Willowisp

These houses were really beautiful today! They had similar qualities and then distinct differences. Breasheather was high class while Heatherglen was playful and bright. Breasheather will give opportunities for restoration while Heatherglen has been well restored with a few renovations thrown in. Hope to see the right owners in both of these houses soon.

Jason

Hopefully we can help document the restoration of this house as it gets restored.

Jason

6219 Reamer is under contract to close by the end of the month.

Join us this Sunday, April 13th (2-4pm), at our Mod of the Month, numbers 2&3!

#2: 5110 Braesheather Dr (in Meyerland, near S. Rice and S. Braeswood)

Stunning Mid-Century Modern house designed by Hy Applebaum. Original terrazo, wonderful cabinetry, sunken living room, large dining room, guest bath w/ skylights & original tiling, very large bedrooms. Pool w/ Japanese garden feel. Beautiful kitchen w/ 1/2 bath. Extra storage in garage. Contains many original features!

http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cf...s=1&sTYPE=0

#3: 5015 Heatherglen Dr (in Meyerland, very near the house above)

Custom built Asian influenced Mid-Century Modern house designed by architect William Wortham! Fabulous floor plan with lots of glass and natural light. Sunken formal living room and raised formal dining room that features 'Saucer' Bubble Lamp. The kitchen touts 'Intact' original suspended walnut cabinets with orignal pulls, updatd SS double ovens, SS Dishwasher,VCT Flooring, and glass tile backspalsh. Poured terrazo floors in the den and foyer. Pristine walnut paneled walls in the den.

http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cf...s=1&sTYPE=0

Yeah, 500th post!

Jason

It definitely was well attended. It was a great week all around! The lecture was recorded and hopefully at some point we're going to put the lectures we've had on youtube.

Jason

Time to bump this thread and also mention that there will be a Houston Mod members only party on Thursday, April 10th for a meet and greet with Gwendolyn Wright.

So join Houston Mod (go to houstonmod.org and pay through paypal) if you're not a member already and RSVP at info @ houstonmod . org

Hope to see you next week.

Jason

This house will be open Sunday as April's first Mod of the Month. We will also have 2 in Meyerland on April 13.

Jason

I've always thought it was very similar to this house by Harwood Taylor. Therefore, I always assumed it was Harwood Taylor... Sorry for the quality. It was a very bright day.

1014 River Bend (1963)

I've updated the Houston Mod website with some buildings. Some have research and some ask for "reader input".

I still have more to put in, like 3336 Richmond and the Unitarian Church in the Museum area but this is a good start.

Edit: According to Rice University, 3336 Richmond Ave. was developed by Hines Interests / Gerald Hines.

What I did on my Spring Break...

Mods still with us:

Fred Winchell Photography Studio and Apartments

Exxon Research Center

3333 Fannin Building

Macham Building - this one is really amazing, a ground up restoration.

4910 Willowbend Blvd.

Phoenix Insurance Company of Hartford Building

Pontiac Motor Division Building

Bendit House

Brier House

Taylor House

First Christ Scientist Church Bellaire

University of St. Thomas

Congregation Beth Israel Temple

The Rothko Chapel

Gibraltar Building (now Bank of America)

Humble Oil (Exxon/Mobil) Building

Endangered:

Bettis Apartments - I wish they could pick this up and move it

Friden Building

http://www.houstonmod.org/buildings.aspx?sub=swu

As always, if you want to add a building, let me know.

Jason

Here's an interesting article I came across while I was doing research for Houston Mod last weekend. It would be great to know if this house still stands.

By the way, the microform to pdf computer at the Fondren Library is awesome! If you're ever curious about trying it yourself, look in the Sunday Real Estate sections on Sundays in the 50s and 60s. I was mostly looking for Jenkins related material, but came across lots of interesting things. The next trip I'll make is more about the CAA tours.

Jason

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v729/clockwatchers/barnstonenuevolaredo.jpg

I finally got a new scanner/printer! Here's a scan of an announcement of the Sheer House from the Post or Chronicle and a picture from when it was on the CAA Tour. Sorry about the quality of the picture. You have to use your imagination.

Anyone who reads this that lived in the Sheer House or has a picture, please let me know or add it here.

