BenH

Arthur and Madalyn Miller House - 1002 East Ave, Katy,TX. I noticed this house last night while on a drive in the area, and it looks a lot like the other two Katy Vale houses in terms of materials. Could be added to Vale's entry on the organic modern in Texas thread. It appears to be an excellent design; it has the big stone chimney in the back, which is obscured by the roof in these pictures. EDIT: The daughter of the original owners confirmed in an email today that this is indeed a Vale design. It was built in the 1950's. Hopefully more information will be forthcoming. 2445 - Woods Road - Jordan House - Brookshire,TX Despite the view from the front, this house is actually huge, but it stretches back into the lot. Very much a rancher. Looks to have been built in the mid- to late 40's.

Jason, that really is one of the UGLIEST houses I've EVER seen. Guys, this house we're talking about in Jason's neighborhood really sets a new standard of ugliness and inappropriateness. It's also one of the most out-of-context and out of proportion things you've ever seen. This house in Memorial Bend looks very nice, though.

Regardless of whether they're "camera-friendly" or not, no one from the RDA, or come to think of it, even the owner of the house, has the right to yell "NO PICTURES!" at anyone who is standing on a public street, which is what one of the docents did on Saturday to me. And one of the police officers that was hired for security was standing not three feet from me. He saw the whole exchange, and did nothing. Incidentally, how can they actually stop you from taking a picture inside the house? RDA has no authority to enforce any policy they may have, other than having you removed by hired security, which no one really wants to do. It's very bad publicity to have people pay as much as they charge and not allow photography.

I don't understand the need for snotball docents. The bunch that was at the Carlos Jiminez house on Saturday afternoon working the front booth were particularly bad.

Difficult to tell; headstock looks kind of like a Guild, but it might be one of those DeArmond rip off things. The Jaguar to the left looks nice. I'd rather have one of these, but I like my Fender J-basses:

Not sure how I feel about that. First off, those lightboxes would be expensive, and ESTO needs to be paid for usage. You might want to email Erica Stoller about that. I've spoken with her in the past about using some of their older stuff for Houston Mod's website; she said they might be able to give us a discount rate or something to that effect. Otherise, enjoy the new addiction. Don't forget to plug in words like "Texas", "Houston" or the names of your favorite architects. Stoller was one of the most in-demand architectural photographers of his time, so he probably has a few shots of whatever you're looking for. They're also still uploading things.

Musicians.

Judge & Mrs. Wilmer B. Hunt House - 526 W. Friar Tuck - Hamilton Brown (demolished) Not sure where the article is from; maybe Texas Architect?

P.M. Bolton Associates, or Bolton P.M. Associates. Preston Bolton and Howard Barnstone. If you want to see the original photos shot of the Winterbotham house, Wing house and Piney Point Elementary School, go here: http://www.estostock.com/ Register (it's free), and type in Barnstone into the keyword search. Type in Texas and you'll eventually run across Neuhaus & Taylor's Frame House, Wilson, Morris, Crain & Anderson's Carter House, The Petroleum Club, and one shot of the Thaxton house.

I drove by earlier today. It doesn't look like anything special. At least there isn't junk stacked to the ceiling though.

It's still on the market, I think. Hopefully the buyer that was interested will be able to get it soon.

I'd appreciate it anyone who has a 1960's city directory could look up 37 E. Rivercrest to see who the original owner of this house was. It appears to be a very large custom rancher, on par with some of Cliff May's work. It is completely invisible from the street. Here's an overhead shot: http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r85/zoomanderson/37ERivercrest.jpg?t=1236876921 The house is currently owned by John R. Hewett Jr., who appears to have owned the house since HCAD began keeping records. HCAD says 1965 and that has 10 rooms. This bring up a subject that I've been particularly interested in for a while now: what architects built large, custom ranch houses in Houston during the mid-20th century? I know the ranch was the style of choice for most residential construction, but who made did it especially well (besides Wylie W. Vale)? Any help would be most appreciated (and I already have Alan Hess' book The Ranch House. Thanks.

602 Pinehaven - W.M. Andrews house - 1953 (HCAD)

From what I've seen while driving on Memorial, Meadowood Elementary looks like a great MCM school. It looks well maintained too. I went to an MCM school: Robert E. Lee High School (in Houston). It was designed by CRS, won several awards and was published in Texas Architect in the 60's (it looked much better before HISD got their hands on it). When I was there, West Side High School had just been finished, so I couldn't appreciate the fact that many of the details that make it mod were still in tact, right down to the tile mosaics. Granted, they were in horrible shape and HISD had added terrible additions.

Added new photos for Herb Greene, Bailey Swenson, Lenard Gabert and Dr. Davey Lieb.

I think the agent is the guy that started this post.

