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woah! Has anyone seem this amazing house on historic aerials or Google earth? Shame it was knocked down. From the neighborhood newsletter called The Old Braeswood News dated Summer 2010. The home would have been built in the 1950s, I believe 1954 to be exact. Short paragraph from the article detailing the 1954 home: Issac and Mildred, his wife, often visited friends in Old Braeswood, and lingered at the park with their sons, Branard and Raymond. In 1947, Ike bought a triple lot that spanned the back of the park, but did not build on it until 1951, about when Ray was entering Rice University as an undergraduate in architecture. Rice didn't have dorm capacity for students from Houston, and Ray moved into the house with his parents [Three years later, Ike's brother Samuel built a house at 2355 Kelving, the peninsular site bounded by Kelving and Glenn Haven. That site is now an empty lot.] 2004: 2023, present day:

I was looking into the original Brochsteins building. It appears Brochsteins took over the building from another lumber company. Found this article in the newspaper Texas Jewish Herald dated May 14, 1936. The firm is located at 3400 Washington avenue, and is a leader in the Southwest in the designing and building of bank and office fixtures. They carry in stock eleven different varieties of solid woods as well as plywood and veneers for customers to select form. Their plant is one of the most modern and up-to-date in the Southwest. Mr. Brockstein stated today that he is as proud of the fixtures installed in the new Baytown bank as any his firm has been privileged to model. Brochsteins, Inc. Designers and Manufacturers Bank-Drug-Office-Store Fixtures-Distinctive Bars and Beer Equipment 3400 Washington Phone Taylor 1800 Spinner Lumber Company was previously, about 10 years earlier, located a 3400 Washington. Was this Brochsteins' first business venture? Did Brochstein bought the business and took over? Anyone know the story here? How could two different lumber companies occupy the same address/building? From the newspaper Houston Post-Dispatch dated February 1, 1925.

https://scholarship.rice.edu/handle/1911/71846 The Rice University Data Center building, next to the Library Service Center. Rice owns a lot of land off the Highway 90 feeder. I went on a new running route and stopped by. Looks like dirt is being moved at the back of the property. Expansion or maintenance related?

Brochsteins (1947) at 11530 Main Street has one big pylon in front.

I was bored today so I drove around the neighborhood looking for cool businesses a long Old Main Street Loop Road. I never knew Pro-Mark was founded by the Brochstein family! Their headquarters is very, very close to the Pro-Mark warehouse (and factory?). Ironically close. Looks like they're doing a small remodel. Construction trailer and dumpster.

While browsing old issues of University of Houston's The EXtra publication I noticed a congratulations add from Brochsteins, Inc. to University of Houston celebrating the opening of the Ezekiel Cullen Building at 4800 Calhoun Rd. The add was put out on November 18, 1950. The address of Brochsteins, Inc. is listed as 10002 South Main * Houston, Texas * Madison 4451. This puts the old building at 610 South Loop near the Whataburger at 9955 South Main Street? The building was demolished to make the freeway overpass? Their current campus is located at 11530 South Main St. and must sit-on 20 to 40-acres. I sometimes wonder if they would ever sell apart of their land. It's their manufacturing plant and corporate office I believe, so they will probably stay there for a while longer. I believe Brochsteins did the Hines 609 interior work. They have been involved with some fantastic projects! I remember hearing stories about how they got some wood in the remotes of Africa.

bill barfield has added a photo to the pool: Architect: Thomas Phifer and Partners. View the full article

