Harry Cern Home At 614 Avondale St.

[clutchcity94]

It’s a beautiful house IMO. Would love to see it restored.

Corner of Avondale & Stanford.

[mkultra25]

Per HAR, it was sold last year, and the interior had been taken down to the studs prior to the sale. There are pics of the interior before it was gutted here:

 

https://www.har.com/homedetail/614-avondale-st-houston-tx-77006/2982247?sid=4077753 

[gene]

while we are at it...there has to be tons of history (and crazy stories as i know a few) about the notorious home at 402 Avondale...how has that home not been condemned? 

[Ross]

1 hour ago, gene said:

while we are at it...there has to be tons of history (and crazy stories as i know a few) about the notorious home at 402 Avondale...how has that home not been condemned? 

I've driven by that one, it looks OK. Why should it be condemned? It looks like it used to be a store or something with the weird addition.

[Chi-Char-Hou-Dal]

Since I live on this street, I always was fascinated by 407 Avondale St. Built in 1910 

 

Depending on the season, sometimes you can't even see the house because of the big tree out front.

[gene]

1 hour ago, Ross said:

I've driven by that one, it looks OK. Why should it be condemned? It looks like it used to be a store or something with the weird addition.

 

Take a closer look at the property next time you drive by real slow and also...let's just say it has a very storied past/history 🙈

also from what i know the building hasn't had a/c for years and sometimes i wonder if it even has electricity anymore.

 

 

[clutchcity94]

1 hour ago, gene said:

 

Take a closer look at the property next time you drive by real slow and also...let's just say it has a very storied past/history 🙈

also from what i know the building hasn't had a/c for years and sometimes i wonder if it even has electricity anymore.

 

 

Tell us more about its storied past.

[trymahjong]

614 AVONDALE

Period style with Tudor influence

Built in 1922 for Harry and Lalla Cern. He was Vice president of Thomson brothers Lumber Company, Thompson and Tucker Lumber Company and Day Lumber and Timber Company

 

Is that the correct address? Avondale developed a Historic Home tour years ago.......just for entertainment  through recollections and research of elder residents. not actually fact checked as far as I know.

 

This is across the street from the Harriet Bath House.

 

609 AVONDALE

White brick, wide porch, tile roof

Built for the Albert L. Bath and his wife Adele.   The bath family resided here from 1016 to Miss Harriet Baths death in January  2006.

 Mr Albert N.  Bath was manager of a cotton exporting firm: Felix. P. Bath exporting. He was also president of Houston Cotton Mills and Exporters Compress and Hardware. His elder daughter Harriet was a founding member of the Houston Ballet Guild. The younger daughter Billie lived on Crocker Street.

Mrs Adele Bath had one of the first electric cars in Houston Since these cars started from a battery and not a crank, it allowed women to easily start their own cars. They were steered with a stick, similar to a tiller in a boar and also had small vases inside for fresh flowers.

The 13-room, 3900 square foot Prairie Style mansion was commissioned by the Bath family in 1916 and was continuously occupied by the family until daughter Harriet's death in 2006.  Harriet was very involved in the arts, in both Houston and New York City, and was co-founder of the Houston Ballet Guild.  When the Bath home went on the market in 2007, numerous offers were made by developers, who wanted to raze the structure and build town homes on the 14,000 square foot lot. The family decided, instead, to sell the home to an individual, whose goal was to save one of Houston’s architectural gems and restore it to its former glory.  Currently under renovation, the house offers the unique opportunity to observe "a work in progress.”  The only non-period modifications have been to the kitchen and bathroom areas, to bring them up to current code and living standards.  Notable features include the extraordinary 62' x 11' Terrazzo covered front porch.  The 36' x 21' living room is significant in that the engineering required to facilitate an open space of this size was unheard of in residential construction in 1916. The windows are all original, and feature a unique centered arch panel in the front windows.   The face of the fireplace was changed three times over the course of Ms. Bath’s residency.

 

 

 

[trymahjong]

and about 402 Avondale.....

