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ROUND TOP ROUND WHAT'S NEW IN THE ANTIQUES BURG ON A LARK A spacious cellar cut from living stone in the 1850s in the center of town marks one of the earliest building sites in Round Top. Sitting atop the cellar is a relatively new pioneer-style building constructed by architecture students and owned by Texas Pioneer Arts Foundation. The storefront gained a dreamy new tenant: a worldly little boutique dubbed Lark. Proprietors and married couple Barbara Samuelson and Russell Smith tell us their goal is to fix the cellar up for special events, but for now Lark is the ideal place to scoop up gifts for your gracious country-house weekend hosts, including vintage globes, unique barware, curiosities, nature-inspired candles and books. Also on the shelves are the designer/artist owners' own handmade Scattered Light Jewelry (he's also a goldsmith) and Smith's bronze sculptures, which can also be found at Fine Home in Round Top. Catch him demonstrating his stone carving in the courtyard on sunny afternoons. The couple — she hails from chilly Minnesota and he from Austin — now live on a farm with two horses, four chickens, a dog and cat in nearby Smithville. Lark, 102 E. Mills St., Round Top, 512.695.4386, discoverthelark.com. Anne Lee Phillips I n our September issue, we profiled 34-year-old Mark Massey, the man responsible for restoring two of Round Top's town squares: Henkel Square, a project done in conjunction with his family, and the second, Rummel Square, undertaken solo. He is also the mastermind behind a new Round Top development called The Compound to showcase antiques vendors and hold events. Herewith, Anne Lee Phillips checks in with Massey on his latest and greatest additions to RT. THE COMPOUND Massey: "All vendors from the fall antiques show re-signed and will be back for the spring shows. Once the fall show wrapped up, I started designing a new structure to be completed by this spring called The Stables. It contains 9,000 square feet of space and is a large U-shaped structure designed around two mature oak trees with a grand interior courtyard and fountain. The entire space leased out quickly pre-construction, thanks to Kathy Johnston, The Compound's Antique Show producer. New dealers at The Stables during the spring antiques shows are Pascal Home, Plaid Veranda, French Laundry, ReWorks, Farm & Factory and Nomad's Loom. Weddings, private parties and live music will also start happening at The Compound this summer." UPDATE FROM RESTORATION WUNDERKIND MARK MASSEY The Compound Mark Massey A 1914 farmhouse that will soon be The Garden Company Café in Rummel Square Ongoing restoration of Moores Fort (1831) in Rummel Square, to be completed by the fall shows JENNY ANTILL CLIFTON JENNY ANTILL CLIFTON JENNY ANTILL CLIFTON JENNY ANTILL CLIFTON W e know you've wondered about the big red British phone booth perched atop a white pastoral fence on State Highway 237 on the way into Round Top. For Brit McLaren's Antiques & Interiors owner Sean McLaren, the phone booths are a talisman, and antiques are his birthright: His parents were in the business in England, and he grew up immersed in the world of antiquities. He opened McLaren's more than 30 years ago to the trade, and retail stores followed — three in the U.K. and three in Texas (two in Houston on Lower Westheimer, which he closed in 2003). He took a break from the U.S. for a few years to develop designs and focus on manufacturing reclaimed industrial pieces in England. Three years ago, with enough inventory and inspiration to make a return to North America, McLaren secured his current space on SH 237 and is open during spring and fall Round top Antiques Fairs. McLaren's is 20,000 square feet of handsome and sometimes quirky room vignettes that mix industrial finds with antiques. Based in London, McLaren spends the rest of the year combing the globe for treasures, from Spanish iron gates to British chesterfields and French interior doors. His workshop in England produces handcrafted reclaimed pine tables and kitchen islands, among other wares. Unlike many of the antiques show venues, admission and parking are free. McLaren's Antiques & Interiors, 1745 N State Highway 237, 917.741.7041. Open March 18 – April 6. Anne Lee Phillips CALLING ALL ANGLOPHILES RUMMEL SQUARE "I've brought in another building to the square: a large two-story 1914 vintage farmhouse. It came over in two pieces and was originally located about five miles from town. This house will serve as a new farm- to-table restaurant The Garden Company Café, whose other location is in nearby Schulenburg, opening for fall. Also in Rummel Square, I'm wrapping up restoration of the 1890 building I brought in from Fayetteville. It will house the new cigar-and-spirits shop, opening in time for the fall shows. Restoration work continues on the other vintage buildings in the square, and completion is set for late summer." WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK "Also, in November, I purchased another block in town. It's located directly across the street from Rummel Square, and cleanup has already begun. The new block will be named Washington Square Park after the main street in Round Top that runs alongside it, Washington Street (aka Highway 237). A central design feature for Washington Square Park will be a large lawn/green space spanning the middle of the entire block, with a bandstand, fountain and gardens. It will be a great place in the heart of town to meet up with friends and family, relax under a huge pecan tree and listen to all kinds of music and entertainment taking place on the bandstand. In addition to the large lawn, Washington Square Park will have space for six future buildings, which will be located along the block's perimeter in order to keep the middle open for public use. I plan to continue looking for old buildings to restore and bring to the new block." HENKEL SQUARE "A new restaurant called Teague's Tavern will be open by late summer. The tavern is located on the corner of Henkel Square directly across the street from the courthouse and will have a large ground-floor dining area and full bar, with additional seating on the second floor and on the wraparound balcony offering amazing views of town." ABOUT The phone booth at the entrance to McLaren's Antiques & Interiors