Funny you ask; that photo is posted on Flickr and someone else asked the same question. As far as I know, it is not the same Robert Durst. Besides, the Gees have lived in that house longer than both previous owners combined...I'd say it's more theirs than anyones.

I don't think they have a website, but the house on the AIA Tour last year was one of my favorites, as was Palmer Schooley's.

Yes, that's John Kaliski's article, which I based the post on. That guy did a LOT of work. He lives in Los Angeles now, and I tried to get in touch with him to ask for his help with this, but got no response. Hopefully I haven't pissed him or the people at CITE off.

BenH responds with too much information once again. All photos by Benjamin Hill, unless otherwise noted. My sources are mentioned in the text. This post is far from complete, so check back often, as there is always new information coming to light. MacKie & Kamrath MacKie & Kamrath are Houston’s most well-known advocates (some would say copyists) of Frank Lloyd Wright’s work. I can say from what I’ve seen of Kamrath’s work that he did much more than copy; he was a very talented architect, designer and artist. Regan Miller, a local architect with the firm Miller/Dahlstrand, wrote his graduate thesis about MacKie & Kamrath. It can be found here: http://scholarship.rice.edu/handle/1911/13763 Miller includes a pretty comprehensive list of addresses, as well. There is also a small booklet available from the Houston Metropolitan Research Center that outlines their entire collection of Karl Kamraths’ drawings that were donated after his death. From what I’ve read, Kamrath was the firm’s primary designer, while Fred MacKie handled the administrative activities, worked with the clients and in at least one case, was project manager. Miller has already documented a large amount of M&K’s work, so I will only include the residential highlights. A detailed biography of Karl Kamrath by historian Stephen Fox can be found here. Karl F. Kamrath House – 8 Tiel Way - 1951 It would be hard not to say that this was Kamrath’s best house. It was his showpiece, and one of the buildings he spent the most time on. It has been heavily documented and was recently featured in the book Organic Architecture: The Other Modernism by Alan Hess and Alan Weintraub. Front Exterior: More photos of 8 Tiel Way and a presentation drawing by Kamrath (big file): http://www.americanheritage.org/Houston_Ho...ome_Article.pdf Ballantyne House – 2 Tiel Way – 1961. The Ballantynes commissioned this house to be built across the ravine from Kamrath’s own house. Dr. Ballantyne was responsible for the landscaping, which survives to this day. The Ballantyne household consisted of Dr. & Mrs. Ballantyne and their seven children. From the street, the house is deceptively small, but in fact has enough bedrooms to accommodate the family and a number of guests. Unlike Wright, and consequently Kamrath’s, idea of centering the household around the hearth, the Ballantyne house is built around the kitchen. All traffic converges at the kitchen; this was done so that Mrs. Ballantyne would have an easier time keeping track of the family. A visitor walking in the front door would see the large, sunken living room to the left, which cantilevers out over the ravine shared with #8 Tiel Way. The living room focuses on a massive concrete block fireplace, surrounded by built-in furniture and floor-to-ceiling windows that provide views of the ravine. To the right of the front door is the path to the kitchen, which intersects with a long hallway to the bedrooms. The bedroom hallway is clearly a nod to the drafting room at Taliesin West, or a similar Wright design. Primary materials for the house include the concrete block visible from the exterior, and large amounts of redwood. The house is in pristine condition; most of the appliances are original. I photographed this house for a special section in the Houston Chronicle. The photographs below were not published as part of that section. Fireplace and living room: Front Exterior: Houston Chronicle Distinctive Properties Article with photos by Ben Hill Other highlights of Kamrath's residential work. George Mitchell House - 11010 Wickwood - 1963 MacKie & Kamrath's masterpiece. Is well documented in John Kaliski's CITE Magazine article "The Wright Stuff; Houston’s Natural House", which appeared in CITE 7, Fall 1984 and was reprinted in Ephemeral City (I’m using it as my main source for this post). Houston Mod's page on the Mitchell House. Link to Photos by Michael Brichford: http://spacecitymod.blogspot.com/2007/08/11010-wickwood.html R.J. Gonzalez House - 48 Tiel Way - 1951 Article with presentation drawing: http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r85/zoo...pg?t=1238951511 Stuart N. Campbell House - 414 Thamer Lane - 1968 A gift to all here at HAIF, a previously undocumented house by MacKie & Kamrath: Dr. and Mrs. Daniel Roark House - 402 Flintdale - 1964 Dr. and Mrs. Roark commissioned MacKie & Kamrath to design this house in the mid-60's. According to Mrs. Roark, I was the first person outside of the family to photograph the house, and Houston Mod vice president Jeff Carowitz and I were the first people to contact them about documenting it. Like the Ballantyne house, the Roark house has many Asian element that endear it to a heavily wooded site (the house isn't visible from the street and this has undoubtedly contributed to its obscurity in Kamrath's catalogue.) Mrs. Roark told us that she and her husband worked primarily with Fred MacKie, who appears to have served as the contractor or project architect on their house. It was designed by Kamrath initially, but MacKie handled the day to day work on the house. Front exterior from the driveway: Dining room and entryway with shoji screens: Rear exterior: Note the indoor fountain under the staircase in the lower left corner of the photo. This was originally intended to be a small rock garden, but the Roarks felt a a fountain fit better in the scheme of the house. Things You May Not Know About MacKie & Kamrath 1. Many of the houses standing in River Oaks today were renovated at one time or another by MacKie & Kamrath. 