402 AVONDALE

Built in 1918 for Local Attorney Myer Wagner and his wife Josie. Later Arthur and Mamie Naman, Managers of the William Penn Hotel on Texas Street were residents. The House was the location of Morris Moore fabrics during the 1960’s and 70’s.

 

But I would be very interested in the more notorious details that are floating around....

Here in the Neighborhood, we all wonder if the owners (when they decide to sell) will have to disclose that the Meth Lab blew up and caused a bit of fire damage a few years ago.

[trymahjong]

On 7/20/2020 at 12:29 PM, Chi-Char-Hou-Dal said:

Since I live on this street, I always was fascinated by 407 Avondale St. Built in 1910 

 

Depending on the season, sometimes you can't even see the house because of the big tree out front.

again from the Avondale Historic Home tour-

BTW Keep checking the Avondale Association membership updates as these tours are arranged every few years as a thank you for joining and supporting the civic association.

 

407 AVONDALE

Tan frame

Built by Fred Marett in 1912  for John and Malinda Sieber. This couple married in the Dakota Territories. Both are buried in Forest Park Cemetery here in Houston.  This house cost $7,400 to complete. Mr. Sieber was president of Bay Lumber Company.

[dbigtex56]

On 7/19/2020 at 2:26 PM, mkultra25 said:

Per HAR, it was sold last year, and the interior had been taken down to the studs prior to the sale. There are pics of the interior before it was gutted here:

 

Sounds like a failed DIY flipping attempt. Once again, HGTV sows the seeds of destruction.
Not having the option of retaining the original elements of the building is a deal-breaker for many people. Let's hope someone sees potential in the ruins.

[trymahjong]

Thisouse is within a Historic District----everyone was up front and vocal about that--but still everyone thinks they can flip these houses fast.  

This house had a leaking roof that went unrepaired for 2 years until present owner bought it. That owner bailed because the money ran out. I guess house repairs  were  more expensive than the present buyer anticip[ated---- Plus ol d houses have lots of unpredictable stuff that has to be dealt with. You really have to have deep pockets to do a decent job, where a house has been left to rot. 

A few residents were being "breezed" by the notion that this house was too far gone and needed a variance to demolish, as the repairs would cost almost as much as the property.

There was no sympathy from the other residents. 

Historical Designation isn't easy to obtain. and this particular house has to get it twice! It's hard Thankless work. No one wants the variance for tear down. A few residents reached out with resources to help out-------nada

Supposedly present owner has been contacted to sell "as is" but won't return those phone calls.

Waiting to see what happenis to this old house has been a very character building experience.

[gene]

On 7/22/2020 at 7:42 AM, trymahjong said:

and about 402 Avondale.....

402 AVONDALE

Built in 1918 for Local Attorney Myer Wagner and his wife Josie. Later Arthur and Mamie Naman, Managers of the William Penn Hotel on Texas Street were residents. The House was the location of Morris Moore fabrics during the 1960’s and 70’s.

 

But I would be very interested in the more notorious details that are floating around....

Here in the Neighborhood, we all wonder if the owners (when they decide to sell) will have to disclose that the Meth Lab blew up and caused a bit of fire damage a few years ago.

 

i had the best addition to this post but i think the owner since the 80's still owns and lives there...so that is why i am refraining from adding a handful of mind blowing stories. 

[trymahjong]

Maybe it’s the original owner.....but a middle age women works around the yard, now and then. The  meth lab guy seemed to spend  a lot of time at home, so I’m not sure he was gainfully employed, haven’t seen him in a while.

 

That pinged on a trend I’ve noticed with on site   homeowners, after retirement Quite a few sell the old houses, upkeep too expensive to deal with on retirement income.......IMO

[dbigtex56]

1 hour ago, trymahjong said:

 

That pinged on a trend I’ve noticed with on site   homeowners, after retirement Quite a few sell the old houses, upkeep too expensive to deal with on retirement income.......IMO

I imagine that soaring property values have also impacted taxes (even after deductions are made for residents who are homeowners and 65+ years old). 
There's irony in there somewhere - the houses have become such good investments that they're no longer affordable.