Home At 5103 South Braeswood Blvd.

[PapillionWyngs]

I stopped by MCIA this morning and no one who was authorized to check out plans was there. I'll stop back by this afternoon or tomorrow morning hoping for better luck.

I stopped by the house and snapped some pics. Two are posted here and more can be found here http://tinyurl.com/2pead5

This house is in pretty good shape considering that it is a forclosure. I think it has ton's of potential. Very few modifications have been made over the years. The original sconces in the living area, hallway and master are very striking. I also really like the rocket shaped door hinges. There was lots of formica, included on the walls too.

What is that big black thing in the picture above my post?

[memebag]

What is that big black thing in the picture above my post?

Pipe organ?

[domus48]

This is a curious home that possesses serious scale issues. It's difficult to discern from the images what is original and what has been added over the years (if anything). The "monolith" that captures the corner of the vaulted room is particularly unresolved and not particularly well thought out -- I assume its a screen that encloses the kitchen. Without viewing the plans it's difficult to understand the rational of the layout but I have to say the house layout seems a bit of a mess -- I'll defer to someone who has actually been there with respect to how one moves through the space: Chaotically or logically.

As for Formica/plastic laminate on partitions: Not recommended as there are acoustic issues, potential delamination and edge chipping issues, etc. As an accent feature such is acceptable but only if the plastic laminate is mounted to panels and then such is mounted to the partition. Additionally, you are limited in width to 4'-0" so whatever scheme is desired, you have to take into account how the edges are addressed -- such as with reveals.

[Willowisp]

Vanessa and I got into the house yesterday. It's going to be a challenge all the way around. The first challenge is that it will be a rare person who will see through all the work that needs to be done to see the full potential of the house. That's true on all fixer-uppers. The next challenge is finding someone who likes the floor plan. It is pretty unusual. It's kind of a U shape, but the sides of the U are close together, to the point where the game room is looking across this small atrium area toward the master bedroom. The atrium area, like everything else is really interesting and has a lot of potential. The next challenge will be to find someone who wants a really swank late 60's mod and has access to the money to fix it up. This place is not a Case Study House or Usonian Home. It deserves Panton furniture and stuff like that! The next challenge is that it is on a busy street, and you can hear the noise from within the house. This is my house's big challenge too, so I'm quite aware of it. The cool thing in the house is that it has some built in stereo equipment and some in-ceiling speakers that could drown out that noise. Finally, the formica is another challenge. Some of it is damaged and it will be interesting to figure out whether the new owner will go all out to make it like it was or will they use sheetrock or something more traditional...

Quite a house though. The right person could make this a showplace of 1960s modernism. Vanessa said the living room could be perfect for a period movie or tv show.

Jason

[domus48]

"The first challenge is that it will be a rare person who will see through all the work that needs to be done to see the full potential of the house."

Are you referring to undoing poorly executed "improvements" or correcting "deferred maintenance"? The house appears to possess a series of flat roof plains at various heights and portions that are gabled. That alone suggests there are likely roof/water infiltration issues -- the posted aerial view of the house depicts what appears to be a large pool of standing water on one of the roof assemblies -- that usually suggests trouble.

"The next challenge is finding someone who likes the floor plan. It is pretty unusual."

Do you feel that it is a good or a troubling "unusual"?

"(Another) challenge will be to find someone who wants a really swank late 60's mod and has access to the money to fix it up."

Conservatively, a house this size and age will likely take between 300K to 500K for a proper renovation (i.e. infrastructure, insulation, roofing, window replacement, etc.).

"(Yet another) challenge is that it is on a busy street, and you can hear the noise from within the house."

This can be mitigated with double pane glazing, solid core doors and proper insulation -- just part of a proper renovation.

"Finally, the Formica is another challenge. Some of it is damaged and it will be interesting to figure out whether the new owner will go all out to make it like it was or will they use sheetrock..."

If acoustics are an issue, Formica (if it is currently on partitions) would be best left out of the picture except at typical locations -- assuming such is a desired finish.