2. They did many buildings in Lake Jackson,TX in association with Alden B. Dow, one of Frank Lloyd Wright's apprentices. 3. Karl Kamrath played competitive tennis throughout his life and was a founding member of the Houston Racquet Club (as well as it's architect). 4. MacKie & Kamrath and Wylie Vale renovated River Oaks Country Club in the 1960's. 5. Preston Bolton, Kenneth Bentsen, Robert Bowles and Walter S. Poage III (House of Formica designer) all worked for MacKie & Kamrath at some point during their careers (usually at the very beginning). 6. MacKie & Kamrath's last residential project was built in 1980 at 22 West Still Forest in Memorial. Robert Bowles & Mary Lynn Bowles: Robert and Mary Lynn Bowles are a husband and wife team who designed at least three homes that were heavily influenced by Wright's approach. Two were in Houston before being demolished last year. The third was a "contemporary" built for their son Gary in Longview. Robert and Mary are both Rice graduates and went on to work for several of Houston's distinguished firms. Robert worked for Travis Broesche and MacKie & Kamrath. Mary did detailing for Irving R. Klein, amongst other work. In mid-2008, after some serious internet searching and positively hounding historian Stephen Fox for information about Bowles & Bowles, I finally located an architect named Robert Bowles in Marshall,TX about 30 miles outside of Longview. I wrote to him and his wife Mary responded via email on June 16, 2008 with a brief but detailed history about their activities with other firms and their own commissions. Their first house was designed for her parents in 1956 at 11910 Knippwood Lane in Memorial. Mary designed the floor plan, elevations and supervised construction while Robert handled the structural design. Mary described several unique features of the house: "One unusual feature was the master bathroom having a glass wall that opened onto a small private landscaped area. Of course, the entry had a plant box that started outside & went thru the glass by the entrance door on into the entry inside." William Boyd, a nationally known appraiser, bought the house from Mary's parents at an unknown date and lived there with his family until retiring to the Bear Creek area in 2008. The house was acquired by Elan Custom Homes, who in the throws of the "housing boom", demolished it. Below are some of the last photos taken of the house prior to its demolition. Front Exterior Front Entry Pool Area The second house the Bowles designed was for Mary's uncle James Weiler and his wife Christine. Mary traces the house's design and construction to about 1960. It was a classic late-Wrightian design that featured bright, multicolored built-in cabinets and pink Mexican brick. Mary described it thus: "The kitchen was an elongated hexagon in plan. The Master Bedroom was a complete hexagon in plan with an exposed sloping ceiling. The outside corner of the hexagonal bedroom was mitered glass with as you know, the landscaping carrying out the hexagonal theme." James Weiler helped found the patent division of Fulbright & Jaworski and was the first mayor of Hedwig Village in Memorial. He lived in the house until his death in late 2007. The kitchen was featured with a full page article and pictures in the 1963 issue of Better Homes & Gardens Kitchen Ideas magazine. It was demolished in 2008 by another custom home builder. Front Exterior: A detailed discussion with many images by BenH and sevfiv can be found here: http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/i...showtopic=14742 Other known works by Bowles & Bowles: Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Longview,TX Unnamed Restaurant, Marshall,TX - Demolished Gary Bowles house, Longview,TX Robert & Mary Bowles currently live in Marshall,TX. Joseph Krakower with Herb Greene: Joseph Krakower's career in Houston can be broken down into two known phases: his work before Herb Greene joined his firm, and his work with Greene as a collaborator. Krakower’s own residential designs were often medium-sized to large homes, built for upper middle class clients. They are trim and spacious, missing the slight whimsy of Greene’s influence. The best examples of Krakower’s residential work prior to Greene are the Davidson house at 2418 Maroneal, the Barvin house at 3506 Glen Arbor Drive and the Mandell house at 3506 South Parkwood Dr., all of which are still standing (according to historian and architect Ben Koush, Greene had arrived in Krakower’s office at the time the Mandell house was under construction). The Davidson house was featured on the 1958 Contemporary Arts Association Home Tour. Davidson House (2418 Maroneal) The Barvin House on Glen Arbor is also a good example of Krakowers' work before Greene: When Herb Greene arrived in Krakower’s