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June Mod of the Month Houston Mod invites you to join us this Sunday, June 23, 2019 for a Mod of the Month open house event from 2 - 4 PM. Help us find new preservation-minded owners for these architect-designed vintage modern houses located about 9 and 14 miles west of downtown Houston. Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event. The June event focuses on designs by lesser known Houston mid-century modernist architects. Two houses are open for touring and two are featured as drive-by status. 1123 Guinea Drive, Hilshire Village, Houston, Texas 77055 HAR Link | Google Map The floor plans are dated April 1959 for this upscale custom designed one-owner house located in desirable Hilshire Village. Sought after features such as gently sloped wood beamed ceilings, walls of glass, spherical hanging light fixtures, and pecky cypress siding along with a free-flowing design make this house a keeper. Of special note is the imaginatively designed attractive carport which can serve as a grand mod entertaining space. The site design has a number of well-chosen period elements. Architect David C. Strickler (1932 - 2018) designed the house. Strickler graduated with an architecture degree from Texas A & M University in 1955. For his own family, he designed a flat-roofed modern house located across the street from 1123 Guinea. His house has unfortunately been demolished. He designed a number of country clubs and show houses for developments around the Houston area. One of his NASA area designs was featured in Better Homes and Gardens Home Building Ideas publication in 1966. Another of his outstanding designs is the St. Catherine of Sienna Catholic Church located in Houston. 12609 Overcup Drive, Woodland Hollow, Houston, Texas 77024 HAR Link | Google Map Architects Wahlberg and Morales designed this imaginative 1959 modernistic house using concepts not often found in other houses of the era. It has two stories and a tall steep roof with an A-framed portion incorporating beams dramatically extending to the ground. A courtyard rich in materials and shapes welcomes you from the long driveway, opening wide past the double carport and flowing beneath a broad vine covered arbor. Paving and edging elements are varied and creative. Past the entry courtyard, the site design becomes progressively more relaxed with curving paths leading into the ravine area complete with a two-level playhouse which mimics the house design. There are a number of additional surprises with the biggest being the dramatic cathedral living area overlooking an expansive pool and wood deck extending deep into the sloped site. A floating brass-trimmed stairway, walls of brick and glass, cabinets, flooring and trim of redwood and many other special components complement the scene. Paul Wahlberg (1928 - 2010) and Richard Morales (1927 - 2012) were early 1950s graduates of Texas A & M. Whalberg was known for his reassuring nature and Morales for his graphic abilities. They designed a number of custom homes including a flat-roofed favorite in Glenbrook Valley featured on a past Houston Mod tour. By the 1970s, they focused mainly on multi-unit housing, eventually developing over 80,000 units in 23 states. . Featured Drive By Homes: 8006 Anadell Street Hilshire Village, Houston, Texas 77055 HAR Link | Google Map This one owner mod was designed by the homeowner and architect Warren A. Goulas (1928-2004) who lived next-door at 8010 Anadell Street, another house he designed and a MOTM in 2006. Goulas was a 1952 Texas A & M graduate. His work includes a bank in The Woodlands, 170 houses in Pasadena, and projects for SBISD. His son is also an architect and lives in the neighborhood. 8415 Burkhart Road Spring Valley, Houston, Texas 77055 HAR Link | Google Map This original owner house was designed by Frank S. McFaden, Jr.(1932-1994) for his family. Originally from Montgomery, Alabama, he was a 1954 graduate of Auburn University. He had his own firm in Houston until 1970 when he began working for a metal building components company. If you have additional information about these or other mod designs and architects, please inform Houston Mod so it can be preserved on the Houston Mod archive website. The Mod Squad will be on hand at Sunday's event to assist with membership and publication purchases. Memberships and publications make excellent gifts! Houston Mod's new publication, After Alden: Midcentury Architecture in Brazosport, Texas 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. Preservation Houston's History in Print program will hold a discussion on "After Alden" on Tuesday, June 25 at 6:30 PM at Proler Chapel, Congregation Emanu El, 1500 Sunset Blvd.. Free admission for Houston Mod and Preservation Houston members. Save the Date! July 20, 2019 is the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 first moon landing and moonwalk. Stay tuned for information on Houston Mod's special remembrance celebration. About Houston Mod & Mod of the Month Houston Mod is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to promoting knowledge and appreciation of modern architecture and design in Houston and Texas. Houston Mod advocates the preservation of this cultural legacy and seeks support from its members and the general public in achieving this goal. The Mod of the Month (MOTM) program, launched in 2006, was devised to promote the preservation of modern buildings by educating the public of their architectural and cultural importance in an attempt to show the buildings as desirable to a next generation of owners. The program received a Good Brick Award from Preservation Houston in 2009 and continues its important mission. MOTM's promote the preservation of Mid Century Modern architecture during a time when the properties are most vulnerable - when they are placed for sale. The value embodied within modern properties often goes unseen by the public and real estate agent who may list the property as a candidate for demolition or contemporary renovation. The original design concept, architect, and owners of modern homes are important, and provide both a quality space and history desired by many home seekers. Modern is historic? Yes! Properties that are at least 50 years old may be considered for historic designation by national, state, and local preservation programs. Most of the featured Mod of the Month homes are eligible for designation at the local level, many also at the state and/or national level. The City of Houston offers tax exemptions to owners for appropriate work conducted to improve locally designated historic homes. For more information on designating a modern property, contact the City of Houston Historic Preservation Office, or email Houston Mod at info@houstonmod.org.