Willowisp
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Posts posted by Willowisp
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And The Frame House, EmanuEl Temple, and Shell One. It was a good year for moderns.
I think it was just an oversight and they're planning on putting it up. We never did see the pics they took of us with our brick though. But the people we sat next to were very friendly. They were personal friends with one of my boyhood idols, Itzhak Perlman, and invited us to see him in concert and meet him afterwards, thrill of my life!
By the way, is anyone here going this year? Look for Houston Mod and say hi!
Jason
Has anyone wondered why the 2007 awards were never listed on the ghpa website? The Mosbacher house and Willowisps' house got awards that year. -
I've written a rambling one on here in the past, and I have driven friends and visitors on it.
Jason
It's not Houston, but there's a self-guided architectural driving tour for people who are into MCM design.More info here: http://www.modernsarasota.com/
I wonder if there's enough density of Mod buildings in Houston to create a tour here.
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I'm assuming the Sobel designed house is #16? I'd like to see that. Give us a heads up if it's open some Sunday.
Thanks a lot for the information. Things are looking up for 5000 Longmont. It's a beautiful and posh place.
I forgot what was written before, but no one would argue that "mid-century modern fans" don't want microwaves, computers, or flat screen tvs. For some reason I've got two microwaves. We had just gotten a new one before we moved and the house came with one so we kept both, and actually use both at the same time too often. I do still have the original stovetop though, and I'm pretty proud of that. It works just fine, as does my awesome 50s blender and mixmaster. But I wouldn't go for a 50s washing machine. I digress.
You're right, few published Houston mid-century homes began with owners who wanted modern furniture. I know Jenkins and Keeland were fans of it and staged some of the homes they designed with it for photos, and of course the Gordon House interiors were designed by Florence Knoll herself, and later on the Style in Steel townhomes were staged modern, but I'm not sure of many others. Bolton's own house is pretty eclectic.
The Owsley House, Menil House, Maher House, Neuhaus House etc, were fully decked out in antiques or eclectic new versions of antiques when they were published/photographed. I get that, but when I've visited some of those houses, I've wondered what they would look like with Knoll and Herman Miller furnishings... Is that just me?
Jason
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From what I've heard, it needs to be a cash sale. The banks don't want to finance it. There are several interested buyers, but no one can get the loans.
Jason
It's back with a fresh MLS number and listing agent!http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cf...mp;backButton=Y
flipper
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Anyone reading this who actually has one like this from the 50s or early 60s that is working and you use it?
Please share pictures!
I think ideally, it would just be cool to have the look of these in your house, but not actually use it.
We have in-wall electric heaters in our bathrooms that we kept, but I never turned them on. We were told they'd work, but we just left them unhooked. It rarely gets that cold here.
Jason
The "Talk-A-Radio" was actually a company in Dallas during that time that is long gone. It only had AM radio since FM was just arriving (like digital TV is now). Nutune dominated that market in the recent past, but is not a current choice. The model home that my grandparents bought on Glenview also had this system. There are currently many current technologies that emulate this concept from multi-room, multi-zone a/v systems to even phone systems with paging and music.Restoration services may be available through the antique radio clubs here in Houston who all do this kind of thing as a hobby and might know a professional "tinkerer". The problems with this system will probably not be failed components, but dirty/work switches, volume controls, and tuners. Speakers throughout the last half of the past century were usually shot after ten years as the surround (that rubber part around the cones) would have deteriorated due to catalytic chemical action of their composition.
In 30 years of consumer electronics experience I've found another major problem with older electronics that lead to corrosion and circuit board failure - roaches. Roaches are everywhere and even in the cleanest of homes. They love the warmth of the electronics and their leavings bridge circuit foils and expedite aging of IC sockets and connectors. Special electronics cleaning often remediates the problem with some skilled topuches with technical temperature controlled soldering irons.
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My Favorites (these answers are predictable):
US - Mies: Farnsworth House, Philip Johnson: Glass House and Wiley House, Pierre Koenig: Stahl House
Houston - Bolton and Barnstone: Gordon House, Philip Johnson: Menil House, Hugo V. Neuhaus: Neuhaus House, Harwood Taylor: Frame House
Jason
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No, I disagree with these two. I want you to post everything you've got and go into as much detail as you feel comfortable doing. It will help people in the future who want to do what you're doing.