office in 1955, he was put in charge of most of the design work (his website describes his role as "consulting"). Greene had worked for a former Taliesin Fellowship apprentice named John Lautner, one of the few members of that institution that would actually practice architecture with some success. Krakower and Greene’s work from 1955 on began to incorporate a variety of influences like Asian design elements (the Mendell house at 3615 N. Braeswood) and other “organic” touches. Both Greene and Robert Bowlby, a draftsman in Krakower’s office from January to November 1956, had known each other at the University of Oklahoma Architecture School where Bruce Goff was in charge from 1943 to 1955. Both were Goff’s apprentices at points during their respective careers; Bowlby left Krakower’s office in November 1956 to begin his apprenticeship with Goff, and ended up doing working drawings of the Durst house at 323 Tynebrook, Goff’s only house in Houston, which was designed in collaboration with Krakower’s office. Herb Greene evidently supervised the original construction. Greene’s arrival in Houston coincided with an interesting string of projects built primarily for members of Krakower’s extended family or friends. The first of these was the Lurie House at #7 Pine Forest Circle on the outskirts of Tanglewood, built for Miriam Folloder and David Lurie in 1955. This house is distinguished by its cantilevered carport, diamond-shaped chimney and frosted ribbon windows, standard features in Greene’s arsenal of detailing. It is still owned by the Lurie family. Lurie was Krakower’s brother-in-law. Front Exterior: Rear Exterior: Another interesting house was designed almost completely by Herb Greene for a widower named Harry Folloder and his sons in 1956 on Mossycup Lane near Tallowood Baptist Church and was finished in 1958. In 1961 Folloders’ second wife Muriel moved in and lives there to this day. She has kept the house in good condition, though it saw extensive additions in the 1970’s by architect Bob Bell. Originally around 3200 square feet, the house has been expanded to over 6000 square feet to accommodate a live-in caretaker for Mrs. Folloder-Philip’s mother, who lived in the house for the last years of her life. I wrote Mrs. Folloder-Phillips in 2008 and she invited me to tour the house and photograph it. It features poured terrazzo floor with a raised platform for the fireplace, redwood siding, slate countertops, several instances of floor-to-ceiling glass, and many skylights. Greene also included many built-ins. Rear Exterior: Living Room to Kitchen: Front Exterior: Greene's only solo project in Houston was the Lyne house at 3605 Meriburr Lane. He has an entry for it on his website that can be seen here: http://www.herbgreene.org/GREENE%20IMAGES/...YNE%20HOUSE.htm The house has long since been demolished, and appears to have never been maintained properly. After Greene left Houston at the end of the 1950's, Krakower's only known project was the Jewish Institute for Medical Research in the Medical Center. There's an article about its conception and construction here: http://www.bcm.edu/solutions/v2i1/jewishbuilding.html In the summer of 2008, I spoke with Rae Krakower, Joseph's wife, by telephone who told me that Krakower was a Rice graduate, and later attended USC for his graduate degree. Early on, he worked for Lenard Gabert and designed the pulpit at Temple Emanu-El. He designed offices for Dr. Michael Debakey, along with a rec center for the Houston housing authority, a fire station, a library and also worked for HUD and the agency of International Development. During the time Herb Greene was with the firm, his office was in a two-story house at 505 Avondale. He passed away in 1988. Mrs. Krakower currently resides in Berkeley,CA and has three sons. Herb Greene has returned to Houston at least once to see the Folloder house. Mrs. Folloder-Phillips told me that he knocked on her door and introduced himself out of the blue. She also sent copies of my photos to Greene and we've exchanged a few emails regarding addresses I'm still looking for of his work. He currently resides in Berkeley, California. His new website is under construction and can be found here: http://www.herbgreene.org/index.html Other Projects by Krakower/Greene: Mandel Residence - 3617 North Braeswood Salzman House - 3615 North Braeswood - Was a Mod of the Month a few years ago. Is currently being remodeled/renovated. It was not originally lime green. Southwestern Bell Telephone, later Uniroyal Tire Building - 3333 Fanin Street http://www.herbgreene.org/GREENE%20IMAGES/...WEST%20BELL.htm Houston Typewriter Exchange Building - 2201 Caroline Street Mendell House Project (Unbuilt) http://www.herbgreene.org/GREENE%20IMAGES/...LL%20HOUSE.html Proposal for Temple Emanu-El http://www.herbgreene.org/GREENE%20IMAGES/...%20EMANUEL.html Special thanks to Ben Koush for his research and address list. Also to Stephen Fox, Herb Greene, Muriel Folloder-Phillips, Robert Bowlby, Marty Merritt and anyone whose name I did not intentionally forget in this section. Wylie W. Vale As Kaliski stated in the CITE 7 article, “Among Houston architects better known for their organic work, Wylie W. Vale must be included”. If you’ve spent any time on this board, you know there is a very large thread dedicated to locating Vale’s houses, traditional and modern alike. It’s a pet project that I’m sure everyone is completely sick of by now. You can find it here: http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/i...