Home At 945 Heights Blvd.

[Kirzania]

From the article:

"I have plans to build a magnificent Classic Victorian that will be part of the future history of the Heights," James said.

A "Classic Victorian" that looks just like that one down the street. And that one over there. And that one.

[sevfiv]

new overused crappy slogan of the month: "future history of the Heights"

[JCR]

That house was in bad shape. Looking through the 2nd floor window you could see daylight through the roof. I'm sure it had decades of water damage.

[Guest danax]

That house was in bad shape. Looking through the 2nd floor window you could see daylight through the roof. I'm sure it had decades of water damage.

I've been involved in the salvage of materials from a 100 year old house near me that was in similar condition. The roof had leaked in several spots for years. I tried to convince the new owner to save it but he won't hear of it. He has multi-unit apartments in mind . His words of wisdom to me regarding life were, "It's all about the bucks, man. I'll be making 7K a month in my sleep!" I didn't have a comeback for that.

So down it started to come. He wanted to save money and take it apart piece by piece. I got most of the heart pine flooring and got to see a disassembly of a house for the first time. Once it was down to the studs, you could see how wracked the frame was and how rotted and warped the subfloor was. Could it be fixed? Yes, but hardly anyone is so dedicated to be willing to undertake such a project.

So, as much of a preservationist as I am, once a house hits a certain point, the potential restorers shrink to almost nothing. By the time GHPA lets the community know about it, it's too late. If there were an organization that could receive donations and then purchase and restore special historic properties, protect them by registering them as City Landmarks, and then resell them, not necessarily at a profit, we might be able to save a few more.

[KinkaidAlum]

Any structure can be saved and re-used. It just takes passion, time, and money.

Builders in Houston lack passion for design but they do care about time and money.

His designs should be called Quick-Buck Victorians rather than classic. A classic is what he ripped down.

[sevfiv]

Any structure can be saved and re-used. It just takes passion, time, and money.

agreed - someone (the owner) has to think it's worth it, and Harry James obviously did not think that.

another interesting note for those who watch permits --

the permit i posted earlier was the sewer disconnect permit, which is a good sign a building is going down

the actual demolition permit was not issued until the 18th, the day of the demolition, which indicates MAJOR haste (and notice that they listed the owner/occupant as Agnes Doyle, too)

Project No:

07060569

Date:

7/18/2007

USE:

DEMO RES/SEWER DISC

Owner / Occupant:

AGNES DOYLE

Job Address:

945 HEIGHTS BLVD

Tax ID:

0400202270000001

Buyer:

HOUSTON DEMOLITION INC

Address:

P O BOX 1185 77588

Phone:

8324732886

[Tiko]

From the article:

A "Classic Victorian" that looks just like that one down the street. And that one over there. And that one.

Seriously. When the first Harry James home went up, I thought it looked grand. Then he built 20 near duplicates - after he exhausted the color palette he started tacking on faux stone and reversed the plans. I'm waiting for a stucco version next.

[musicman]

another interesting note for those who watch permits --

the permit i posted earlier was the sewer disconnect permit, which is a good sign a building is going down

the actual demolition permit was not issued until the 18th, the day of the demolition, which indicates MAJOR haste (and notice that they listed the owner/occupant as Agnes Doyle, too)

I went to a meeting earlier this week where the permit department was speaking. one lady was there from idylwood who went thru the permitting process to build a garage. she was very upset because it passed inspection even though the slab wasn't level, the building leaned and the walls weren't screwed down to the foundation i.e. it didn't pass code. she kept asking them "what does buying permit do for me?" and the permit rep wouldn't answer the question directly and would only say they are understaffed and some things get dropped thru the cracks.

even though there are affidavits about accuracy of the permits, people can put false information down and not worry.

[TheNiche]

Seriously. When the first Harry James home went up, I thought it looked grand. Then he built 20 near duplicates - after he exhausted the color palette he started tacking on faux stone and reversed the plans. I'm waiting for a stucco version next.

...so you liked them at first, but seem to have stopped liking them when they were duplicated. Now you don't like them because they've been modified. Is that right?

[RedScare]

Niche, if you drive along the 700 block of Oxford, you'll understand exactly what he is talking about. One of these monstrosities looks OK, one after another is ugly. Too much of a good thing is bad. Harry James may not have figured that out.

[TheNiche]

Niche, if you drive along the 700 block of Oxford, you'll understand exactly what he is talking about. One of these monstrosities looks OK, one after another is ugly. Too much of a good thing is bad. Harry James may not have figured that out.