Just keep it in this ONE THREAD! That way these two can just skip it if they want...
Sorry I haven't been able to get out to that side of town. Maybe over Christmas vacation.
Jason
I have to echo domus' comments; I'm very happy that you've decided to restore this home, and to a certain extent that you've decided to document those efforts so thoroughly. However, it is getting a little old. Please don't take this as an insult or anything of that nature. -
I think TJones may be thinking that the mural you put up is from this house. It's not though, right? I thought you just put up the mural to show an example of what someone might do with Chinese Modernism. I wouldn't go that route, but someone might...
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It's refreshing to see a house marketed for its architectural qualities.
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BTW, I would put amore professional pic for yourself, instead of one with computer glare on your glasses.
To me the pic says "I'm so busy with meeting my clients needs that I only have enough time to take this quick shot with my web cam before I get back to work." Now that's dedication.
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According to HCAD the value went from $644,974 in 2005 to $1,000,000 in 2006. That seems strange, such a big jump. I would have thought that meant that it sold for $1M in 2006 and now they're trying to get $1.3M for the lot, but it says BPM Partners have owned it since 1999. I wonder how long it has been unoccupied. Before that it shows several owners, back to 1984 with Dr. Wm Knox Brown.
What a gorgeous house. I can just imagine my furniture in there and my dog running free in the big yard.
Ahh, if they'd only pay teachers what we deserve...
Jason
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I'm curious to know what you guys would think is the best course of action if you were able to buy this place...
Tear it down and start over? That's my knee jerk reaction, but it's not supposed to be my philosophy, especially as a conservationist.
Could one take this down to the studs and start over or is it too far gone? The lot is gorgeous and if you can live on Gessner the price seems right. Let's say $250K for a restoration. That brings you up to $600K... They want $1M for the Lindsay House, debatably a comprable house a couple of neighborhoods away.
It would be very interesting to see someone revamp this house, but I'm sure even at this price you'd have to sink more money into it than you'd get out of it any time soon.
Jason
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Grass has grown over the lot where the Cohen house once was.
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That's awesome! Keep the pics rolling in.
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It looks even better than the pictures in the book. It's a lot more colorful than most of "the iconic houses" and probably more reflective of how people really live, though very wealthy people with marble walls...
Jason
It appears the Miller house will open for tours at some point after restoration. The family just donated it to the Indianapolis Art Museum this week.http://www.indystar.com/article/20081118/LOCAL/81118057 donation article
http://www.therepublic.com/main.asp?Sectio...rticleID=123829 great photos of interior (multiple pages, use arrows to navigate)
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I'm glad you weighed in on it "SD" because I instantly thought of you when I read the first post...
"SD" encouraged me to read up on Eero Saarinen, and in a book on him, I found pictures of one of the most amazing houses I've ever seen, the Irwin Miller House. It's not open for tours is it?
Here are some pics on flickr:
http://flickr.com/photos/laurandy/sets/721...3002391/?page=3
http://flickr.com/photos/superadaptoid/1325725198/
http://www.archiplanet.org/wiki/Miller_Hou...mbus%2C_Indiana
mdadm - did you have time to drive around New Canaan? or did you just go to the Glass House?
I've got to get our New Canaan trip up on flickr... As for a "capital of MCM" I would vote for New Canaan as a small town, and Los Angeles (area) as the big city having all those case study houses, as far as single family housing goes, but if you include apartments, you have to go with Chicago for its Lakeshore Apts, and Marina City.
Columbus, Indiana is blessed with some of the world's finest architecture thanks to the forethought of Irwin J. Miller, an heir to the Cummins Engine fortune.Mr. Miller created a fund that paid for architectural fees to hire top-tier firms to design basically every major public building, from firehouses to electrical substations.
Represented are works by Eero Saarinen (bank, church and Miller's home), Eliel Saarinen (church) Caudill Rowlett Scott (electrical station and elementary school), I.M. Pei (library), SOM (newspaper printing plant, town hall), Cesar Pelli (shopping mall in city center), Alexander Girard (downtown preservation), Roche Dinkeloo (post office, Cummins headquarters building), Venturi (firehouse), Architects Collaborative including Gropius (school), Harry Weese (Cummins buildings, numerous bank branches and schools) and many, many others. Landscapes by Kiley and others.