Jason

4311 Bettis - It had a sign out front saying "Coming Soon" the something or another apartments, so if you want to see it you better go over there soon. It's very charming. This whole area is being rebuilt. There's a thread in Historic Houston about Mid Ln. and all the partying that went on there.

Lindsay House by Bolton and Barnstone 7623 River Point

This house is surrounded by foliage and one of the biggest magnolia trees I've ever seen.

By the way, a neighbor in River Bend told me that the contemporary John Staub house at 1000 River Bend will not be torn down as I expected. It sits on 2 lots and I assumed it would be a goner.

Jason

Doing a little digging on this today and found 11207 Tyne Ct. was sold in 2005 and demolished at some point after that. Does HAR go back that far that one of the realtors can look it up and save the old pictures if there are any?

Jason

The Chronicle online asked Houston Mod to post a blog on their site. I'll be the first to take on the task. Hopefully this link works for everyone.

Jason

http://www.chron.com/commons/persona.html?...erId=houstonmod

Maybe this is a chance to salvage some hardware if they're keeping the house but not staying pure to it.

Jason

http://memorialbendarchitecture.com/12939mem.htm

Dumpster on site... demolition of interior and exterior elements in progress. Unconfirmed information from neighbor to 12939 is that the buyer intends on remodeling the property as their home.

They've their work cut-out for them.

Is the current owner tearing it down or have they sold it?

http://memorialbendarchitecture.com/331ele.htm

How would Memorial Bend residents take control of their neighborhood and properties they don't own? It sounds like the impossible dream.

I'm sure a lot of the traditional owners are just fine with seeing some new construction seemingly driving up their property values. But it's a slippery slope, right? All the sudden you don't live in a house anymore, you just live on a lot with an annoying free/worthless house on it. All the sudden it's not worth taking care of anymore because no matter how you care for it, the next owner is planning on tearing it down.

Preaching to the choir here, but it seems like a bit of a deal with the devil to me when new construction starts to take over.

Jason

That will be a tragic loss. It's one of the best houses in the neighborhood. Memorial Bend needs to revise their deed restrictions and add architectural control. It's a mod emergency. Is anybody working on that?

http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cf...mp;backButton=Y

No pictures yet, but gives a description.

Swamplot (maybe after reading this thread) posted a great blog on it, with lots of links and interesting information:

http://swamplot.com/big-and-modern-on-lazy...ing/2008-03-11/

Jason

http://memorialbendarchitecture.com/12810fig.htm

Congratulations and welcome to the message board! Please start a new thread with as many pictures and stories as you care to share! We would love to hear about your new home.

Jason

Hi Robert,

Take a ride around the corner to 12810 Figaro in Memorial Bend. I know it's not Spring Valley but it's very close to the school in your picture. There sits a classic mid century modern. In fact, imo, it's the best one in Memorial Bend and Houston. I'm slightly biased since I have it under contract (private transaction)!

Best Regards,

Glenn

Yes, I noticed it as well. That's going to be massive!

Did you see the New York Townhouse project?!

Anyway, I had a great time on the Azalea Trail. Next on to the RDA tour.

Jason

Ben,

Do you have a good picture of this house you can post? We passed by it today after we were done with the Azalea Trail and I remembered you had it listed on your favorites.

Jason

6058 Crabb Orachard Road - Walter P. Moore Sr. House - Presumably Wilson, Morris, Crain & Anderson, but no one knows for sure.

Kennedy,

Welcome to the forum. I would love to see more houses like "Walters Southwest". What an interesting alternative to the houses currently going up in Meyerland etc... Great work! And I'm not usually a fan of recently built houses, even most of the moderns.

Would the current owners mind if you posted the address (if it's in Houston) so those interested can go see it?

Jason (but not the Jason who started this thread)

Jason:

Here is a link to some of the things I have done.

http://www.english-architects.com/ProjectFrameset-3.html

All projects listed under 'other' are mine.

Let me know if I can help.