August Mod of the Month Houston Mod invites you to join us this Sunday, August 7, 2016 for a Mod of the Month open house event from 2-4 PM. Please join us to help find a new preservation-minded owner for this vintage contemporary home. This month's event takes place in the University Oaks subdivision of Houston, located about 3 miles southeast of downtown. Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event. Save the date for the next MODern Market on April 21-23, 2017! 4345 North MacGregor Way, University Oaks, Houston, TX 77004 This 1950s contemporary home, recently saved from demolition and updated, is in need of a new owner to continue its preservation. The house is situated on a spacious tree shaded site viewing the picturesque Brays Bayou and is minutes away from Hermann Park, the Medical Center, the University of Houston, and the new MetroRail southeast purple line. The spacious, light filled house has a free flowing plan opening to an expansive patio and swimming pool. The daughter of the original owner reports her father, Paul Brochstein, designed and built the house. Brochstein's brothers, Harry and I.H., built and lived in the two houses to the east of 4345. All three families moved to Meyerland about 1963. HAR Link Riverside Terrace is filled with history and significant architecture. Stephen Fox wrote about the area in a 1987 Cite Magazine article, "Riverside Terrace and Environs: An Architectural Tour". Click the link to view a PDF with architectural descriptions and tour map, then explore the neighborhood this weekend to see what has changed and what remains and may be preserved. Search HoustonMod.org to learn more about the mod architecture in the area including the University of Houston and Texas Southern University campuses. The Houston Mod exhibition brochure, "Endangered Modern - The Real Story" features a description of the area and will be available at Sunday's event. Other News & Events This WAS Contemporary Art is now open at the Heritage Society Museum Gallery at Sam Houston Park. Learn about what was happening in Houston in art, architecture, and design from the 1940s-1960s! On view Tuesday-Saturday, 10 am-4pm through October 15, 2016. Houston Mod members, board members and Master Mods have contributed to this high quality exhibition. Admission is free of charge. _________________________________________ Do you shop at Amazon.com? Donate a small percentage of your purchases at no cost to you by adding Houston Mod as your charitable organization of choice at Amazon Smile. Join the Houston Mod Facebook Page and Houston Mod Discussion Forum for more mod-minded fun. Support future Houston Mod events by becoming a member. Houston Mod publications will be available at the event. 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.

Looks like the mansion on Braeswood Ct was the Brochsteins. At least that's who owned it in the 60's. Here's a link to more info http://www.oldbraeswood.com/Newsletters/OB_2010Summer_News_final.pdf

My weekend started by docenting at 403 Westminister. As soon as I walked in, I knew I had picked the right house. It really was fantastic, like it was right out of a 60's movie. They aren't done furnishing it, but what they had was pretty incredible, like the hugest marble tulip dining/conference table I've ever seen, and those outdoor rope lounge chaises from the case study houses, and other mod furniture that was off my radar... This house had walls of glass everywhere and it all looked out to the most pristinely beautiful view of Buffalo Bayou that I've ever seen. You really forget where and when you are. I was glad that I got there early as a docent because it wasn't as crowded. I stood in the master bedroom for my shift. I also got to meet an architect named Charles Burgess who was a docent. He worked with William Jenkins, so it was amazing to meet him. After this house I ran home and picked up my wife and we got out to 3 more houses on Saturday. 266 Pine Hollow Circle, 1972 P. M. Bolton Associates, architect Mr. and Mrs. Bolton still live in the house, and it turned out to be my wife's favorite on the tour. It had very high ceilings and brick columns and glass walls in the bedrooms and looking out the back of the house. It also had a very cute kitchen painted pink. The left side of the house had all the bedrooms and they all had glass walls looking out onto a side yard which was basically the woods. As for furniture, I remember a couple of Eames Lounge chairs, one of which was particularly cool because you could tell they really use it! Also, they had tulip stools, which I asked Travis and Karen about later and they said Knoll never did stool height chairs, so they must have been Burke. I thought those were really neat. 250 Pine Hollow Circle, 1953 Wilson, Morris & Crain, architects http://texasarchitect.org/ta200509-essay.p...e8752cf985dfbbc Another cool wall of glass was in the back of this house. All the foliage outside protected the houses from the heat of the sun, not that it was hot this weekend, but it was sunny. You never got the feeling the sun was beating down on you like you do in our house with the big tree that died... Anyway, they had a cool funky fabric Womb Chair, some Barcelona chairs, and all kinds of interesting collections like old helmets and masks. We also hit the house on Kuhlman, but it wasn't really my style, though I think it is more indicative of the type of mansion that will be built on the Bayou in the future. 407 Thamer Circle, 1974 Raymond Brochstein, Anderson Todd, and William T. Cannady, architects The next day we made it to Thamer Circle which had quite a bit of interesting furniture. A lot of it seemed to be either Nakashima or in that style. The architect/owner of the house has his own furniture company. The newer houses went by in a flash, except for the "treehouse" on Logan Way which was pretty incredible, though a little scary from the flights of stairs. Still, it showed how much you could do with a small amount of space. Ah, and they also had a Womb Chair! The docent party was a lot of fun and it proved to be in another Mod house with lots of style. I don't know how one gets into collecting modern art, but the owner of this house had some great stuff. Jason