=10882&st=0 Wylie Vale and his wife Eileen are both Rice graduates who ran a company called Custom Builders that supplemented Wylie’s architectural practice (Then known as Vale Architects). There office was at 517 W. Gray in 1955; Wylie handled the architecture and Eileen designed interiors. Custom Builders was instrumental in creating the image of neighborhoods like Tanglewood and many of the large ranch houses that are scattered throughout the neighborhoods of Memorial. Prior to founding his own practice, Vale had worked as a draftsman for Moore & Lloyd and as a designer for C.C. Rouse construction and Travis Broesche. Vale designed many highly customized houses that he called “Contemporary Country”, as well as several large residences that incorporated the ideas of both Wright and Mies. Mr. Vale never referred to these residences as “modern” but either as “moderne” or “contemporary” (which was thought of at the time as being distinct from the Miesian interpretation of modernism. The 50’s houses in Riverside Terrace are examples of contemporary, specifically the one by Wilson, Morris & Crain at 3504 Oakdale Ct., and those that Phillip G. Willard, Lucian Hood, Jr. and Lars Bang designed together.) Moderne seems to imply the older style of Art Moderne, but even this does not seem to adequately describe Vale’s meaning. Regardless, in a telephone conversation on April 14, 2007, Mr. Vale counted Frank Lloyd Wright among his influences, as well as his friend Karl Kamrath, and his former Rice professors Stayton Nunn and Brigadier General William Ward Watkin. For this thread, I’ll only include these custom residences that are known. 3780 Willowick – 1949 - Albert Plummer House (Demolished) At the time it was completed, this was the most expensive home in River Oaks. It was a single story, curvilinear residence on 2.658 acres that sloped down to a bayou. It had three bedrooms and ceilings that varied from 9-15 feet in height. There were also three bedrooms to accommodate live-in staff. It featured frame and double wall masonry construction, ledgestone exterior walls, a built up roof with copper trim and flagstone floors. The exterior entry had intricate ironwork reminiscent of the solar screens that Edward Durrell Stone became infatuated with during the latter half of his career. I have photographs from a 1992 Sotheby’s flyer when the house was last on the market, and I am trying to get permission from my source to distribute them since the house no longer exists. A small photo can be seen in the demolished or altered buildings section of the Houston Architecture Guide. It is one of River Oaks’ greatest lost modern houses. 3723 Knollwood – 1950 – Second Townsend House This house was built for Townsend’s daughter. Built along similar levels of luxury as the first Townsend house, much of it has been remodeled as it has seen several owners. This house is featured with a better description in Kaliski’s article. 10 Shadder Way - 1957 - Thomas P. Hull House Thomas Hull was a vice president with McDermott Oil when he hired Vale to design this flat-roofed house. The back yard can be seen from Rienzi (so look for it on the Azalea Trail). When I spoke with Mr. Vale, he said that this was one of the houses he was most proud of, and that I should do everything I could to find it. The Hull house was renovated by Stern & Bucek Architects for it's current owners, the Newar family. Photographs pre-renovation can be seen on Stern & Bucek's website. 118 Hickory Ridge – 1961 – George Mayes House Mayes house before restoration. A low slung, flat-roofed contemporary built for the Mayes family. Every detail appears to be custom, including some of the furniture and interior walls decorated with stone. Eddie Mayes recently sold the house to a couple that have installed complimentary landscaping and are working on restoring it. Little is known about this house’s history. 11406 Memorial Drive – 1961 - Leonard K. Frankel House – This house appears to be a one-story, flat-roofed version of the second Townsend house in River Oaks. It is currently owned by a former Syrian ambassador and appears to be well maintained. Mr. Vale couldn’t remember any background information when I spoke with him, and I have yet to make contact with it’s current owner or get a clear photograph. 11302 Memorial Drive – 1949 – Wylie W. Vale House – Vale’s first house for his family is lavishly secluded by heavily landscaped gardens and cascading pools in the back. When seen up close, one can detect Wright’s influence, specifically his Prairie period. This house would set the template for Vale’s future work, specifically his “contemporary country” style. It is a luxurious, Texan take on the California ranch house and shows the influence of architects like Cliff May. It has been fully restored by it's current owners. The two Woods houses in Katy,TX share similarities to this house. John S. Chase I know very little about John Chase, but he deserves a place here due to his residential work in the 1950's. He was the first African-American architect to gain membership in the American Institute of Architects and went on to receive many local and international commissions, including many at Texas Southern University. A brief bio and list of major projects can be found here: http://www.hnoma.net/index_files/chase.htm For our purposes, however, his residential work from the 1950s is most relevant. His own house at 3512 Oakdale Court is one of several he designed in Riverside Terrace, and it is quite spectacular. Stephen Fox in the 2002 Houston Architecture Guide describes it from a more informed perspective than mine: "The architect's own house is bisected by a two-story glass wall lighting a cantilevered stair that dramatically spans a fountain trough." Other Chase designs. 