Yeah, so my question is what would you have him do? Just a handful of homes, then change careers?

[RedScare]

Yeah, so my question is what would you have him do? Just a handful of homes, then change careers?

Oh, I don't know, maybe have his architect (he probably uses a designer) look at more than one picture of a Victorian?

[Tiko]

...so you liked them at first, but seem to have stopped liking them when they were duplicated. Now you don't like them because they've been modified. Is that right?

No, with a few exceptions (like the one with the faux stone/flying buttress around 4th on the Boulevard) I like them all individually, but the number of duplicates - often situated right next door to each other - detracts from their appeal. What's your opinion?

[TheNiche]

No, with a few exceptions (like the one with the faux stone/flying buttress around 4th on the Boulevard) I like them all individually, but the number of duplicates - often situated right next door to each other - detracts from their appeal. What's your opinion?

With age and the growth of any trees, some duplication won't be so bad. Subtle differences will emerge under various owners. Did he at least use different color schemes to paint each one?

Honestly though, I'm not a big fan of new things that are built to look old.

[Jax]

Does anybody have any photos of the house in it's prime, and before the demolition? I've driven up and down Heights Blvd many times and never noticed this place before. It would be interesting to see how good it looked back in its day and what the condition was before it's demolition. How many years did it sit abandoned?

[sevfiv]

Does anybody have any photos of the house in it's prime, and before the demolition? I've driven up and down Heights Blvd many times and never noticed this place before. It would be interesting to see how good it looked back in its day and what the condition was before it's demolition. How many years did it sit abandoned?

i am currently searching for earlier pictures of the house - if i find anything, i'll post it.

Agnes Doyle died in 2004, but i am not sure when she left the house. According to the Chronicle, "The youngest, Agnes Bridget Doyle, was born in the house in 1910 and lived there until the last few years of her life, when she moved to Compassionate Hospice Care."

[west20th]

Any info on the the other Heights Blvd. house that was torn down on the same day as the Doyle house? I believe it was 435. I saw the pile of rubble but couldn't remember what was there. At first I thought it may have been that blue cinder block monstrosity that sits vacant, but as luck would have it it wasn't.

[KinkaidAlum]

No, with a few exceptions (like the one with the faux stone/flying buttress around 4th on the Boulevard) I like them all individually, but the number of duplicates - often situated right next door to each other - detracts from their appeal. What's your opinion?

Please tell me he didn't do the one on the 400 block of Heights? That one is back on the market at $1.2 million and it is HORRIBLE. Check it out;

Here's another James classic set to go up at 420 Heights Blvd

In fairness, I do appreciate that he is at least attempting to try and honor the neighborhood (point stricken if pic #1 is a James house!) but my frustration comes from the fact that there are so many places in the Heights (or used to be) that should be torn down. Could he have not found an apt. on the Blvd. to rip down? A vacant lot in the hood?

[musicman]

people continue to buy them, so they continue to make them.

[heightslurker]

Any info on the the other Heights Blvd. house that was torn down on the same day as the Doyle house? I believe it was 435. I saw the pile of rubble but couldn't remember what was there. At first I thought it may have been that blue cinder block monstrosity that sits vacant, but as luck would have it it wasn't.

The other property that was torn down i think was 401 Heights...there appears to be a recent conveyance from the owner to a "new middle school", which happens to be right next door....so...i guess the school is expanding? that's my guess...

http://www.thenewmiddleschool.com

[sevfiv]

Any info on the the other Heights Blvd. house that was torn down on the same day as the Doyle house? I believe it was 435. I saw the pile of rubble but couldn't remember what was there. At first I thought it may have been that blue cinder block monstrosity that sits vacant, but as luck would have it it wasn't.

401 heights was also demolished that day - owned by Jeffrey Dyment (lawyer) since the late eighties (and i think it served as offices for other lawyers, too)

here is the 401 aerial from local.live.com:

[Native Montrosian]

Please tell me he didn't do the one on the 400 block of Heights? That one is back on the market at $1.2 million and it is HORRIBLE.

A good friend of mine had lived in the house they tore down to build that thing since his childhood except when he moved away for college and his first marriage. If I recall correctly, his aunt owned the house next door at 440 Heights and willed it to his mother when she died. His mom & dad lived there while my friend stayed at 438, and both properties were sold after they died; 440 several years before 438. 440 was stripped down to the studs and redone in a neighborhood-compatable style. I have no words bad enough for 438. The old house was a small bungalow with a veritable rabbit warren of tiny rooms and in terrible shape, but it didn't deserve that monstrosity as a replacement. Of course, the structure footprint meant that the 50+ year old magnolia tree in the front had to go.

