lumber yard, painstakingly built his own 12 room mansion on the same block as the Lawrence home in 1885.

​

The home was built with stunning quality construction and the attention to detail was unparalleled for its era and still today. The cypress siding and decorative corbels along with its stately entrance of majestic columns, Corinthian capitals, and wrap around porches on all floors, make its initial statement.  

Inside, no expense was spared in the details.  The leaded glass entry door is flanked with beveled leaded side panels and transom.  Upon entering, ahead is the grand stairway that curves up to a landing that is common to the back stairwell that connects to the kitchen.  The initial entrance brings visitors into a formal living room.  It and the adjacent parlor are adorned with exquisite flame oak coffered ceilings.   Authentic to the home’s original construction and the underpinning of its beauty, there are plaster walls, hardwood floors throughout, ornate woodwork and still operational transoms.   The house was built on substantial concrete piers and included a basement which housed the state-of-the-art Franklin furnace and coal chute which heated the home by way of its extensive metal ductwork. 

 

The second floor has four full bedrooms, each with its own closet.  The second floor has a full bathroom with the original tub and pedestal sink, and a separate water closet with a backflush toilet.  The attic of the home includes front and side porches, and perched above the trees reveals expansive views of the epicenter of Milam County’s bustling affairs which Mr. Lawrence was a central figure. 

​

The home in 1946 was sold to Dr. J. S. and Mrs. Edith Hubert.  Wallace and Vickie Curry acquired the house in 1998.  Mr. Curry operated a business in the home.  In 2017 Marilyn Willie and Spring Janke purchased the property and worked for two years to meticulously restore it to its original grandeur and proper place in Cameron’s history.  From 2019 to 2025 the Central Avenue Bistro was housed in this historic property.