3502 Arbor Ave - 1959 3402 Binz Ave - 1968 A huge house with a glass walled second story similar to that found in Chase's own house. Is visible from North MacGregor Way. Arthur Moss Of all the architects that practiced or dabbled in the organic, Arthur Moss is one of the most enigmatic. This is very odd, given the impact one of his projects would go on to have. Two buildings can be attributed to him with certainty: The Penguin Arms Apartments – 2902 Revere Street – 1950. The Penguin Arms was featured in the original article by Douglas Haskell in House & Home Magazine that coined the term “Googie”. Only a picture is shown, but it clearly is Moss’ building. Here is Haskells’ original article: http://www.spaceagecity.com/googie/househome.htm A more detailed description and interior photographs can be found in Kaliski’s CITE article. The Triton 101 Apartments – 3411 Cummins Lane – Date unknown. The Triton 101 was one of the most bizarre buildings in Houston. An article found in either the Houston Post or Chronicle archives by Houston Mod board member Jason Smith (known to HAIF as Willowisp) features a picture of the complex and a description of a typical unit and the facilities. It says that the building was owned by the MLM Investment Company, MLM being the surname initials of Arthur Moss, Carl T. Long, Jr. and Phil Moss. I can only assume that Phil was Arthur’s brother or was related to him in some way. The Triton 101 still exists, but has been remodeled to the point of being unrecognizable. Here’s the exterior photo of the building as it originally appeared: Using this photo as evidence, I believe it’s safe to assume that at least one more building, a private residences, is also a Moss design. It's very striking and is located at 7926 Chevy Chase Dr. in Briarbend. According to the Harris County Appraisal District, this house is owned by Philemon Moss, whom I also assume is the Phil Moss of the MLM Investment Company. HCAD says it was built in 1959. Phil’s son Gary runs Moss Landscaping, Inc. I have made repeated attempts to contact Gary and Phil, but none have been successful. Here is the Moss House: Arthur Moss’ office was in a private residence at 2246 Glen Haven in Braeswood. Allen R. Williams Little is known about Allen Williams, although Russell Howard has recently confirmed that he was much more prolific than originally thought and that some of the houses built with wavy shingled roofs are his designs including buildings I believed to be designed by Arthur Moss. Howard has spoken at length with Stacey Williams', Mr. Williams wife, who worked in his architectural practice. Mr. & Mrs. Williams house was located at 4603 Ivanhoe, and originally had a wavy roof. It is for sale as of this writing. http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cf...mp;backButton=Y According to Mrs. Williams, there was a companion house behind theirs for Mr. Williams' parents, which has been demolished. The Williams house has since had a more conventional roof installed. Mrs. Williams said that the idea of the wavy roofs was to look like water, it was very expensive and they weren't the only people that built houses that way. One of these houses is in Tynewood at 351 Tynebridge. I’ve traded emails with the owner, who is a landscape architect. He cannot confirm that Williams designed the house, but I think the wavy shingle patterns do. He said that the house has a few elements that we now call sustainable, but did not go into detail. Evidently the roof has had problems too. Williams designed at least three more houses in Tynewood, on Hermosa Ct., all of which bear his signature angular detailing, just not to the extreme seen in the Tynebridge house. Speaking of Hermosa, the house at the very end is NOT a MacKie & Kamrath design. There is no record of it in his drawings. The other house is in Meyerland, but appears nearly identical from the street. The owner appears to have given up on the roof and installed of newer one. Russell Howard has secured photos of the original drawings of this house, which have Williams' name on them. Photo by Russell Howard Many of William's designs have similar detailing, like this one on Cheena in Meyerland: Both of these Meyerland houses and also a demolished one on Imogene, were designed as spec homes for the builder Roy Harris. Williams designed one very Wright inspired house at 11214 Hermosa, built 1962. Original clients listed as Hegenbarth. This house has been featured one at least one tour, and is often attributed to Karl Kamrath, but it is, in fact, an Allen Williams design. One of William's designs has been published in Atomic Ranch. It was restored by architect and Houston Mod founder Ben Koush. Other architects who either practiced or dabbled with Wrightian/organic design in Houston (in no particular order): Howard Barnstone - Barnstone's Bloxsom house, one of his first commissions that formerly stood at 22 E. Shady Lane (1952), was based on one of Wright's Solar Hemicycle designs. Apparently, MacKie & Kamrath were also being considered for this commission, as there are drawings in their archives for the same client at the same time, but no address. Preston