BenH

http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cf...mp;backButton=Y I've photographed this house before. It's like a time machine back to the late 40's/early 50's. There is another Vale right next door, which was owned by the original owner's brother. I believe his family still owns this one. A rare, two story example of Vale's contemporary country style.

The house seems to be in excellent shape. The current owners are part of the family that built it, and are very committed to preserving it. I think they are wanting to move the house to a different location if the next buyer doesn't want to keep it. It should be small enough to do this anyway.

I have to amend a few previous comments I've made above. Turns out there actually IS a structure from 1836 incorporated into the house's design. A friend of mine is going over to see it Thursday, weather permitting, to get some more information on it.

Right, but the description also says the house was built in 1836. Wasn't Texas fighting for it's independence at that point? Mr. Vale indicated that this was his first independent design. The owner new that he needed work and asked him to design the house. From the way he described the time period, it sounded like it was before the war, so that tells me the actual date is 1936. And HCAD is notoriously wrong. Vale did have a style called Contemporary country, but this house isn't what he meant. When I spoke with him, he described the style in detail, and these are excellent examples of it: Battered stone walls, low hipped roofs, pecky cypress interiors, built-ins everywhere and the houses were usually large ramblers.

I think it falls nicely under the "Ranch" label. Vale worked in many different styles. See the guide I posted here called "A Brief Guide to the work of Wylie W. Vale", although I should probably go back over that and re-evaluate it. His own house on Memorial Drive has influences of Cliff May and Frank Lloyd Wright, but many aspects are unique to this part of Texas.

http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cf...mp;backButton=Y Originally designed for Walter Price. Someone with the last name Price owns it now, probably a relative.

That's very well done. I love it!

Update for you: The house with the multiple pyramids was originally a flat-roofed 50's mod designed by Lars Bang, an architect that just passed away. Bang also designed the weird pyramids. Evidently the clients and current owners are Russian, and commissioned Bang to make the additions. Info comes from SpaceAge. If you look closely, you can see the original house underneath.

Check out the following: Burdette Keeland Jr.'s papers at the Univeristy of Houston Library Special Collections department. Various builders associations might have something, but I doubt it. Preston Bolton may have some of those booklets in his files, along with the Contemporary arts association tour booklets. Fondren Library Get in touch with an HAIF moderator named Sevfiv. I think she has some old back issues of the Houston Post that may have something in them.

We're always interested. Welcome to the board! Do you happen to know when was the house built? Unfortunately it wasn't included in Houston Mod's book on Neuhaus & Taylor, so there's not much information out there about it.

Thanks all. The owners did an incredible job restoring that house. They are a realtor and a home builder. How's that for cool? They did take some damage during the hurricane (photos were shot about a week before then), but are currently repairing those problems. The best part is, they love it.

http://chron.travidia.com/SS/Page.aspx?sst...9&pagenum=8 Photos by me. You'll be hearing more on this house in the coming weeks.

http://www.amazon.com/Great-Houses-Texas-L...7630&sr=8-1 New book about great Texas houses includes the Durst-Gee house by Bruce Goff in Houston. I saw this book at Barnes & Noble today and it features a variety of excellent architecture from around the state from many time periods. Mid-century and new modern is very well represented. The author previously wrote a book on Harwell Hamilton Harris. Funny, I've been trying to get in to the Goff house for a long time now to photograph it. Maybe I should just tell them I'm doing a book, because that seems to be the only people that get in the door these days.

Slightly better picture. This one is also coming along nicely. It's over on Pinehill Lane, and if I had to guess, I'd say Wittenburg Partnership is doing this one. It looks like the house Mixon house they did over in Rice Village.

Spotted this going up on Chevy Chase a few weeks back. I apologize for the crap picture. Doesn't do it justice at all. The entire left side is mostly glass. Very impressive house. http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r85/zoomanderson/3736ChevyChase.jpg?t=1223405317 No idea who the architect is.

Looks like a very good one this year. http://www.aiahouston.org/Home_Tour_intro.cfm

An update on this house: It looks like the concrete screen in the front survived the tree impact unscathed. They've removed the damaged porte-cochere, and things don't look quite as bad as they did. It shouldn't take much to rebuild.

http://blogs.nationaltrust.org/preservationnation/?p=1065 Not the first time it's happened.

Jason tells me that the mods on Briar Hollow Lane are ok. Probably a lawn vacuum. http://www.drpower.com/TwoStepDualCategory...awnVacDual2Step

That's sad to see...I'm sure most of the mods in the Galveston area are damaged in some way. I hate to report this, because it's one of my favorite houses, but the Lasher house at 203 Timberwilde by Galveston architect Thomas M. Price suffered major damage to the porte-cochere, it's defining exterior feature. I didn't want to take a picture when I went by this morning, as people are suspicious enough right now. To get a scope of the damage, imagine one of those trees falling parallel to the house and landing right in the middle of the porte-cochere, basically wrapping the tree like a hot dog. If that's what happened (there was no tree there this morning), I'm sure it could be rebuilt, but its sobering to see that kind of damage to a structure that seemed so solid. (I'm not old enough to remember Hurricane Alicia) The Greer house across the street by Richard Colley seems to have faired much better, as there's only a very small section of panelling on it's pyramid missing. Dr. Davey Lieb's house at 311 Hunter's Trail has sustained some damage to it's southern wing, but the main structure seems unharmed. The Stewart Campbell house at 414 Thamer by MacKie & Kamrath seems to have weathered the storm unscathed.

Heard from Jason (Willowisp) today. He, his wife and the house are ok, but no power yet.

It survived! Has a white/gray roof. http://ngs.woc.noaa.gov/storms/ike/geo-C25882016.jpg

Hey guys, I wanted to start a thread to find out everyone's whereabouts and status post-Hurricane Ike. Just a place to check in and report on any damage you've seen to Mods or any other significant structures, as well. Also, post any news stories you find that might be of interest. I've been able to drive through a large chunk of Memorial in the passed few days, and am glad to report that it seems everything is in tact mod-wise. I haven't covered everything, but hope to in the next few days. Looks like the Galveston County Daily News building by Howard Barnstone lost it's roof: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metrop...an/6001867.html

Both it and the other Bowles & Bowles house in Piney Point have been demolished. Though great, the Weiler house was pretty far gone.

I got in today, but I didn't see anything terribly impressive. Alot of old late 70's/ early 80's homes, nothing that really jumped out except that white house with all the glass. You can't see the big steel house by James Ligenfelter from the street. Very disappointing.