Self Guided Houston Modern Tour

[tlynch]

I am planning a trip to visit my great-uncle in Houston, I am from NYC. I have visited once before but just for a night. I am planning on spending roughly 4 days with him. He is an architect, and I figured that although it is always fun just to spend time with him, it would be more fun if we had something to base my trip around, so I decided that I would put together a self guided tour of Houston modern architecture. I am sure that he will have a list of buildings that he wants me to see, but I thought that I would post here to make sure that I include all must sees.

Four days in Houston. What buildings should I see?

[Guest pode101]

I'll begin with the obvious...

Menil / Cy Twombly Gallery / Byzantine Chapel / Rothko Chapel; St. Thomas Campus

Live Oak Friends Meeting House (James Turrell installation/ open Friday evening I believe) THIS IS A MUST SEE

Museum of Fine Arts Houston

Contemporary Arts Museum

[nativehou]

^^^^ Ditto.

Pennzoil Place - Philip Johnson

The collection of mod office buildings on Richmond Ave. between Kirby and Buffalo Speedway (just drive slowly and take it all in).

[Willowisp]

If you come to the SW side, maybe you can visit my area. Here is a tour off the top of my head that I should develop into something good... you can see this much probably in about 2 hour's worth of driving. You can pretty much google-map it to figure it out. I can supply more addresses later, but most of them are already listed on the forum somewhere...

Start at Meyerwood Style in Steel townhomes 4156, 4158, 4160 Meyerwood Drive (off Stella Link) then go outside the loop on Stella Link down to Willowbend and turn left then left on Willowisp - 10900 block of Willowisp - 4 mods by W. Jenkins and partners then Willowbend to Chimney Rock and turn right. Braesheather and Glenmeadow Drive in Meyerland between Chimney Rock and the 610 loop (off S. Braeswood) - lots of interesting mods

Go up S. Braeswood turn left under the 610 and go left then turn right on N. Braeswood which then strangely becomes S. Braeswood again.

3600 block of S. Braeswood has some great mods.

Drive East on S. Braeswood and turn left on Kirby then at the corner of Underwood and Kirby is a William Jenkins designed house that is slowly falling apart. Turn rt on Blue Bonnet and find 2337 and 2307 Blue Bonnet, 2 of Houston's best houses. There's a house on Maroneal that's pretty special over there too...

Get back to Kirby and turn right (north) and drive through West U and Rice.

Right on Bissonet toward the museum

Right on Shadowlawn Circle and see 9 Shadowlawn which is as Miesian a box can get.

Then right back onto Bissonet and see the museum by Mies himself.

Then go north (left) on Montrose up past 59. - There's a little detour you could take through Southampton here which has some mods if you have the time... Otherwise drive up Montrose almost to the William Jenkins Parc IV and Parc V tower apartments and turn left to see St. Thomas University and the Rothko Chapel and the Menil Museum. Turn left on W Main or Branard.

Back to Montrose go north and then turn left (west) on W Gray. See the River Oaks Theater on W. Gray @ Shepherd while you still can...

Then W Gray turns into Inwood Dr. There on the corner is a really cool brick house. Keep going to Kirby then turn right and then Left on Tiel Way. Here is a great collection of Kamrath homes. Also on the corner of Kirby and Lazy Lane is the Neuhaus House, but it's hard to see.

On the other side of Kirby is Troon Ln and there's an amazing mod on that street.

Drive back down Kirby South to San Felipe and turn Right (West). Just west of River Oaks Blvd on the left will be the Menil House. You can probably get away with driving up into the driveway but it is 24 hour monitored so you are on your own.

Keep going west on San Felipe and then turn right on Briar Oaks Ln then left on Post Oak Place Dr. Then Right on Briar Hollow Ln. This leads back to what was one of Houston's greatest Mod streets, but only 2 are left. They are worth going to see though at 62 and 65 Briar Hollow.

Back to San Felipe and turn right and it will take you to the loop. If you want to go right at the 610 and then turn left at Woodway then right at S. Post Oak Ln then Right on Pine Hollow Dr and you can see another great cluster of mods.

Gee, almost forgot, you should drive Post Oak Blvd as well for the Johnson buildings esp the Williams Tower.

I started that as a must see and it turned into a lot more, but most of the must see houses on the "West Side" are in there.

Good luck. If you're lost looking at google maps let me know and I can try to help.

Jason