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Prairie Chapel Ranch
Prairie Chapel Ranch, nicknamed Bush Ranch, is a 1,583-acre (6.41 km2) ranch in unincorporated McLennan County, Texas, located 7 miles (11 km) northwest of Crawford (about 25 miles (40 km) from Waco). The property was acquired by George W. Bush in 1999 and was known as the Western White House during his presidency. Bush spent vacation time at the house, where he also entertained visiting dignitaries from around the world. The ranch received its name from the Prairie Chapel School which was built nearby on land donated by mid-19th century German immigrant Heinrich Engelbrecht from Oppenwehe, Germany, who owned the land that now comprises the Bush ranch. Engelbrecht also donated land for the nearby Canaan Baptist Church (the "Prairie Chapel").
Engelbrecht and his heirs raised turkeys and hogs. The original Engelbrecht ranch house is about 4,400 feet (1,300 m) from the main house on Rainey Road and is now called the "Governor's House" and is used to accommodate overflow guests. The Bushes stayed in the house during construction of the new house.
In 1999, a year before he was elected president, shortly after earning a $14.3 million profit from the sale of the Texas Rangers, then-Texas governor Bush bought the land for an estimated $1.3 million from the Engelbrecht family. Assisting Bush in arrangements for the purchase was the then Texas secretary of state Elton Bomer.
Bush removed five large hog barns on Mill Road leading into the compound in order to construct a new house, guest house, and garage.
On May 10, 2008, the ranch played host to the wedding of Jenna Bush to Henry Hager, a son of former lieutenant governor of Virginia, John H. Hager. The ceremony was relatively simple and was attended by some two hundred friends and family members.
David Heymann, then an associate professor of architecture at the University of Texas at Austin, designed the four-bedroom, 4,000-square-foot (370 m2) honey-colored native limestone single-level home with painted white galvanized tin roof manufactured and installed on the site. Heymann said the house was built from the less sought after portion of the local "Lueders limestone". The middle portion of each block of stone has a cream color, while the edges are multicolored. "We bought all this throwaway stone. It's fabulous. It's got great color and it is relatively inexpensive," Heymann said.
In addition there is an open 10-foot-wide (3.0 m) limestone porch that encircles the house. The house was built by Byron Bottoms Builder from nearby Elm Mott, Texas, and was not completed until after Bush's inauguration because of needed accommodations for security, meeting space, etc.
Laura Bush said they decided to keep a single level ranch design because "We wanted our older parents to feel comfortable here... We also want to grow old here ourselves."
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Prairie Chapel Ranch
Prairie Chapel Ranch, nicknamed Bush Ranch, is a 1,583-acre (6.41 km2) ranch in unincorporated McLennan County, Texas, located 7 miles (11 km) northwest of Crawford (about 25 miles (40 km) from Waco). The property was acquired by George W. Bush in 1999 and was known as the Western White House during his presidency. Bush spent vacation time at the house, where he also entertained visiting dignitaries from around the world. The ranch received its name from the Prairie Chapel School which was built nearby on land donated by mid-19th century German immigrant Heinrich Engelbrecht from Oppenwehe, Germany, who owned the land that now comprises the Bush ranch. Engelbrecht also donated land for the nearby Canaan Baptist Church (the "Prairie Chapel").
Engelbrecht and his heirs raised turkeys and hogs. The original Engelbrecht ranch house is about 4,400 feet (1,300 m) from the main house on Rainey Road and is now called the "Governor's House" and is used to accommodate overflow guests. The Bushes stayed in the house during construction of the new house.
In 1999, a year before he was elected president, shortly after earning a $14.3 million profit from the sale of the Texas Rangers, then-Texas governor Bush bought the land for an estimated $1.3 million from the Engelbrecht family. Assisting Bush in arrangements for the purchase was the then Texas secretary of state Elton Bomer.
Bush removed five large hog barns on Mill Road leading into the compound in order to construct a new house, guest house, and garage.
On May 10, 2008, the ranch played host to the wedding of Jenna Bush to Henry Hager, a son of former lieutenant governor of Virginia, John H. Hager. The ceremony was relatively simple and was attended by some two hundred friends and family members.
David Heymann, then an associate professor of architecture at the University of Texas at Austin, designed the four-bedroom, 4,000-square-foot (370 m2) honey-colored native limestone single-level home with painted white galvanized tin roof manufactured and installed on the site. Heymann said the house was built from the less sought after portion of the local "Lueders limestone". The middle portion of each block of stone has a cream color, while the edges are multicolored. "We bought all this throwaway stone. It's fabulous. It's got great color and it is relatively inexpensive," Heymann said.
In addition there is an open 10-foot-wide (3.0 m) limestone porch that encircles the house. The house was built by Byron Bottoms Builder from nearby Elm Mott, Texas, and was not completed until after Bush's inauguration because of needed accommodations for security, meeting space, etc.
Laura Bush said they decided to keep a single level ranch design because "We wanted our older parents to feel comfortable here... We also want to grow old here ourselves."