Is there an architect associated with this home?

[Willowisp]

All the work is deferred maintenance. It's pretty original inside. You're right about the roof. The house did have gutters all over the place though so maybe it drains ok off them, maybe not.

For me it's a troubling unusual, I got lost in there. And the master bedroom had a big door to the outside, like a private entrance that was strange to me.

$300K- Seems like it would be difficult to find that person, if they're willing to pay $300K for the house (that's less than the asking price), that's already $600K. That awesome, though slightly smaller house down the street just sold for $425K.

As for the formica, I think it would be an asset for the house as part of its uniqueness. I would think the person who fell in love with this house would want to keep it or replace it with something similar.

Miss Janel might be able to find out the architect for us at the plans office.

I've got my fingers crossed for it. Waiting to hear back about Mod of the Month too. I think the realtor is surprised anyone has taken notice of the house.

Jason

"The first challenge is that it will be a rare person who will see through all the work that needs to be done to see the full potential of the house."

Are you referring to undoing poorly executed "improvements" or correcting "deferred maintenance"? The house appears to possess a series of flat roof plains at various heights and portions that are gabled. That alone suggests there are likely roof/water infiltration issues -- the posted aerial view of the house depicts what appears to be a large pool of standing water on one of the roof assemblies -- that usually suggests trouble.

"The next challenge is finding someone who likes the floor plan. It is pretty unusual."

Do you feel that it is a good or a troubling "unusual"?

"(Another) challenge will be to find someone who wants a really swank late 60's mod and has access to the money to fix it up."

Conservatively, a house this size and age will likely take between 300K to 500K for a proper renovation (i.e. infrastructure, insulation, roofing, window replacement, etc.).

"(Yet another) challenge is that it is on a busy street, and you can hear the noise from within the house."

This can be mitigated with double pane glazing, solid core doors and proper insulation -- just part of a proper renovation.

"Finally, the Formica is another challenge. Some of it is damaged and it will be interesting to figure out whether the new owner will go all out to make it like it was or will they use sheetrock..."

If acoustics are an issue, Formica (if it is currently on partitions) would be best left out of the picture except at typical locations -- assuming such is a desired finish.

Is there an architect associated with this home?

[musicman]

And the master bedroom had a big door to the outside, like a private entrance that was strange to me.

was it to access the pool easier? there's one in glenbrook that has two exterior doors on the bathrooms to make them accessible from pool area

[missjanel]

was it to access the pool easier? there's one in glenbrook that has two exterior doors on the bathrooms to make them accessible from pool area

I think the MB access to door was there to cut across to the 4th bedroom which was used as a gym with the adjoining sauna. Also the utility room could not be accessed from the inside of the house only by cutting across the patio.

The plans show:

A House For Stephens' Company

Al Fairfield Builders, Inc.

Waller S. Poage AIA

12502 Winding Brook

Houston, Texas 77024

[marmer]

Mr. Poage is apparently still alive and active.

http://www.valuearch.com/vaeuniversity/cgi...25%25user%25%25

[domus48]

"Mr. Poage is apparently still alive and active."

Assuming he was 20 when he attended Randolph Macon Academy (1950 to 1954) that would put him in his late 70's. I believe it would be of interest to contact him with respect to back story on this house.

[BenH]

"Mr. Poage is apparently still alive and active."

Assuming he was 20 when he attended Randolph Macon Academy (1950 to 1954) that would put him in his late 70's. I believe it would be of interest to contact him with respect to back story on this house.

From Stephen Fox:

Ben,

With the information on Poage, I was able to go to the American

Architects Directory of 1970.

Walter S. Poage III was a 1960 graduate of VPI. He worked for MacKie

& Kamrath in 1964-65 and for Lenard Gabert in 65-66, starting his own

firm in 1966.

He listed as his principal works:

House of New Dimension, Hou, 1966, consulting arch. for Pittsburgh

Plate Glass Co.