Bolton - Finkelstein House - while in partnership with Howard Barnstone, Bolton was tapped to design the Finkelstein house at 307 W. Friar Tuck. Barnstone had originally presented a very uncompromising, Miesian design that cantilevered out over the ravine on the propert, but his proposal was rejected by the clients for being "too cold". The client, Carol Sue Finkelstein, had seen a Wright house in a magazine and told Bolton that this was the style she wanted for her house. Having worked for MacKie & Kamrath in his early years (and incidentally, Kenneth Franzheim, Irving R. Klein and Birdsall P. Briscoe) Bolton was well equipped to provide a pleasing design. It was approved, and the house was finished in the early 1960's. It is very large and is terraced in the back to work with the ravine. It also has a pitched roof and is made largely of stone, very uncommon for Bolton & Barnstone's work. The house still exists, but is difficult to see from the street. I have been in touch with Ms. Finkelstein who has the original photographs taken by Balthazar Koreb. I am working to obtain copies of these and they will hopefully be posted on Houston Mod's updated website. Alden B. Dow - Charles Reed Residence at 111 Carnarvon (altered). Dow, who was one of Frank Lloyd Wright's most talented and successful apprentices, also planned and designed most of Lake Jackson,TX. MacKie & Kamrath were the project architects of record; they also managed most of Dow’s work in Lake Jackson, which included many private residences and public buildings. The Alden B. Dow foundation has the original photos by Balthazar Koreb. The house appears to be an oversized rancher, but the interior is in fact very Wrightian, or was in its early days. William Norman Floyd – Stuckey House – 705 Kuhlman Road (demolished). Everything you could ever want to know about William Norman Floyd is here: http://memorialbendarchitecture.com The Stuckey House is here: http://memorialbendarchitecture.com/floyd_hcart6.jpg O'neil Ford (Ford, Colley & Taminga) - Garth House - 63 Briar Hollow Lane (demolished) A picture of this house is in the 2002 Houston Architecture Guide. Probably one of Houston's great, lost modern homes in a lost modern neighborhood. Lenard Gabert 3401 North MacGregor Way - 1956 - w/ W. Jackson Wisdom Bruce Goff - Robert Durst House - 323 Tynebrook - 1958 Office of Joseph Krakower, associate architects. Goff's only built project in Houston (he designed another house that was to have been built in Hunterwood), the Durst house is unique, to say the least. It's design has, however, been praised over the years as an excellent response to it's cul-de-sac location. The Dursts did not live in the house very long; it was sold in the 1960's and again in the 1970's to it's current owners, the Gee family. Mrs. Gee commissioned Goff to design an addition (the tower-like bedroom on the right side of the house) in the early 80's, just prior to his death. This house is featured in the book Great Houses of Texas by Lisa Germany. Germany writes extensively about the construction of that renovation, and the book includes many interior photos that are well worth the price. A house for Dr. Shirley Bowen by Wylie Vale stood next door at 322 Tynebrook until 2002 or 2003. Next door to that is a home based on Oscar De La Renta's Balinese House, which is currently on the market. Dr. Davey Lieb Lieb House - 311 Hunters Trail - 1972. I will post more about this house as I learn it. David D. Red Lieutenant Commander David Red was a professor at the University of Houston College of Architecture until 1978, when he started BSA Architects with one of his former students. However, his work as an independent architect prior to BSA is most relevant to this post. Those who knew him always talk about going to his house at 1802 Sunset Blvd. to watch him mow his roof. At the time, many people thought having a sod roof was a goofy idea and dismissed it as a curious novelty. The roof itself didn't last very long, but the memory did; green roofs are now getting more attention due the demand for more sustainable approaches to insulation. Mr. Red had many unique ideas about architecture and most of them are expressed in his two known organic projects: his own house on Sunset, and the Kelvin Design Group Studio at 4916 Kelvin Dr. David Red - Kelvin Design Studio - 1960 The second story is a later addition. Special thanks to James Glass for letting me roam around taking pictures. David Red - Red House - 1958 Photo by Jason Smith Mr. Red's obituary is here Mike G. Vergas Vergas House - 4421 Simsbrook Drive - 1962 Eugene Werlin 2333 Underwood Blvd. - 1950 Walter J. Fondren House - 3940 Inverness - 1957 (altered). This house is not visible from the street, but this Houston Chronicle article by Madeleine McDermott Hamm has a detailed description of it: http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive....id=1994_1184057 This house has one of the largest residential swimming pools in Houston. Bailey Swenson Swenson's fusion of the organic and "contemporary" is covered at length in Kaliski's article. With multiple commissions and willing clients, Swenson found Riverside Terrace fertile ground on which to experiment with organic architecture. I’m only going to list his designs because I do not have photos for them at the moment. They are in different states of maintenance; for example, the Leon Green house at 3819 South MacGregor Way, which Fox calls "one of Swenson’s best houses”, is in such wretched shape that demolition would probably be merciful. A horribly botched renovation was undertaken at some point, but a few traces of its original design are still visible. Designs by Bailey Swenson or Swenson & Linnstaedter: 3417 Charleston Street – 1950 3403 Charleston Street – 1952 – One of many houses for the Proler family. Influenced by the Prairie style. 