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July Mod of the Month Houston Mod invites you to join us Sunday, July 28, 2019 for a Mod of the Month open house event from 2 - 4 PM. Help us find new preservation-minded owners for these exceptional architect-designed vintage modern houses located about 3 and 11 miles southwest of downtown Houston. Noted architectural historian and Master Mod Stephen Fox will provide a brief talk at each house. Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event. Click here for the Facebook Event Link 5306 Institute Lane, Jandor Gardens, Houston, Texas 77005 HAR Link | Google Map Architectural Talk by Stephen Fox at 2:15 PM Indoor and outdoor opportunities abound in this well organized two-level house designed by architect C. Herbert Paseur, FAIA (1925-2007) in 1968 for his family. Many original features and finishes remain intact in the well situated museum-district vintage-modern house. The original floor plans will be available. Glassman Shoemake Maldonado Architects (now GSMA) completed an award-winning renovation/restoration of the house in 2007. The Dean of the Rice School of Architecture and family later occupied the house. Herb Paseur grew up in Memphis, Tennessee and graduated from Oklahoma A&M (now OSU) with degrees in Architecture and Engineering. Soon after he joined the architecture firm of Caudill Rowlett Scott which later went public and grew to national prominence. Paseur served as President and CEO from 1971 - 1981. The firm became the largest architecture/engineering/construction corporation in the USA. In 1994, the firm was sold to HOK. 4158 Meyerwood Drive, Townhouse Manor, Houston, Texas 77025 HAR Link | Google Map Architectural Talk by Stephen Fox at 3:15 PM This is the center unit of a complex of three spectacular townhouses built to explore the practicality and advantages of the residential use of steel for the 1969 National Association of Home Builders convention. The 40,000 event attendees were driven from the Astrodome to tour the three units. The units appear unusually spacious from the use of long spanning glass walls and high ceilings. The center unit has light wells connecting the first and second levels. Forty-five tons of steel were used in the three townhouses. Visit the Houston Mod website for a full description and floor plan of the complex. Architects Fred Talbott Wilson, FAIA (1912-1988) and Hal Weatherford of Wilson, Morris, Crain & Anderson designed the complex. Wilson was from Houston and a 1935 graduate of the Rice Institute with a BS in Architecture degree. The Style in Steel Townhouses were designated in 2007 as a City of Houston Protected Landmark. The Mod Squad will be on hand at Sunday's event to assist with membership and publication purchases. Memberships and publications make excellent gifts! News & Events 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 the Houston Mod Squareup shop. Where's the Book on my House? How to Research Historic Properties August 22, 2019, Houston Metropolitan Research Center program, 6:30 - 7:30 PM at the Julia Ideson Building, Meldrum Room. Docomomo US National Symposium September 25-28, 2019 in Honolulu, Hawaii, a collaboration with the Docomomo Hawaii chapter. Learn more and register for the celebration of Hawaii’s unique blend of East-meets-West tropical modernism. Save The Date October 12, 2019, Docomomo US National Tour Day - stay tuned for Houston Mod's Tour Day announcement! Tranquillity Park Walking Tour - Thank You! Thank you to all who participated in Houston Mod's Tranquillity Park Walking Tour in Celebration of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing 50th Anniversary on Saturday, July 20, 2019. A large crowd enjoyed the tour and discussion led by architect and Houston Mod board member, Kerry Goelzer. Houston Mod will keep you updated was we continue to educate the public on the local and national significance of the park and advocate against pending threats to this important public space. About Mod of the Month 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, and many at the state 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.