Stephens House of Ideas, Houston, 1967, consulting arch. to Formica

Co. and Stephens Co.

Frank Turpin House, Baytown 1967

Award of merit from House & Garden 1966 for Gerald Grogan House.

[Willowisp]

Did any of you email him yet?

Thanks a lot Miss Janel for getting that mystery solved!

Jason

[retromodernjeff]

Did any of you email him yet?

Thanks a lot Miss Janel for getting that mystery solved!

Jason

So this house is the "Stephens House of Ideas"? which is Formica ideas and applications.

[Willowisp]

I emailed him this morning - I'll let you know if he replies.

[Willowisp]

Never got word back from the architect, but we will hold the house open as one of 2 Mods of the Month in Meyerland this Sunday from 2-4. Since the Texans are playing Thursday night there should be no conflicts!

Jason

I emailed him this morning - I'll let you know if he replies.

[SpaceAge]

The Formica Company replied that the company has gone through several owners and most of their archives have been lost. The representative did remember that several idea houses were built in various cities based on the plans of the Formica House featured at the 1964 Worlds Fair in New York City. Following is a vintage drawing of that house. It seems quite conventional compared to the one in Houston. There could be a lead, however. Notice the small pod to the left of the house. Could that have been the catalyst of pods to come?

Don't miss this Mod of the Month. You will be amazed at the extent of workmanship involved to cover almost every surface inside and some outside this house with wonderful plastic laminate. With a bit of maintenance and restoration, this mostly original house could once again be a showcase for futuristic living in Space City.

Join us this Sunday, December 16th (2-4pm), at the Mod of the Month!

This house was designed by Waller S. Poage for the Stephens family, who were the owners of the region's Formica Company franchise. Naturally, they used lots of Formica in this house (on the counter tops and walls as well), enough that the house has come to be known as the Formica House. Though the house is in need of TLC, many original "spare no expense" modernist details abound in the house, including a sauna, large built-in cabinets, interior and exterior stone walls, cork paneled walls, a mansion sized master bathroom, hot tub, and many beautiful sconces on the walls of the house. Come join us in celebrating this house and help us find a buyer who can save the house from demolition and take it to its former glory! Please drive around the corner of S. Braeswood and S. Rice and park on Braesheather.

5103 S. Braeswood at South Rice- Southwest Corner

HAR Listing for more pictures, map, pricing details, etc.

[sixthwardguy]

After the 1964 World's Fair ended, the Formica House was dismantled and rebuilt on Townsend Drive in Middletown, New Jersey. I went to school with one of the daughters of the family that bought the house directly from the builder and have been inside it several times. The owners, who still own the house today, have maintained the original circa 1964 kitchen appliances, light fixtures, and of course, the formica walls. They even hired the original architect of the house to design a 2-car garage to 'complete' the house. The house, now 43 years old, still looks new with its formica exterior walls.

The Formica Company replied that the company has gone through several owners and most of their archives have been lost. The representative did remember that several idea houses were built in various cities based on the plans of the Formica House featured at the 1964 Worlds Fair in New York City. Following is a vintage drawing of that house. It seems quite conventional compared to the one in Houston. There could be a lead, however. Notice the small pod to the left of the house. Could that have been the catalyst of pods to come?

Don't miss this Mod of the Month. You will be amazed at the extent of workmanship involved to cover almost every surface inside and some outside this house with wonderful plastic laminate. With a bit of maintenance and restoration, this mostly original house could once again be a showcase for futuristic living in Space City.

Join us this Sunday, December 16th (2-4pm), at the Mod of the Month!

This house was designed by Waller S. Poage for the Stephens family, who were the owners of the region's Formica Company franchise. Naturally, they used lots of Formica in this house (on the counter tops and walls as well), enough that the house has come to be known as the Formica House. Though the house is in need of TLC, many original "spare no expense" modernist details abound in the house, including a sauna, large built-in cabinets, interior and exterior stone walls, cork paneled walls, a mansion sized master bathroom, hot tub, and many beautiful sconces on the walls of the house. Come join us in celebrating this house and help us find a buyer who can save the house from demolition and take it to its former glory! Please drive around the corner of S. Braeswood and S. Rice and park on Braesheather.