3819 South Macgregor Way – Leon Green House Swenson's house for Leon Green was simply wild. What remains of the original design can be seen from the back of the house, which is two stories of floor-to-ceiling glass with a circular glass room attached. Most of this was made into square rooms during the renovation. 4505 North Roseneath This house is in Galveston, but it is nearly identical to the house at 4505 North Roseneath. It serves as a good, well-preserved example of Swenson's work: Frank Lloyd Wright – William L. Thaxton House - 12020 Tall Oaks This house was built in 1954 for a successful insurance agent named William Thaxton and his family. It was one of the first houses to be built in that part of Memorial, as Thaxton was hoping to start a subdivision. Thaxton bought a large rectangular lot and hired Wright to design his home, feeling that if an architect with a big name designed his house, it would attract other potential residents that would follow suit. The house that Wright designed for Thaxton was small compared to the mansions that now surround it, and had no right angles. It was constructed of concrete block, steel, redwood, glass and concrete dyed red. The house divides the lot diagonally, which provides the owner with plenty of privacy. When the current owners bought the house in 1991, it had been severely neglected; the beautiful knot-less redwood ceiling had had six coats of paint, the roof was leaking and some of the exterior doors had rotted away to the point that the interior was exposed to the elements. In 1995, the owners completed an extensive restoration that was essentially a ground-up rebuild, with a few original parts of the house still in tact. Everything was done according to Wright's original drawings. Most of what has been written about this house in CITE Magazine and in the Houston Architectural Guide was written before the restoration. It is time to have another look. I will post more photos when and if I am able. At the time, the current owners had more children than the house could adequately handle, so a large addition was designed by a team at Kirksey Architects headed up by Robert Inaba. They used the Secretary of Interiors Standards for Rehabilitation as guidelines for planning, along with Wright's original drawings to restore the main house. Article about the Thaxton House from the New York Times, pre-restoration: http://www.nytimes.com/1991/04/21/us/houst...e-a-future.html As I stated at the beginning, this post is by no means finished, but I do want to thank Jersey01 for starting this topic and subsequently touching off something that needed to be done. Also, Lauren Meyers (sevfiv), Russell Howard, Jason Smith, Monica Savino, Ben Koush, Steve Curry, Don Emmitte, Jeff Horning, Mark Schatz, Anne Eamon and everyone else in Houston Mod for all of their help (directly or indirectly). Also to S. Reagan Miller for chosing MacKie & Kamrath as his thesis topic. Stephen Fox, Muriel Folloder-Philips, Robert and Mary Bowles, Robert Bowlby, Herb Greene, Rae Krakower, Wylie and Eileen Vale, Preston and Pauline Bolton, The Ballantyne's, Chris Carson, Penny Jones, Carol Sue Finkelstein, Jeff Carowitz for his knowledge of many things Wright, Dow and Kamrath (and for buying a Kamrath to restore), Jack Kamrath for returning my call, Christina Hattenbach of Harrison Kornberg Architects and anyone else I may have forgot to thank. Enjoy, and feel free to contact me via private message if you know of anything else that should be included or have any information concerning a building listed here or otherwise. I've left out most of the work by Bailey Swenson, Eugene Werlin and Lenard Gabert, to name a few, but I hope to remedy that as soon as I can get pictures and more biographical information.

I agree with Strasser/Ragni and MC2. They both have the ability to design breathtaking spaces (i.e. MC2's Johnson House on Haskell), although the same can be said for all of these firms if the budget is right. I'm a little biased toward M+A and Collaborative Designworks, though. I've worked for both of them and found them to be great people, both personally and creatively, and I want to see them do well. If you can wait a bit, M+A's home & studio is going to be on the RDA Tour this year and it's definitely worth checking out.

I saw a tv show that showed the same house...it's in a neighborhood that's easy to protect.

M+A Architecture Studio http://www.maarchitecturestudio.com/ Savino Architecture (Monica Savino) http://savinoarchitecture.com/ Collaborative Designworks http://www.collaborativedesignworks.com/ Robertson Design http://www.robdes.com/ Intexure http://www.intexure.com/ Interloop http://www.interlooparchitecture.com/ Nonya Grenader http://nonyagrenaderarchitect.com/

Not really. It is a rancher, though. [url="http://dallasarchitectureblog.com/2008/12/03/president-and-mrs-bush

I tried to get a few shots of that, but there was a function going on the day I took all these, and security was out in the street. Price also did the Sealy & Smith Professional Building (demolished) and a few others that I can't remember at the moment.