Wichita Falls historic house could face demolition after fire
WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — A historic house in Wichita Falls is nearing its end after a weekend fire.
The Berry Brown House could soon be demolished as a city official expects it to be classified as a public safety concern and be brought down.
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'It was really sickening and saddening,' Karen Montgomery-Gagne, Principal Planner for the City of Wichita Falls, said. 'Sadly, it's really the reality of our fears has come true.'
The Victorian-style, two-story house, once vibrant, is now reduced to near ashes.
Montgomery-Gagne believes it's a step closer to being condemned.
'It's just always unfortunate when something like this happens because it is a treasure that's lost in our community and something that holds value to many more people beyond just the owners,' Montgomery-Gagne said.
Heavy fire and smoke poured from the house.
'It was fully involved. Tried to make an initial attack, however, went defensive very quickly. Just too much fire, too much heat. So they set the ladder truck up, knocked it down, and after that, they used hand lines to mop it up,' Fire Marshal Craig Berend said.
A pivotal house once occupied by former Wichita Falls Alderman Berry Brown to grow the city.
November 2025 would mark 40 years since the city designated it as a landmark.
'Significance in the development of our community. Those are items that make us unique from other communities. They have value. They help give us a grounding of where the community's been and where the community is going,' Montgomery-Gagne said.
The house has been listed with the nonprofit Preservation Texas as endangered since 2006—a nonprofit with a call to raise awareness for historic structures in the state.
'This was an opportunity to increase awareness of this building in the hope that maybe there would be a group that could work with the owners to do something as far as maintenance improvement,' Montgomery-Gagne said.
But now, the city is inching closer to losing history.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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