2 Mod Open Houses Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014

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    TWO MOD OPEN HOUSES FOR MOD OF THE MONTH, FEB 23, 2014

 

Houston Mod invites you to join us this Sunday, February 23, for Mod of the Month from 2 - 4 PM. 

Two vintage 1950`s modern/contemporary style houses, situated in the prime Post Oak/Galleria area of near west Houston, are featured as February`s Mod of the Month. They are both presently available for purchase and in need of new preservation-minded owners.

Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event. 

Next MODern Market: May 13 - 18, 2014

 

 

210 Pine Hollow, Houston TX 77056

Pine Hollow, Section 2

HAR LINK 

http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cfm?MLNUM=76530745

Pine Hollow is a secluded lane lined with some of Houston`s most significant mid-twentieth-century modern houses. Architects represented there include Harwood Taylor (275), William Jenkins (218), Preston Bolton (266), Wilson, Morris & Crain (250) and William Floyd (266). In 1957, Herbert H. Ulbricht of the firm Nunn, Nunn, & Ulbricht designed the fantastic contemporary house at 210 Pine Hollow to take advantage of the picturesque acre-plus wooded bayou setting by opening all major rooms with glass walls viewing the naturalistic setting. Even with all the openess, there is still room for an extensive art collection. The maticously maintained house has five bedrooms and four and one half baths. Rooms have high ceilings and many open to the five porches. This house was designed for William B. Bates, a successful lawyer and Chairman of the Board of Bank of the Southwest. 

Architect Herbert H. Ulbricht was born in Lockhart in 1923 and graduated from the University of Texas in 1949. He became a registered architect in Texas in 1952. He was a partner of Stayton Nunn and his son, Stayton Nunn, Jr., from 1957-1960. He is married to Stayton Nunn`s daughter, Martha. In 1960 he opened his own firm where he designed Anson Jones Elementary School (1967), Long Point National Bank (1967), and Northwest Savings Building (1969). He and his wife designed their own house located at 5239 Loch Lomond in Meyerland. Mr. Ulbricht is in the process of sending Houston Mod more information about his career. 

5215 Stamper Way, Houston TX 77056

Sage Addition

HAR Link

http://search.har.com/engine/5215-Stamper-Way-Houston-TX-77056_HAR94919322.htm

This super-swank mod, located two blocks from Houston`s Galleria, was designed in 1956 by architect Hugh Gragg and has only had one owner. It has large and flowing spaces still detailed with the most appreciated materials and styles of the 1950`s. The living room and den each have a fireplace wall plus there is an additional living area connecting the two rooms. There are four bedrooms and two and a half bath rooms. The back of the house is lined with glass walls shaded by extremely wide cantilevered roof overhangs. Landscape architects Bishop and Walker designed the grounds in 1957 including a handsome large swimming pool, coordinated canted planter boxes, and incorporated a wide array of interesting plantings. 

Architect Hugh E. Gragg (1920-2006) was a graduate of Rice Institute where he received a B.A. degree in 1941, a B.S. degree in Architecture in 1942, and an M.A. degree in 1947. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and was released to inactive duty in 1946. He worked as an architect for two years in the offices of Wilson, Morris, and Crain and for two additional years in the offices of Stayton Nunn-Milton McGinty. From 1951 until 1953, he served as assistant professor of architecture at the University of Texas in Austin. In 1954 he returned to Houston and opened his own office. In 1948, he married Annette Gano, a Rice alumna and architect with whom he practiced until his retirement. He and his wife worked alone; they were proud of having no employees. Mrs. Gragg was an heir of the Howard Hughes estate. 

Hugh Gragg was the architect for nine elementary schools in the Houston Independent School District and for schools in the Cypress Fairbanks and Spring Branch school districts. He was the architect for Clarewood House and the Florence Crittenton Services building in Houston and for Columbus Community Hospital in Columbus. He was also the architect for numerous office buildings and private residences. Everything he undertook was done with seriousness of purpose; even the smallest detail received careful attention.

Upcoming Events 

Houston Mod will host the second annual DoCoMoMo, US National Symposium in Houston March 13 - 15, 2014. Modsters from across the country are invited to convene in Houston to examine modernism`s legacy and consider its future. 

Astrodome: Harris County commissioners want to hear from you about the Astrodome. Please send your ideas and comments for new uses for the building by letter and email.

Support future Mod events by becoming a member of Houston Mod. Houston Mod is planning several members-only and members get-in-free events. If you need to check your membership status, please e-mail info@houstonmod.org 

Houston Mod publications and vintage Astrodome bumper stickers will be sold at Sunday`s event.