The house was built in 1872 on the corner of McNeill and Fannin streets during the turbulent Reconstruction Period following the Civil War by Colonel Robert H. Lindsay who was a leading cotton factor and president of the city’s Board of Trade (forerunner of Chamber of Commerce). A railroad pioneer, he played a key role in bringing the “iron horse” (steam locomotive) to Shreveport. 

Col. Lindsay’s bride, Mary, died soon after the house was built, and they never occupied it. It was rented by Mr. and Mrs. Moses Bucklew, and in February 1886 was sold for $3800 to William D. Scofield whose family lived there for many years. The last family member known to live there was a daughter, Susan Martha Scofield, better known as “Miss Mattie.” 

In 1956, the Shreveport Symphony Guild saved the house from demolition. They purchased it for $300, had it cut into three pieces and moved to its present location at 2803 Woodlawn (across the street from the Centenary College Hurley Memorial Music Hall). It was one of the city’s oldest structures and an architectural gem. 

The turned wood balusters of the portico railing and the wooden details of the portico cornices were of classical origin, details abandoned shortly thereafter in residential construction. The segmental-arched windows and front entrance door, a deviation from the square headed windows used in the balance of the house, represent another important design element of the transitional concept.

After the house was purchased and moved by the Guild, it was restored under the direction of Wendell C. Sorensen of Somdal and Associates. The house served for a time as the Symphony Guild Woman’s Exchange Shop, but in 1971 the house was vacated, and a full restoration was begun.