Mike J. Koch was born March 19, 1864, in Galveston to William and Mary Kallus Bohac Koch, German immigrants who joined the influx of nineteenth-century settlers that helped shape Gonzales County’s ranching and market life. On March 3, 1903, he married Dora Houston Tinsley of the prominent Houston family. Dora was born October 14, 1854, in Caldwell County to James Andrew Dunn Houston and Julia A. Harris Houston, and was the sister of J. D., R. A., and W. B. Houston. Her first husband, J. W. Tinsley, had erected a house on these lots about 1883; he died August 22, 1901. After Dora’s remarriage, the older dwelling was removed and the present house was commissioned. The Kochs completed their new residence in 1907, choosing a modern bungalow that reflected changing tastes in domestic architecture and a preference for broad porches, open circulation, and fine but practical finish work. Mike continued to farm and manage extensive landholdings across the county. Dora died March 5, 1935, and Mike on November 9, 1938; both are buried in the Gonzales I.O.O.F. Cemetery.
Designation
Locally recognized historic residence associated with the Houston–Tinsley–Koch families and Gonzales’s early twentieth-century building boom. Contemporary tour literature also records the house as a reference point for later bungalows in the neighborhood.
Period of significance
1907 through the 1930s, covering construction, Koch family occupancy, and the property’s influence on nearby domestic building in the 1910s.
Notable owners and associations
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Mike J. Koch and Dora Houston Tinsley Koch (builder-owners); Dora’s first husband, J. W. Tinsley, built on the site in the 1880s.
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The plan of the 1918 J. R. Tinsley Sr. House across the block was executed as a mirror image of the Koch House, underscoring its neighborhood impact.
Architecture
A one-story Bungalow attributed in local tour documentation to builder Fred Meisenhelder, with broad front porch, generous window groups for cross-ventilation, and refined millwork typical of Meisenhelder’s work in Gonzales during this era. Surviving descriptions note large rooms, tall ceilings, and high-quality longleaf-pine finishes consistent with other 1900s houses in town. The plan’s popularity is evident in its later echo at the 1918 Tinsley residence.