In a brief meeting, Katy City Council unanimously approved the purchase of a home located at 5402 Franz Road for $350,000 and the purchase of a tractor and trailer for a total of $22,750 during a Monday afternoon special meeting. Both purchases will be paid for out of the city’s reserve fund.

“The Parks Department employees are going to be there and it’s also going to be used for a learning center,” said Katy Mayor Pro Tem Chris Harris.

Harris said the home is the historic home of the Fussel family who worked in the rice farming business when the home was still considered to be out in the country. Harris added that the new tractor and trailer will be used by the city’s Parks Department to help maintain parkland around the city.   

The lot the home is located on is about 1.24 acres and is just east of the Katy Branch Library on Franz Road, according to city documents. Harris said the home is situated near park space such as Katy City Park, the Katy Off-Leash Dog Park and Mary Jo Peckham Park as well as the library, other public buildings and an arboretum. It is also a short walk from Katy Junior High School and just more than a mile from Katy Elementary School.

President of the Katy Heritage Society, Adrienne Davitz, said she is glad the city is working to ensure the historic home will be maintained. She also hopes the city will involve the society in efforts to preserve the historic home which was the childhood home of a former first lady of Katy.

“It is one of the historical homes that we have on our marker system that was done during the Texas sesquicentennial,” Davitz said.