It's about a 90 minute drive outside of Indianapolis. Worth the trip. The local Chamber of Commerce offers a fold out map with a guide to the buildings enabling a driving tour of the area. Plan on spending the entire day to see everything. Columbus is a small town, so not everything is jumbo-sized. But some of the most impressive things are the little gems like the banks, small schools and Miller's own house.
http://www.architecture.uwaterloo.ca/facul..._christian.html
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Thanks for the pictures! Keep them coming. You will want all the pictures you can get when you go for the Good Brick Award, and you definitely should.
Jason
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FYI, I remodeled the house next door and it's turned out very well. Pleas come by if you have a chance.
I'll p.m. you if I can get out and about this weekend. There may be a chance of it becoming mod of the month, especially if we have a couple more over there that we can feature. I've been avoiding Memorial Bend for about 6 months though because I don't want to see what I've been hearing about.
Those that know me and my street know of the non-mod house that I'm talking about. I instinctively look to the left when I drive by it. It just sticks out in comparison to the other houses.
All that said, there are still so many well kept gems over there!
Jason
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Congratulations! I hope they make it on a tour someday so I can see it in person.
Fabulous pics Ben! -
while the million dollar homes surround you.
Unfortunately, for many modernists, having "million dollar homes surround you" is not a selling point. Ugly (to us anyway) new homes are the last thing we want to look at on our way out to work. I've already got the McMansion down the street from me blocked out of my mind.
So that's an issue in Memorial Bend. It's such a shame. Some streets in Meyerland have a similar feeling. Both neighborhoods still have a lot of amazing houses, but the new homes stick out.
Best of luck to you with your sale. I have a good feeling about it despite the million dollar homes.
Jason
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We should post as many pictures of his works as we can here on this thread. I'll start looking for mine. Certainly, his house on N. Parkwood is my favorite, but many of his designs are beautiful and timeless and will carry on his legacy.
Jason
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I'm pretty sure that's a flipped house. Can anyone access pics from the last time it was sold for a comparison?
Even so, $103K seems like a bargain. It's likely a William Floyd design. It reminds me a lot of the Floyd down the street from me. It definitely needs some undoing and probably a lot of stuff is waiting for the new owner "under the surface", but $40K could probably do a lot for it and I think $140K is about reasonable in that area...
Jason
I was wondering when this would show up on HAR.http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cf...mp;backButton=Y
I've been riding my bike by it for a month now, and the For Sale sign has been up the whole time.
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Thanks for your post and the note on the double lot.
I have visited with Preston Bolton and he was happy to talk about 5000 Longmont.
#16 is for sale right now.
Do you know if any of the owners own mainly modern furnishings? Just curious. I would love to see one of these really shine with modern furniture in it, and I'm sure that one of us would love to photograph something like that...
Jason
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Hey all,
Yes, all is good in my neighborhood... We rode it out at home and cuddled in the hallway with Jake, the dog. I prayed a lot that night, and slept very little, and the "spirit of Jenkins and Hoover" seemed to have come through for us and protected the house. We cleaned up a lot of branches and may decide to cut the big Arizona Ash down as it's pretty well dead anyway and I don't want to risk it next time.
Jenkins Second house down the street had a tree fall on their new gutter system, so that's going to be some insurance issue. They lost that tree and lots of banana trees and such in the back.
Everyone else in my area seemed to have the same thing where it was just tree issues, and for that we are thankful.
I have driven over to the Owsley and Carter House and they look fine too. Drove over to Institute Ln and that's good. Parade of Homes in Meyerland are all good.
I'm still out of power but have the week off. I'm at the library which has free internet and have been able to charge up the computer here, so it's not that bad. The cool weather is what my house is designed for, so it has been nice living the simple life and I haven't even really missed the tv except for Mad Men and The Shield and the Astros and the NFL and... Well, never mind. I need my tv back on. But opening the doors and windows and reading books have been great for my psyche.
I'm thinking and praying for all the people who didn't fare as well and hoping we can all stay calm if the temps go up before the power goes on.
Jason
Home At 7839 Fondren Rd.
in Houston Mod
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Because the owners have a lot of stuff or does it have a fish pond? Those are the trademarks. Sharpstown might have some Jenkins, but I don't know of any.