He understood that the house was custom built for the buyer's (builder's?) daughter. Don't think it was Harry James. I'll call him and refresh my memory when I have about 30 minutes for all the tangents. I love him to death, but it's not wise to call him from work.

[Dan the Man]

Please tell me he didn't do the one on the 400 block of Heights? That one is back on the market at $1.2 million and it is HORRIBLE.

Good God, that is hideous...

It looks as if the designer took styling cues from an Italian villa, a Norman farmhouse, and a styrofoam ice chest...

[musicman]

If he hadn't stepped on that nail in 1906, Andrew J. Kuhn and his descendants might have spent a century in the grand Queen Anne-style house he was building on Heights Boulevard.

But the jewelry merchant's injury at the construction site led to blood poisoning that killed him before the house was finished, forcing his widow to sell the property. The elegant structure with a wraparound porch became known as the Doyle House for the family that occupied it from 1923 until a few years ago.

On Wednesday, a handful of neighbors stood watching in the rain as a bulldozer pounded the house at 945 Heights Blvd., reducing it to rubble in minutes.

The Doyle House joined hundreds of historic Houston buildings lost in the city's relentless drive toward the newer, the bigger and the more profitable. But its destruction was particularly painful for local preservationists, because it came amid growing public interest and stronger political support for their cause.

A year ago, Houston's small but passionate preservation community was galvanized by warnings that the River Oaks Theatre, the River Oaks Shopping Center and the Alabama Theater building could face demolition within two years.

By that time, Mayor Bill White had begun his administration's gradual effort to strengthen the city's preservation law, long regarded as among the weakest in the country. White and the City Council created a new "protected landmarks" category allowing owners to protect certain buildings in perpetuity and provided tax incentives for doing so.

White's efforts are expected to culminate Aug. 1, when the council considers a protected historic district for the Old Sixth Ward that would include the first unqualified ban on demolition of historic buildings ever enacted in Houston.

full article

[RedScare]

I was talking to a neighbor yesterday about their remodelled bungalow. As they gave me a tour, I commented how I was happy to see someone other than myself save their house, since only about half a dozen on my block had done so. The neighbor then asked if I had seen what happened to 945 Heights. I told her I had, and that I found it amazing that the builder, Harry James, lived in the Heights, yet had no problem tearing down that house. Her jaw dropped and her eyes got big as I said it. Guess who did the remodel on her home? Yep, it appears Mr. James DOES know how to do a remodel. He just chose not to on 945 Heights.

[musicman]

I'm sure he (and most) can do the remodel. I have to reiterate Danax's comments on the state of the house. while i'm not sure what the state of the house was, speaking from my experience here, i could understand the teardown if there were many things wrong with the house, particularly if the problems were not visible. while my house is '38, the house itself was at least maintained. initially i didn't expect to replace all the services, in the end, i did which added to costs. after seeing the plumbing problems and wiring problems, i felt it was prudent to upgrade both for MY sanity. my house is small compared to the mansion, but unforeseen costs made me spend more than i anticipated. i could easily see this happening to this house.

Yes money could solve the problems, but in this instance, i'll have to say it was about money. maybe an individual who could put time and money into the structure could have saved it, particularly if the budget was hefty.

while i'm not a fan of some of the replacement homes going up, hopefully there will only be one home going up vs 4 or 6.

seeing pics of the teardowns are disappointing. unless some restoration specialists are willing to take on a project like this on their own, the builders are going to come in and most likely continue the dozing.

[cwrm4]

As I stated previously in this thread, my opinion was that 945 Heights was in really rough shape, plus the location would not have been attractive to me. 30 years ago it might have been easily saved, but I fear that it may have just been too rough now. (Not to say that some brave soul wouldn't have made a go at it.) What I didn't like was the way Harry James treated the neighborhood.

The bigger problem of course are houses like this one, just a block away from me:

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

From the listing:

"Own a piece of Woodland Heights history. Charming Victorian style home that needs some work. Or this could be a great location for your new dream home. One of the oldest homes in the Woodland Heights area."

[musicman]

"Own a piece of Woodland Heights history. Charming Victorian style home that needs some work. Or this could be a great location for your new dream home. One of the oldest homes in the Woodland Heights area."

it takes a special person to do the restoration. a special person would see "charming victorian style home that needs some work. most others see " great location for your new dream home"

[Krol]

Here is a photo of the house from 1994.

[sevfiv]

wow, missing leaves sure makes some difference.

thanks for the picture!