hugoks
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memorial bend house at boheme and beltway (403 w sam houston) - architect is deco design group, inc. - 4669 south freeway, houston 77027 832 656 9597
the mod remodel on kimberly is looking more encouraging - has progressed further with a second floor added over the garage. the front facade now appears as if it will be more balanced. this has been interesting to watch as it's the first recent major mod remodel i can recall that is more than just a room or two addition - and appearing to respect the original architecture. at a glance (emphasizing 'at a glance' - i've not looked closely) the original appears to be a twin to 423 isolde/12902 figaro - but w/ a higher sill at the front windows and a front facing garage. michael likely has more info.
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that part of kimberly is actually in memorial plaza, which was developed shortly after memorial bend. most of the houses are traditional, but there's a scattering of mods. kimberly there is rather unique because of a stretch where all the houses are mods. for now most of those mods have a twin in memorial bend.
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michael brichford took the photo of 12931 in the very early part of this decade. i don't recall the house changing much from then.
on a more positive note - the new house going up in the bend at the corner of the beltway and boheme will be a mod - and though i think butterfly roofs are a rather foolish solution - the enthusiasm is appreciated.
in memorial plaza on kimberly between britmoore and electra there's a second story addition going up on an existing mod on the south side of the street. at first glance the composition appears awkward, but we'll see. so far judging from the new roof line there's an attempt to respect the architecture. it will at least be an improvement over the two story addition tacked on to the back of 12938 hansel.
that is a disappointment about mods - - that minimal machine aesthetic frequently does not lend itself well to additions.
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listing for 108 i meant to include above. http://search.har.com/engine/108-Paul-Revere-Dr-Houston-TX-77024_HAR78344604.htm note under improvements is indicates 'cleared'.
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does anyone know anything about 108 (or 109?) paul revere 77024. it's at the south end of this street. i was alarmed to see a for sale sign in front of it advertising a large lot.
many of you familiar w/ paul revere drive have likely lusted after this mod - lots of stone, clerestory windows, deep bayou lot, circular drive. hopefully the sign is for the flag lot along the east edge one can see in the hcad maps - though i didn't see a separate driveway for the flag lot. http://www.hcad.org/cgi-bin/IMap.asp?map=4957D i did notice plywood in one of the clerestory window - so maybe it's in poor condition and the owner has accepted the notion of land value - - it is a spectacular lot. the realtor at the open house for 215 paul revere didn't have any details about 108.
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those of you who keep an eye on real-estate listings in memorial bend may be interested in seeing the before pictures of 12839 butterfly.
listing: http://search.har.com/engine/12839-Butterfly-Ln-Houston-TX-77024_HAR32270941.htm
before (1956): http://memorialbendarchitecture.com/12839but_hcad.jpg
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i'd look at it a day or so after the next good rain. short of that, include running a water hose on the roof during your buyer inspection with a followup a couple days later. if there's still ponding, i'd walk away - or at least budget a new roof soon - including replacing some of the rotted decking underneath - and provisions for the missing slope (tapered insulation or modification to the roof deck). flat roofs are supposed to drain, but there are so many opportunities for error in both the design and construction process, settlement with age, and misguided roof repairs, that they don't drain and the ponding does not evaporate quickly enough. the problem is further magnified by the wet leaves/pine needles that accumulate - especially around skylights an junctions with vertical faces (ie where the flat roof meets the gable face of an adjacent sloped area)(and why would one buy and older houston home if it doesn't have trees). along with the realestate criteria location, location, location, i know people who wouldn't even consider a flat roofed house (even with an enthusiasm or tolerance for mods) partly because of that added maintenance, and because of the future difficulty to sell the house.
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that house looks very much like one the plastic model houses on my childhood train set - - same roof line, similar chimney, high ceilinged living room w/ lots of windows, similar mixture of siding and masonry, etc.... i've always wondered which was the inspiration for which. link below.
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maybe as a peace offering you should offer the insurance agent a gross of pine needles as mulch. this being houston, there's likely lots of them sitting up on your roof. the standing water has already accelerated the decaying process.
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what is the story with the 'castle' on what may be two lots across the street and about 13 doors to the west?
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the hansel house was gutted and has been fully updated, where the traviata house is not (near lot value they advertise). i still think it's too high - and i must not be alone judging by how long it's been on the market. i infer 12923 hansel across the street sold in the 400's. it's a mod fully updated. both being similar size, maybe the traditional update was thought to have been more marketable.
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i found that term 'possessing no conceptual platform other than a container for people with applied stylistic elements' interesting. For example (being the devils advocate), at a glance, I like the overall composition of 12807 Tosca and consider its unique presence in Memorial Bend a source of pride - - but still really question the selection of its butterfly roof. Was Mr. Floyd just bored that day
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the following link is to a house in meyerland by the metropolitan design group. http://www.mdgi.net/details.cfm?PROP_ID=83&port=yes
many of you will be encouraged to know that the house at 12727 memorial in memorial bend will be a mod - -a site adaptation of the meyerland house by the same architect - rather than something of a more traditional architectural style.
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i like that statement "consider the context and fabric of the neighborhood" and i hope the new owners do that. all i know of the new house is that it will be a little over 3500 sqft - so likely two stories. i'd have thought the existing back yard was not a great enviroment given that looming church - and it won't be any better in the new house if it's traditionally centered on the depth of the lot. there's an opportunity here to direct the activities of the new house's occupants toward the streetscape. too many of the Bend's mods are windowless fortresses igoring the street in favor of a secluded patio - in lieu of the traditional front porch. maybe that's what was wanted 50 years ago, but it doesn't foster much of a sense of community - - ie neighbors greeting each other during walks and such. in the mod we sold, one could not even see out front from inside. we've one set of friends who have resorted to sitting out in front of the garage - surely this was not what mr floyd had in mind.
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I'm not as disappointed as many of you about the loss of the this house. Unlike most of the houses on the west side of Electra, this one does not back up to Rummel Creek or the bird santuary. 523 and its immediate neighbors back up to a large church and its parking lot (typical urban planning in Houston?). The two story replacement will do a better job of blocking the view of that church. We can also hope it will have a front porch for more interaction between the new occupants and their neighbors walking by.
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one of those listings is 423 Electra - - a Lars Bang for sale in the Memorial Bend. I suspect most of the interest in this house will be the treed lot that opens to the bird sanctuary. However, the HAR photos don
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i recall this house was part of the RDA Home tour some years back - but i don't remember the that year's tour theme.
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I was hoping that
What More Could You Ask For?
in Houston Mod
Posted
the article's comments on this house led to a discussion about carports and the following as to why midcentury modern homes frequently do not have garages:
The lack of enclosed garages on Post-war Modern homes has more to do with architects designing homes around the occupants and their lifestyle – in other words, the car was provided a resting place (sometimes covered, sometimes not) but the garage was likely seen as an excessive element to the Modernist spirit.
More significantly, the consumer culture – a.k.a. conspicuous consumption – was not as rampant in the 1950’s and 60’s as it became in the 70’s, 80’s and beyond. All one needs to do is to review total square footage dedicated to storage/closets in Modernist homes in contrast to contemporary homes – this exercise is further validated by looking at storage/closets in pre-WW2 homes. Tiny.
Take a look at a typical contemporary garage and you’ll find a plethora of things [previously] not commonly found in a garage prior to 1970. The garage has primarily become a storage room – and in its worst case, even the car is pushed out of its designated shelter.
To live modern is to live with the essentials.”
subsequent responses touched on the lack of security with a carport. for all that idealism, we still prefer a garage because potential burglars can't as easily tell if someone is home or not.