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Dan the Man

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Everything posted by Dan the Man

  1. Dan the Man
    The building on the right is a garage with the door facing the rear of the property. There is a room over the garage, with a hallway over the port couchere to connect it to the main house. Automobile access to the garage was through the port couchere, or from the alleyway along the back of the property.
  2. Dan the Man
    Thanks for the info. I'd love to see that photograph! Painted brick and a balcony makes sense with the style of the house, though I'd argue that the house might look better without the balcony. Do you remember what the entry looked like in the photo? There's a ghost outline of an arch over the front door. Also, do you remember if the windows had shutters on them? I'm thinking they did, given the wide space between the decorative brick cornice and the second story windows.
  3. Dan the Man
    They should bring back the Firebird as a cool sports car that is not based on the Camaro, and it should be the only model sold under the Pontiac brand name. Pricing should be comparable to the Ford Mustang, with both a V6 & V8 offered.
  4. Dan the Man
    3616 Tartan Ln in Braeswood
  5. Dan the Man
    The John Staub house is on South MacGregor, very close to the Weingarten estate. Unfortunately, it has been butchered beyond recognition. The Birdsall Briscoe house is on Riverside Drive. For $490K, it could be yours! http://www.har.com/2785618
  6. Dan the Man
    I think that one is gone, probably demolished for 288. Judging by the fact that the loggia is on the right side of the house, I'd venture to say the house was on the north side of the street (loggias & screen porches were almost always on the southeast side of a house to catch the breeze). Perhaps historicaerials.com could give us clues to a more definite location?
  7. Dan the Man
    I've never heard of this. There are many homes in Riverside Terrace that were probably influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright's style, but I don't think any were actually designed by him. The only Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house in Houston is the Memorial area, but its appearance has been altered.
  8. Dan the Man
    The facade analogy can also apply to the occupants of bubble-era architecture: flashy facade, but no cash or substance to back it up.
  9. Dan the Man
    The trail along Brays Bayou between Lawndale & Mason Park is very nice; I like it more than the Buffalo Bayou trail between downtown & Shepherd.
  10. Dan the Man
    Eh, it's not that bad... I think Forest Hill's biggest negative is the mishmash of architectural styles & construction quality in the housing stock. Some of the houses are complete tear-downs, while others are very nice. Yeah, it's not Idylwood, but you can get a much larger yard in Forest Hill. Plus, you don't have to worry about flooding from the bayou.
  11. Dan the Man
    The house-moving story was part of Renzo Piano's lecture at the 20th anniversary of the Menil on April 21, 2007. If what he said was false, I apologize for repeating it and trying to present it as fact.
  12. Dan the Man
    The bungalows that are immediately adjacent to the museum building should not be demolished, as they play a primary role in the scalar relationship between the building and its original neighborhood context, which is central to the architectural experience. In fact, some of the surrounding bungalows originally sat on the museum building site. Renzo Piano and Dominique deMenil chose to have these houses moved (not demolished), in order to fill in vacant lots in the blocks around the museum site. This move ensured that everything in the vicinity was relatively the same scale, and helped the new museum building fit into the surrounding area. Yes, some of the adjacent bungalows are already gone (ie where the Cy Twombly Gallery is located). However, Piano was careful to design this building to be the same scale as the museum building and the remaining adjacent bungalows. Hopefully the new architect will keep this concept in mind when the new buildings are designed.
  13. Dan the Man
    Love the lava rock!
  14. Dan the Man
    Old vacant buildings have a better chance of survival during a recession than during times of economic prosperity. Historic preservation is one of the few positive results of poverty. However, poverty also results in deferred maintenance and neglect. New Orleans is a perfect example of this.
  15. Dan the Man
    Cattitudes!
  16. Dan the Man
    This expansion news bothers me, especially the remark about the surrounding bungalows being at the end of their useful lives. One of the main reasons behind the Menil Collection's "architectural success" has to do with how well it is integrated into the surrounding neighborhood fabric. You could easily miss the buildings if you weren't looking out for them, and the museum is meant to be somewhat hidden. The buildings are to be seen as a backdrop for the art, not self-conscious landmarks. It is for this reason that neighboring bungalows were purchased and left in place - to preserve the context of the neighborhood. Painting everything the same colors was an afterthought meant to further drive home the point that the museum is part of the surrounding neighborhood. I feel that demolishing a large section of the adjacent neighborhood to erect a big new building would totally destroy this effect, and go against Renzo Piano's and Dominique deMenil's original plans for the museum. If space is needed for expansion, it should be located somewhere else. Why isn't Renzo Piano involved in this planning process? He's still alive, and he gave a lecture at the museum 2 years ago...
  17. Dan the Man
    Why is this? The flooding?
  18. Dan the Man
    I'm not surprised they closed up. I never saw anybody in that store.
  19. Dan the Man
    Don't forget Randall's & Whole Foods on Bellaire Blvd, plus the Randall's on Weslayen. The grocery market in the West U area is already saturated; when the "super Kroger" opened, it took a lot of business away from the Weslayen Randall's. The new HEB will probably put the nail in the coffin for the Weslayan Randall's, as it is the oldest grocery store in the area, and was designed to 1980s standards.
  20. Dan the Man
    77025 (Braeswood) is supposed to be some of the most expansive soil in the city. Most expansive = worst for foundations.
  21. Dan the Man
    Great house.
  22. Dan the Man
    Transco/Williams Tower? Been there since 1983...
  23. Dan the Man
    Is the mall the main reason for the area's problems? I had always heard that the rundown apartments in the neighboring Gulfton area had more of a negative impact than the mall itself; ie apartment residents go to the mall to steal things for drug money/meet with gang members/etc. I would focus on getting rid of the apartments before redeveloping the mall. That said, I'd like to see that area turn back around. Sharpstown is surprisingly close to Bellaire and the Galleria.
  24. Dan the Man
    Cool!
  25. Dan the Man
    One point that hasn't been brought up is: How intact was the interior of this house prior to the renovation? I had heard that it was a halfway house for many years, so I imagine it took some serious abuse. I'm glad that it was saved, even if the interior isn't period-correct. The house is significant to the history of Woodland Heights, and preserving the most visible portion (the exterior) maintains the building as a neighborhood landmark. To me, that's more important, since many people will never go inside.
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