Rediscovered Fifth Ward Mod Of The Month Tour Sunday

[SpaceAge]

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View this email in your browser   September Mod of the Month Houston Mod invites you to join us Sunday, September 29, 2019 for a Mod of the Month open house event from 2 - 4 PM. Please help us find a new preservation-minded owner for an exceptional modern design located 4 miles northeast of downtown Houston. Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event. 2316 Harlem Street, Englewood, Houston, TX 77020  HAR Link   |   Google Map A different twist on vintage modern architecture was recently rediscovered and refreshed in Houston's historic Fifth Ward.  The design is thought to be the work of the well-regarded architect John S. Chase.  It was built in 1953 for Milton and Carrie Curtis in the Englewood neighborhood, near the Houston Ship Channel portion of Buffalo Bayou. Milton Curtis was associated with the International Longshoremen’s Association Local 872.  John Chase designed ILA halls for several locals in the area, including Local 872 in 1956. The Curtis house was long a gathering place and symbol of pride for the neighborhood.   John S. Chase (1925 - 20012) was from Baltimore, Maryland.  After serving in WWII, he earned a degree in architecture from Hampton University in Virginia. In 1952, he earned a Masters Degree in Architecture from the University of Texas, becoming the first black person to do so. He soon became the first registered black architect in Texas.  Unable to find work, he started his own firm and specialized in the design of churches and houses.  His work was inspired mostly by Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian ideals.  Later works include a number of buildings for the TSU campus, the largest collection of his work.   Near Sunday's MOTM, don't miss Chase's First Shiloh Baptist Church of 1955 located at 4420 Lyons Avenue complete with a stunning minimalistic tower. 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 & Upcoming Events   Docomomo US National Tour Day in Houston On Sunday, October 13, we will continue to explore the work of John S. Chase. The event will consist of a walking tour and a driving tour. More details will be available soon.    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 Docomomo US National Symposium September 25-28, 2019 in Honolulu, Hawaii, a collaboration with the Docomomo Hawaii chapter. Learn more about for the celebration of Hawaii’s unique blend of East-meets-West tropical modernism.

[mkultra25]

They did a great job restoring an attractive and historically-significant house, but it's going to be an uphill battle getting anywhere close to $385K when it's surrounded by sub-100K properties.