Jump to content

Houston Mod Newsletter


Subdude

Recommended Posts

January 2005

THE WORD OF MOD

Highlights from 2004 include:

House Party #62 - A members-only party at the Carter House of 1960

designed

by Wilson Morris Crain & Anderson

Participation in the Rice Design Alliance "Snapshot Exhibition",

featuring

Houston Mod's list of "Top Ten Endangered Buildings in Houston"

Houston's Mod's first Architecture Tour - a two-and-a-half hour tour

with

historian Stephen Fox and preservationist Anna Mod of the Upper Kirby

District's Richmond Corridor. The tour was held in conjunction with the

Lawndale Art Center's 20th Century Modern Market

Our second annual August lecture - Over 400 people attended a lecture

presented by Leo Marmol of Marmol Radziner and Associates at the MFAH,

Houston. Marmol, along with founding partner, Ron Radziner, was named

one of

the "hottest young architects in Los Angeles" by The New York Times.

His

lecture focused on his firm's experience in restoring historic modern

properties while also discussing the tragic loss of modern structures

such

as Richard Neutra's Maslon house of 1963 in Rancho Mirage, California

A post-lecture reception at the L.D. Allen House of 1936 designed by

Wirtz &

Calhoun

Press coverage in publications such as Architecture, Architectural

Record,

Cite, PaperCity, Houston Chronicle, Houston Lifestyles & Homes, Arts

Houston, Houston Business Journal, Houston Press, 002 Magazine and

Preservation Texas Reporter

____________________

In the coming year, we have more exciting events planned to raise

awareness

of the importance of preservation and modern design to the community.

____________________

MOD DOCUMENTATION

Bousquet House, 1941, Donald Barthelme

The Bousquet house is of the utmost significance to the architectural

heritage of Houston. The architect, Donald Barthelme, was the perhaps

the most important modernist working in Texas from the late 1930s to the

early 1950s. His work was widely published and he was considered significant

enough to be listed as one of the "Masters of Modern Architecture"

along with Mies, Le Corbusier and Wright in John Peter's widely read book of

1958 of the same title.

The Bousquet House is the last example of Barthelme's work in Houston

that remains in a recognizable form. His two masterpieces, the ADA Oil Building of 1957 and his own house of 1941 have been destroyed in the last few years. The current owner of the Bousquet House, Henry Wightman, has resided there since the early 1960s when he purchased the house from the Bousquet's. Mr. Wightman has made relatively few changes and the house is a perfect illustration of

pre-war domestic architecture and technology.

The Bousquet house is located on its original lot in River Oaks, where

surging property values often relegate houses of this size and age to

the status of "tear-down". Realizing the importance of this structure and

the tentative nature of the Houston residential market, Houston Mod has

organized an initiative to document the house.

Houston Mod, with permission from Mr. Wightman, has sponsored the

historic preservation program of the University of Houston to document the house

for the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS). In addition to

assisting with the organization of an exhibition for the Bousquet House and HABS

documentation, Houston Mod also assisted in securing a place for the house

on the upcoming RDA Spring House tour: Modern Mode: Houston

Architecture at Mid-Century (see below).

The exhibition will be held at the University Of Houston College of

Architecture Archives from March 14 to April 22. A reception showcasing

the student documentation of the Bousquet house and work of the architect,

Donald Barthelme will take place at the Archives on Friday, March 25.

All Houston Mod members are invited to attend.

Lastly, Houston Mod is currently at work on producing a document to

record all the information gathered about the house by the students and from

the archives of Donald Barthelme. The archives were recently donated to the

University of Houston due largely to the efforts of Houston Mod co-founder

Ben Koush, who initially contacted the architect's heir and made the request.

Houston Mod will produce the document with the aid of award-winning

graphic designer Chris Promecene of PaperCity Creative Services. The

publication will be available for sale at the exhibition and upcoming tour.

Initial estimates for the production costs are approximately $5,000. If you

would like to make a monetary donation or take sponsorship of this

publication, please contact Sally Joyce at sally@houstonmod.org. If you would like

to volunteer time and talent to the effort, please contact Ben Koush at

ben@houstonmod.org.

____________________

Rice Design Alliance, in collaboration with Houston Mod, Presents the 2005 Architecture Tour

Modern Mode:

Houston Architecture at Mid-Century

The Rice Design Alliance (RDA) will hold its 28th annual architecture

tour on Saturday and Sunday, April 2-3, 2005, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

This year RDA will collaborate with Houston Mod to highlight the buildings

and architects on the forefront of Houston's modern architecture movement

in the 1950s and '60s. RDA has held architecture tours every year since 1975

to acquaint Houstonians with the best examples of architecture, interior

design, and landscape design in the city.