5103 S. Braeswood at South Rice- Southwest Corner

HAR Listing for more pictures, map, pricing details, etc.

[nativehou]

How did the "Mod of the Month" open house go on Sunday? Were there many visitors? Any interested buyers? I was out of town unfortunately and couldn't go see it.

[SpaceAge]

Yesterday's Mod of the Month had a large turnout and all went very well- one of the best ever! I was surprised the turnout this time of year would be so large but people seem to love this kind of event. People really enjoyed seeing this super house and stayed around in there for a long time. We had the full set of original plans on display along with a newspaper article describing the house and its furnishings complete with photographs from the time of the original owners. A man arrived in a gorgeous 1958 Cadillac Eldorado convertible and parked it front and center in the circular drive. It was the perfect item to complete the ultra-swank scene! I think people thought they were at a country club and were waiting for Frank and Dean to arrive.

If everyone there yesterday tells ten others about the place, we will be that much closer to finding a buyer.

Edited December 18, 2007 by SpaceAge

[retromodernjeff]

Formica rules.

Edited December 18, 2007 by retromodernjeff

[flipper]

Formica rules.

Love the boomerang pattern.

If you had that done in your place, PM me your installers info if you don't mind.

flipper

[BenH]

Yesterday's Mod of the Month had a large turnout and all went very well- one of the best ever! I was surprised the turnout this time of year would be so large but people seem to love this kind of event. People really enjoyed seeing this super house and stayed around in there for a long time. We had the full set of original plans on display along with a newspaper article describing the house and its furnishings complete with photographs from the time of the original owners. A man arrived in a gorgeous 1958 Cadillac Eldorado convertible and parked it front and center in the circular drive. It was the perfect item to complete the ultra-swank scene! I think people thought they were at a country club and were waiting for Frank and Dean to arrive.

If everyone there yesterday tells ten others about the place, we will be that much closer to finding a buyer.

I'd love to know whose Caddy that was so I could get some more shots of it. My camera attracts great cars. The house was really interesting, but does need some TLC. The sauna was a nice touch too.

[marmer]

That is a particularly nice Caddy. Those cost over $10,000 when new, which would have put them right up near Rolls-Royce at the time. Your camera would probably enjoy this, the first weekend every May:

http://www.woodenkeels-classicwheels.com/

[BenH]

That is a particularly nice Caddy. Those cost over $10,000 when new, which would have put them right up near Rolls-Royce at the time. Your camera would probably enjoy this, the first weekend every May:

http://www.woodenkeels-classicwheels.com/

It's good to know that Carroll Shelby is still going strong.

[mkultra25]

That is a particularly nice Caddy. Those cost over $10,000 when new, which would have put them right up near Rolls-Royce at the time. Your camera would probably enjoy this, the first weekend every May:

http://www.woodenkeels-classicwheels.com/

All gearheads should go to Keels & Wheels at least once - there's nothing like it anywhere else in the area, as the 2007 list of car entries will attest.

Anyone remember dethroned strip-center king Jerry J. Moore's Antique Car Museum that used to be in a warehouse on the North Loop near Shepherd/Yale? That place was incredible - rows and rows of Duesenbergs, 12- and 16-cylinder Cadillacs, Packards, and other similar classics worth millions of dollars, all crammed into a nondescript building in a part of town you wouldn't expect to find it in. It was closed to the public at some point after he ran into financial difficulties and the cars were eventually moved out (and presumably at least some of them were sold). The building now houses a discount furniture store, but I think of what it used to be every time I drive by it.

[marmer]

All gearheads should go to Keels & Wheels at least once - there's nothing like it anywhere else in the area, as the 2007 list of car entries will attest.

