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Research in action...

This house is the Deuster House. I can't remember if I found the address on this one in the phone book...

Here's the Newsome House on Lacewood Lane:

Alex Deuster address is 3518 Glen Arbor off the 3500 block of North Braeswood

J. A. Newsome, Jr. address is 16 Lacewood Lane off the 11100 block of Memorial Drive

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Alex Deuster address is 3518 Glen Arbor off the 3500 block of North Braeswood

J. A. Newsome, Jr. address is 16 Lacewood Lane off the 11100 block of Memorial Drive

The Deuster house is still there, but the Newsome house was demolished in 2005 or 2006, as was everything Vale did on Lacewood, that we know of.

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  • 4 months later...

_DSC0008-2.jpg?t=1228007735

3126 Newcastle - R.A. Farnsworth, Sr. House

_DSC0015.jpg?t=1228007842

11 Crestwood - Wesley R. Edmonson House

_DSC0011-1.jpg?t=1228007918

3730 Willowick - Wallace Mengdon House

_DSC0031-1.jpg?t=1228007981

301 West Friar Tuck - Max Lents House

_DSC0037.jpg?t=1228008036

603 Timber Terrace - Chas Block House

_DSC0045.jpg?t=1228008106

5327 Bordley - Merril V. Gregory House

_DSC0054.jpg?t=1228008171

5657 Bordley - Russell McFarland House

Thanks to Sevfiv for the use of her '55 city directory. Will post more as I find them.

Edited by BenH
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  • 2 weeks later...

Yet another one up for sale; listing says 1941, but probably later than that. The current owner worked with Mr. Vale on an addition in the 1960's I believe.

11719 Cobblestone

http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cf...mp;backButton=Y

I'm going to post everything that comes up for sale here instead of making a new thread from now on.

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  • 1 month later...

It's true that he did a good deal to make Houston what it is for us. But having come to this point in Houston history, it's sad that no one among us can work in his mold for the following generations. Where Vale blessed the streetscape, the economics now call for garage door, garage door, garage door... and that's not a knock on automobility: find new residential blocks that face the street all the way to the ground and the designs hold, if anything, even *less* hope of ever providing surfaces to tinker with and interact with. If it came to change, a garage door is much more easily changed out for something detailed than the blank materials that are becoming the norm.

Speaking of which, I'm sorry that he found the courthouse to be his most important commission, because passing by there, it really is a dog compared to the rest of downtown Bay City. The only good thing one can say about its treatment of the surroundings is that it allows large windows by shading them with climatically appropriate louvers. Otherwise, it's a permanent shame that he didn't find a way to give us a public building that showed how to be civically proud while remaining contemporary country. http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~txmatago/bc_pics1.htm

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

Arthur and Madalyn Miller House - 1002 East Ave, Katy,TX.

_MG_0404.jpg?t=1238990663

_MG_0401.jpg?t=1238990718

I noticed this house last night while on a drive in the area, and it looks a lot like the other two Katy Vale houses in terms of materials. Could be added to Vale's entry on the organic modern in Texas thread. It appears to be an excellent design; it has the big stone chimney in the back, which is obscured by the roof in these pictures.

EDIT: The daughter of the original owners confirmed in an email today that this is indeed a Vale design. It was built in the 1950's. Hopefully more information will be forthcoming.

2445 - Woods Road - Jordan House - Brookshire,TX

_MG_0420.jpg?t=1238990753

Despite the view from the front, this house is actually huge, but it stretches back into the lot. Very much a rancher. Looks to have been built in the mid- to late 40's.

Edited by BenH
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Michael Halbouty Energy Offices in the Galleria - 5111 Westheimer Road - Demolished. Landscaping by C.C. "Pat" Fleming.

1956June24HalboutyandofficebyNeuhau.jpg?t=1239382254

1956Sept16Halbouty.jpg?t=1239382323

1956Sept23HalboutyInteriors-1.jpg?t=1239382450

These are Houston Post and Houston Chronicle articles. The George C. Hardin mentioned in the second article was also one of Vale's residential clients.

Farmer's State Bank of Brookshire - Brookshire,TX - Year and Address Unknown

1953Aug30BrookshireBank.jpg?t=1239382526

Also either Houston Chronicle or Houston Post.

Again, Jason Smith did all the legwork for these articles. I'm just posting them.

Spring Branch High School

1952Aug10ChronSpringBranch.jpg?t=1239382749

The house featured below the school is the original design for the Sammy Finger house at 3403 N. Parkwood Dr. in Riverside Terrace.

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  • 3 weeks later...

5026 N. Braeswood - Morris Stern House - 1959.

This is a flat-roofed, modern house with barrel vaults in the roof. I met the owners today on the Jenkins tour, and they have the original drawings with Vale's name on them. It is similar to the Bridge House in New Canaan,CT by John Johansen or 330 Elektra by William Norman Floyd. No pictures just yet, but a great and unexpected find.

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This is a particularly special house. The current owners were on the Jenkins tour this weekend and sent Houston Mod copies of some of the drawings this morning.

House was originally built in 1958 for Morris Stern.

Rendering:

5026nbraeswood.jpg?t=1240847369

Plan:

5026FloorPlan.jpg?t=1240847416

Vale's Logo:

MorrisSternCommission.jpg?t=1240847466

It is similar to the Bridge House in New Canaan,CT by John Johansen or 330 Elektra by William Norman Floyd. No pictures just yet, but a great and unexpected find.

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  • 1 month later...
I don't know if Wylie Vale designed furniture as well. There is not info on the internet. Does anybody know if he designed furniture and if possible some examples of his work?

I seem to remember hearing that the house at 118 Hickory Ridge had some custom furniture, but I don't know if Vale designed any of it. His wife was an interior designer, so it's possible.

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  • 3 months later...

Short House - Original owner unknown - Brookshire,TX

_MG_0494.jpg?t=1254000590

This house bears a closer resemblance to Vale's own house than any other I've seen to date. It's from the early 1950's and was recently for sale. There is another like this in Bellville,TX.

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  • 4 months later...

This is great stuff, you are documenting the most important architectural history of Houston. Do you have a sense of when he began building modern styles? The earliest date I saw was from the late 40s. Was he building modern houses at the same time or before the DeMenil house?

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In interviewing him, he mentioned being affected by the new architecture of San Francisco where he was stationed in the military. It was around WW2 as I recall that he saw this and was influenced to start designing in the contemporary country style. What we are finding is that he became one of Houston's most prolific residential architects of medium to large contemporary ranch houses. I wouldn't think he was connected much to Philip Johnson in his style. He was more Frank Lloyd Wright influenced. He was extremely humble considering how much he produced. It was a great honor to meet him and talk to him.

So, it's the 3 year anniversary for this topic!

This is great stuff, you are documenting the most important architectural history of Houston. Do you have a sense of when he began building modern styles? The earliest date I saw was from the late 40s. Was he building modern houses at the same time or before the DeMenil house?

Edited by Willowisp
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  • 1 month later...

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