I like that idea quite a bit. I'm probably one of the few in the neighborhood "slightly" in favor of HCTRA taking over the road. I feel like the city or state doesn't take care of it. The soundwall is woefully inadequete and they don't use any new technologies like putting a sound barrier on the bridge, or using sound absorbtive (sp?) asphalt or anything, especially beautification as Bellaire has done. I've planted more trees in the last 3 years along that stretch than they have I bet. So I feel like my needs would be served by a toll road, but it seems like one of those be careful what you wish for propositions.

2.7 miles, eh? If S. Post Oak averages 20mph between those 2 streets I'd be surprised. Fortunately, I get on at Willowbend so I don't have to drive it all the way from S. Main.

Thanks for the input.

Jason

The difference between the two routes is 2.7 miles. For the detour to S. Main flyovers to make sense for a commuter, it'd require that they be able to keep an average speed for that segment that was 2.1 times that of the average speed using the Post Oak route; and that isn't counting for out-of-pocket expenses or vehicle depreciation, so I'd just round it up to 2.5 times the Post Oak speed for a good rule-of-thumb number. That means that if the speed on Post Oak averages 20mph, the detour would have to average 50mph. Since the South Loop typically is congested from about Stella Link (or further) in the mornings, and considering that the flyovers would increase the volume of traffic along that segment, I'd be doubtful that it would be seen as a viable option for most people. ...and of course, looking forward five to ten years, the development of the 288 corridor is probably going to result in increased congestion along that route even in a no-build scenario.

Rather than just fighting it outright, I'd suggest that the civic associations push for a configuration that is more amenable to your quality of life concerns. Check out the intersections of Wayside & Lawndale and OST & Griggs. Grade seperations at intersections allow for greater volumes of traffic to be handled, but at the same time, they don't take up as much right of way or cause major access limitations to adjacent commercial properties, and when below-grade, it also reduces traffic noise. Also use landscaping to help mitigate noise, just as Bellaire has done along the West Loop.

I'd imagine that the ideal outcome would be to reconstruct that segment of Post Oak with a trenched toll road with the existing road cantilevered at the sides so as not to reduce capacity or access available to the neighborhoods. That is expensive, of course, but if the HCTRA can't afford it, then I'd suggest that you talk to your state legislators and city officials about setting up a Public Improvement District (PID) or something similar so as to pay for the extra costs with a special taxing jurisdiction. If it's that difficult for you folks to get around as it is--and it isn't going to get any better on its own--this may actually be a viable option. ...and one that could serve as a pilot program for other places in Texas with similar issues.

Willowbend Civic Club had HCTRA at our last general meeting and they said that the extension to extend the tollway from Main to 610 is on hold for the foreseeable future. They said that they learned a lot from the Westpark Tollway and that they will have to do a lot of research before putting a tollway adjacent to a neighborhood (Willowbend, Post Oak Manor).

My question though is more about S. Post Oak. I have lived adjacent to S. Post Oak for nearly 3 years now and I've noticed more and more people using its 6 lanes for their commute. It is bumper to bumper as early as 6:30am. Where is everyone coming from?! I'm sure all the people are frustrated with this area as it gets backed up every day and there seems to be no end to it.

Someone at the meeting suggested fly-over/no stop-light entrance ramps from S. Main "freeway" to 610. Could this work? People would possibly be more encouraged to take S. Main to 610 and leave that little "short-cut" of S. Post Oak out of the equation, even if it meant an extra mile and a half of driving.

Anyone see a solution to the woes of S. Post Oak's morning drive?

Jason

I love their style too, but unless you really want to say you have a Kerf kitchen, you can probably get more for your money. Of course, their kitchen would probably be very convenient and easy to do.

In my future kitchen "restoration", I hope to use as much of the existing hardware as I can and cut and relaminate it if possible to make my current kitchen look more like what was originally in my house. In doing so I will end up losing quite a bit of cabinet space in favor of raising the cabinets off the floor to get the suspended look Jenkins was so fond of.

Could you send some pics of the current kitchen just out of curiosity?

Jason

We are redoing our kitchen, and cant seem to find a normal, wood cabinet without raised panels etc. I love the look of the Kerf cabinets, but not sure about hardware, fit and finish. Cost is approx 500-700 per linear foot. Anyone that has them, or has seen them, please chime in and let me know what you think about them.