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View this email in your browser August Mod of the Month Houston Mod invites you to join us Sunday, August 8, 2021 for a Mod of the Month open house event from 2 - 4 PM. Please help find new preservation-minded owners for these outstanding vintage modern houses located in Memorial Bend, about 14 miles west of downtown Houston. This is a special opportunity for Modsters to meet in Memorial Bend and celebrate the upcoming return of the Memorial Bend Architecture website Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event. 12922 Traviata Drive, Memorial Bend, Section 2, Houston, TX 77024 HAR Link | Google Map Architect William Floyd designed this well composed house which balances privacy with great views of the forested Memorial area setting. Thanks to the reactivation process of the Memorial Bend Architecture website, long forgotten information about the house has just resurfaced. The house won a national design award from American Builder magazine in 1958 plus it was once home of the Emmy award-winning journalist John Davenport. Early promotions for Memorial Bend proclaimed the neighborhood had more good contemporaries than any other subdivision in Houston. Floyd participated in the development of Memorial Bend while designing a good number of the houses. Young architects took note of the bid for excellence and purchased Floyd designed houses in Memorial Bend for themselves while a number of other architects designed houses here. Along with the attractive setting and high design standards, the area is also noted for its excellent schools, trendy shopping and dining spots and convenient location. William Norman Floyd (1910-2004) was from Norman Oklahoma and a 1934 graduate of the University of Oklahoma where he studied mechanical engineering and architecture. He opened an office in Houston after serving in the military. Floyd also designed houses in Lindale Park, Briarcroft, Bellaire, Briargrove, Robindell, Meyerland, Walnut Bend, Pine Hollow, Gaywood, Braes Timbers, Larkwood and Spring Branch. Don't miss the "Contemporary Center Idea Street", 13,000 block of Kimberley Lane in Memorial Plaza, where William Floyd designed a block of houses for a home show event. 12902 Figaro Drive, Memorial Bend, Section 3, Houston, TX 77024 (Drive-by only) HAR Link | Google Map Here is another sophisticated design by architect William Floyd also in need of a preservation-minded new owner. The Memorial Bend Architecture website reports this house was featured in American Builder magazine, August 1959. The Memorial Bend Architecture website was created by Houston Mod co-founder Michael Brichford and provided a rich online resource featuring researched information about the neighborhood along with addresses of the vintage modern houses, links to publications about the area's development and a listing of noted previous owners. Reading the material is an enlightening experience and it was a leading factor in the creation of Houston Mod. The website has been offline lately but work is now underway to restore access through Houston Mod. The AIA Houston Architectural Guide by Stephen Fox has additional information about this area. Take the 2003 Memorial Bend online tour created by Michael Brichford for Cite Magazinehere. If you have more information about these, or other vintage modern houses and/or architects, please contact Houston Mod so we can include it in our Modern Houston Index on our new website. The Mod Squad will be on hand at Sunday's event to assist with membership and publication purchases. After Alden: Midcentury Architecture in Brazosport, Texas, Houston Mod's new publication by Marty Merritt with a forward by Stephen Fox and photography by Benjamin Hill, will be available at Sunday's event along with our other publications. Or, you may purchase a copy online at our website. News & Upcoming Events Here's a spiffy mod available in El Campo, an hour southwest of Houston: 811 Peach Street. How should the Astrodome be reused? Please help our friends at the Astrodome Conservancy by taking their Future Dome survey. Houston Mod is a friend organization of Docomomo US, a national non-profit organization dedicated to the Documentation and Conservation of the Modern Movement. Docomomo US has been dedicated to this mission for nearly 25 years as a chapter of Docomomo International. A single Docomomo US Domestic membership may be added to any Houston Mod membership for the 50% discounted Friend Organization rate of $45.00 Update your preferences | Unsubscribe | Become a Member Houston Mod is dedicated to promoting knowledge and appreciation of modern architecture and design in Houston and Texas and advocates the preservation of this cultural legacy, seeking support from its members and the general public in achieving this goal. Copyright © 2021 Houston Mod, P.O. Box 541353, Houston, TX 77254, All rights reserved.

November Mod of the Month Houston Mod invites you to join us this Sunday, November 16, 2014 for a Mod of the Month open house event from 2 - 4 PM. Two vintage 1950's & 1960's modern/contemporary style houses situated about 10 miles west of downtown Houston are featured. One is in need of new preservation-minded owners. Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event. 12803 Figaro Drive, Memorial Bend, Houston, TX 77024 Architect William Floyd designed this house situated on a wooded corner lot on the eastern side of the Memorial Bend neighborhood. A 1958 promotion described the house as an out of this world California contemporary like those found in House Beautiful magazine. High clerestory windows and sloping beamed ceilings create open rooms filled with light. The house was enlarged in 1999 and in 2004. Memorial Bend has one of the largest concentrations of 1950's modern houses in Houston. It has been extensively researched and documented by Houston Mod Master Mod and co-founder Michael Brichford. HAR Link 411 Fall River Road, Longwoods, Houston, TX 77024 Beginning in 1952, Houston's Contemporary Art Museum (originally the Contemporary Arts Association) promoted excellence in modern architectural design by conducting tours of outstanding new houses. Architect Travis Broesche was honored by having this house included on their 1961 tour. The house remains a favorite of many today explaining its recent rapid sale with many offers received. The new owner plans to restore the house to its original appearance and is pleased to share it for tour, likely for the first time since 1961. Travis Broesche (1911-2003) was from the Brenham, Texas area where he retired after working 40 years in Houston mostly with the firm known as Broesche & Condon. He was a graduate of Blinn College and the University of Texas, Austin, in 1935 with a B. S. degree in Architectural Engineering. His firm designed over 150 churches plus hospitals, schools, including his 1962 award winning design for Walnut Bend Elementary (demolished), as well as commercial buildings and residences. HAR Link Upcoming Special Events Thursday, November 20 - Film Screening: Last Seat At The Dome 7 PM, Ecclesia Houston, 1100 Elder Street Rugged Riverside Media invites all to a free screening of the award winning short film Last Seat At The Dome by local filmmaker, Matthew Murphy. Following the screening Murphy will be joined by Judge Ed Emmett, Beth Wiedower (National Trust for Historic Preservation) and David Bush (Preservation Houston) to field questions about the film and the Astrodome's Past, Present, & Future. Tickets: Reserve free seats. Saturday, November 22 - Special Event: 2014 Preservation Texas Honor Awards 5 PM, Harris County Courthouse, 301 Fannin Preservation Texas is hosting their annual celebration of outstanding preservation achievements at the recently restored 1910 Harris County Courthouse. Awards will honor statewide restoration and rehabilitation projects and exemplary preservationists. A reception will precede the ceremony. Tickets: $40 for Preservation Texas Members; $50 for non-members. 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 will be sold at Sunday's event. We hope to see you Sunday at Mod of the Month!