Houses on the tour include:

6328 Brookside, 1950

Allen Williams

3981 Del Monte, 1941

Donald Barthelme

315 Teakwood, 1967

Marvin K. Gordy

10923 Kirwick Street, 1963

Caudill Rowlett Scott

5203 Stamper Way, 1955

Harwood Taylor

4156 & 4160 Meyerwood Drive, 1968

Wilson, Morris, Crain & Anderson

19011 Willowisp Drive, 1956

William R. Jenkins

The tour is open only to RDA members and guests. Memberships beginning

at $35 can be purchased at any of the houses on the tour and include a

complimentary tour ticket (Family level and above include two complimentary

tickets). Tickets for all eight houses are $15; $10 for students and senior

citizens (65 years and older). Houston Mod members can purchase a $15 ticket

without becoming an RDA member.

____________________

MID CENTURY MOD MAP

Houston Mod is in the process of creating Houston's first Mid-Century

modern architecture map, and we need the help of all Mod members! Please email

suggestions for works to be included to info@houstonmod.org. The map will

guide modern enthusiasts on self-guided tours of a variety of modern works

and neighborhoods in our metropolitan area. In your submissions, please

include if possible, building name, address, architect, year built, and photographs.

____________________

MOD OF THE MONTH

Houston Mod will begin notifying mailing list members of modern houses

for sale in the Houston area via a "Mod of the Month" house listing. This

month, the featured house is the Frank D. Lawyer house at 1030 Glourie

Circle in Hilshire Village. The house was designed in 1961 by the

owner and architect, Frank Lawyer, FAIA of Caudill Rowlett Scott, for his own

family.

The U-shaped house is located in Hilshire Village and is zoned to SBISD

schools such as Memorial High School. The house includes 5 bedrooms, 2

baths, brick flooring, an enclosed patio and a porte cochere on a large

17,500 sq. ft. wooded lot. It is listed at $420,000 by Gerry Reel with

John Byerly Properties at 713-464-1715. Photographs are also available

online via the Houston Association of Realtors web page at

<http://www.har.com/search/engine/indexdetail.cfm?mlnum=9308123&class=1&lead

id=6&sTYPE=0&backButton=Y>

http://www.har.com/search/engine/indexdeta...3&class=1&leadi

d=6&sTYPE=0&backButton=Y

____________________

ROAD TRIP TO WILSONART HOUSE

The glimmer of glitter, the luster of lemon, the touch of turquoise,

and a myriad of other colorful laminates make up the interiors of the former

home of Wilsonart International's Ralph Sr. and Sunny Wilson in Temple,

Texas. Restored to its 1959 splendor, the house received an Honor Award from

The National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1999. We will depart Houston by

coach and join mid-century enthusiasts from Preservation Dallas, DOCOMOMO

NoTx, and The National Trust for Historic Preservation in Temple for a tour,

lecture and mixer. Houston Modsters will return that evening.

Date: Saturday, May 14 - MOD MEMBERS, watch for separate email

announcement with details and fees.

For more information contact Anna Mod. email: mod@annamod.com

____________________

USPS TO RELEASE MODERN ARCHITECTURE STAMPS

The U. S. Post Office has announced that it will release the

"Masterworks of Modern American Architecture" series in May of 2005. The series,

available in a pane of 12, will feature a dozen classics: Frank Lloyd Wright's

Guggenheim Museum, New York City; Frank Gehry's Walt Disney Concert

Hall, Los Angeles; Paul Rudolph's Yale Art & Architecture Building, New Haven;

William Van Alen's Chrysler Building, New York City; Mies van der Rohe's

860-880 Lake Shore Drive, Chicago; Richard Meier's High Museum of Art,

Atlanta; Robert Venturi's Vanna Venturi House, Chestnut Hill, Pa.; I.M.

Pei's National Gallery of Art East Building, Washington, D.C.; Louis

Kahn's Exeter Library, Exeter, N.H.; Eero Saarinen's TWA Terminal, New York

City; Philip Johnson's Glass House, New Canaan, Ct.; and Bruce Graham/SOM's

John Hancock Tower, Chicago.

____________________

If you are not already a member, 2005 will be a great year to be a part

of the mod movement. For more information on becoming a member, visit our

website at <http://www.houstonmod.org> www.houstonmod.org. Membership

forms are available online.

Houston Mod is a 100% volunteer organization. For more information on

volunteer opportunities and how you can support the valuable role that

Houston Mod plays in our community, contact Wyatt Frantom at

<mailto:wyatt@houstonmod.org> wyatt@houstonmod.org.

Thank you for your support,

The Houston Mod Squad

Lea Bass, Michael Brichford, Scott Buehler, Wyatt Frantom, Sally Joyce,

Ben Koush, Karen Lantz and Kim Radich

____________________

Houston Mod is a non-profit, 501©(3), membership organization

dedicated to promoting knowledge and appreciation of modern architecture and design in Houston and Texas. Houston Mod advocates the preservation of this

culturallegacy and seeks support from its members and the general public in

achieving this goal.

www.houstonmod.org <http://www.houstonmod.org/>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...