Anyone remember dethroned strip-center king Jerry J. Moore's Antique Car Museum that used to be in a warehouse on the North Loop near Shepherd/Yale? That place was incredible - rows and rows of Duesenbergs, 12- and 16-cylinder Cadillacs, Packards, and other similar classics worth millions of dollars, all crammed into a nondescript building in a part of town you wouldn't expect to find it in. It was closed to the public at some point after he ran into financial difficulties and the cars were eventually moved out (and presumably at least some of them were sold). The building now houses a discount furniture store, but I think of what it used to be every time I drive by it.

AAAAUGH! Don't get me started, as this will be the thread hijack to end all thread hijacks. First, I wouldn't say Ol' Shel is still going strong, but he is still alive and trying to make a buck. I absolutely LOVE car museums. Yes, I certainly remember JJM's Car Museum. Well worth a visit back in the day. Even better was Vida's Vintage Vehicles on the North Freeway near the blimp base. It was attached to a truck stop and motel, both long gone. It had a greater variety of cars than JJM, who seemed to concentrate on '30s American classics. David Taylor's Classic Car Museum, in a restored art-deco building in downtown Galveston, was a lovely place. The Sterling McCall Old Car Museum in Round Top used to be spectacular, and my favorite day trip from the Houston area, but I've heard that McCall auctioned off a number of his vehicles to concentrate on Cadillacs, so I'm not sure about the status of the museum now. The Alamo City Car Museum in San Antonio died a few years ago, but they had an interesting collection. Probably the best one within easy driving distance is the Central Texas Museum of Automotive History in Rosanky, which is about two-thirds of the way to San Antonio on I-10. Occasionally I hear rumors that John O'Quinn of Carousel House notoriety is going to do a museum, and judging from what I've seen at Keels and Wheels and Classy Chassis, he certainly could.

Keels and Wheels is not to be missed. Period. And the lineup varies enough from year to year that you need to go. It's the only local concours that draws major participation from lots of out-of-state collectors. Two years ago the Petersen Museum in LA sent about five or six of their best cars. Classy Chassis, at Reliant Stadium in June, is not quite as spectacular but still draws most of the really interesting local cars and a few out-of-towners.

Ben, even if you were on life support in a hospital (G-d forbid), you should drag your IV line to Keels and Wheels. Seriously.

[Willowisp]

I don't mind threads getting hijacked, but to get this one back on track...

Houston Mod received a (snail mail) letter from this house's architect, Waller Poage yesterday. The man who checks our PO boxis forwarding it to me so I'll reprint it here when I get it. That's exciting. And like Spaceage said, that was a great mod of the month. Maybe the best attended one we've done when it was just one house, especially for a December afternoon. Wish we had been able to make it 2 houses, but looks like we'll do Meyerland again in January as the other one wasn't ready to go on the market yet. The tentative date will be January 13th.

Jason

[SpaceAge]

More big news:

Two representatives from the Formica Company have scheduled an appointment to tour and photograph the house.

Slowly but surely, we seem to be getting somewhere with this one!

[Willowisp]

Wow! What a letter we received! Thanks so much to you guys for finding him online. Reading this letter, it seems that Formica would never have become synonomous with 1950s & 60s countertops like it is without the salesmanship of Larry Stephens.

Dear Mr. Smith:

You emailed me with inquiry about the Meyerland Formica House. Indeed I was the architect for that house and it was one of the most interesting experiences of my professional career. The house was constructed by Al Fairfield/Builder Inc, and the year was probably 1965 [actually plans say April, 1966]. Mr. Fairfield and I were associated in a Design/Build relationship that produced several hundred custom designed houses from 1963

[marmer]

Thanks for posting this, Jason! What a great letter! Now, of course, I wonder if any of those "hundreds of custom homes" or that "House of New Dimensions" are still extant and/or interesting. And what about this Raul Alvarez? It's sure nice to see the fortunes of this house may be on the rise after the Carousel debacle.