Memories Of Riverside Terrace

[Native Montrosian]

Oh, no - that first house has got to be 2615 Riverside. One of my sister's two best friends at Lamar in the 60's lived there. I remember the huge entrance hall. How sad.

[NenaE]

Oh, no - that first house has got to be 2615 Riverside. One of my sister's two best friends at Lamar in the 60's lived there. I remember the huge entrance hall. How sad.

I've seen that one. It sits very close to Hwy 288. You can tell how the neighborhood got chopped, from how the nice homes abruptly just end at a feeder road. The photo collection on HAR didn't show that, when that house was for sale.

[NenaE]

link: http://search.har.com/engine/3819-Macgregor-Way-Houston-TX-77021_HAR70855620.htm

I see that the house that sits on the bayou is up for sale. It was originally a 1950's mod, wonder if John Chase designed it. The living room is nice.

[JLWM8609]

link: http://search.har.com/engine/3819-Macgregor-Way-Houston-TX-77021_HAR70855620.htm

I see that the house that sits on the bayou is up for sale. It was originally a 1950's mod, wonder if John Chase designed it. The living room is nice.

I passed by there yesterday. There was a wrecked, late model Jaguar sedan sitting underneath the house. Classy!

[mkultra25]

I passed by there yesterday. There was a wrecked, late model Jaguar sedan sitting underneath the house. Classy!

That must be the upscale version of dogs under the porch.

[NenaE]

my favorite Riverside house: http://www.examiner....verside-Terrace

Edited April 26, 2010 by NenaE

[sevfiv]

Ah yes - we went by there and he talked to us for a little while. The story's true - he mentioned he had very high $ offers (a neighbor confirmed this) but he's planning on passing it on to his children. Too bad he hasn't been able to maintain it..

[NenaE]

2506 Riverside Dr. was designed by Bailey A. Swenson in the year 1936 (AIA Arch. Guide). Where on earth is HAR getting it's information? "White-stucco surfaced, flat-roofed modern", mentions it was the first Ben Proler house. Wow, 1936, that was early for modern, wonder what the neighbors thought.

BTW, the block books are back.

http://books.tax.hct...7_61-1_0071.jpg

http://www.houstonpress.com/slideshow/the-forgotten-mansions-of-riverside-terrace-28379036/17/

here is a link showing the modern house, along with some other nice ones.

[NenaE]

Some day, I wish a millionaire UH or TSU alumni would buy that Finger/ Weingarten house as a study in Houston's great architectural past. UT and A&M have programs in Historic Preservation. UH's Dept. of Architecture could study it. It would be a great project in Architecture - Historic Preservation. Alas, we all have our dreams, don't we.

[NenaE]

Does anyone know about the house that stood at Calumet and Live Oak? J.R. Gonzales/ Bayou City history page (Facebook) is asking about it. Looks like it fell between 2006 and 2008. Henry Meyer lived there, per J.R.

[Amsterdam]

Back when I was single and broke, I would spend my days and nights driving around the old neighborhoods of Houston (the only entertainment I could afford at the time). Riverside Terrace was my favorite Houston neighborhood. Does anyone have a favorite house or houses that they fell in love with? Here are a few of mine on North and South Parkwood Drive in Riverside Terrace:

[9075]

My favorite house in Riverside Terrace is this Regency number on Oakmont:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/33514962@N05/3237317141/
 
 
However, my all-time favorite was this now-demolished Katherine Mott Tudor that was located at the intersection of Riverside Drive & North MacGregor:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/33514962@N05/5907275511/

Edited August 28, 2014 by 9075

[57Tbird]

Well...  I'm going to show my age again here, as I have in some previous posts.  My favorite house in Riverside Terrace was the one where I lived on Oakdale in the late 1930's.  We moved there soon after I was born. We lived there about 5-6 years before moving again.

 

We had some neighbors who became well known Houstonians.  Across the street was an elementary schooler, Bill Archer, who would become a U.S. House Representative. Down the block was a young attorney by the name of Leon Jaworski, who would earn national fame as a Watergate prosecutor.

 

Here are a couple of recent pictures of my house.  The first one, I took when I drove through my old neighborhood in 2007, and the second is a 2011 Street View.  The first looks pretty much the same as when I lived there, except for the portico we had on the right side, which has been enclosed.  The second, as you can see, is very different.  The old neighborhood appears pretty much run down and uncared for these days.  Sad... 

 

Our place was not as opulent as many of the homes in the area, but I have many pleasant memories of that neighborhood..

 

 

 

 

Edited August 28, 2014 by 57Tbird

[Amsterdam]

My favorite house in Riverside Terrace is this Regency number on Oakmont:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/33514962@N05/3237317141/

 

 

However, my all-time favorite was this now-demolished Katherine Mott Tudor that was located at the intersection of Riverside Drive & North MacGregor:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/33514962@N05/5907275511/

 

Isn't that house on Oakmont the old Weingarten House?

 

I love that Tudor house. I have a friend who is a home builder and he told me that it would cost a fortune to build houses like that featuring the craftsmanship involved that one finds in a house like the Katherine Mott Tudor.

 

[Amsterdam]

By the way, I'm a newbie on this site and find it very interesting. I will be spending the time that I used spend on Facebook on this site (that's an entirely different issue).

[JLWM8609]

Isn't that house on Oakmont the old Weingarten House?

 

Nope. The Weingarten house is about a mile and a half away from the one on Oakmont.

[brhaltx]

A couple of those look very familiar.  From way back when I lived a lot closer to the area...

[ozzie_73]

Back when I was single and broke, I would spend my days and nights driving around the old neighborhoods of Houston (the only entertainment I could afford at the time). Riverside Terrace was my favorite Houston neighborhood. Does anyone have a favorite house or houses that they fell in love with? Here are a few of mine on North and South Parkwood Drive in Riverside Terrace:

 

I live in the middle bottom (3602 Parkwood) it has been remodeled several times over the years by what looked like a brother-in-law.  I'm in the process of bringing her back (professionally) and any information, old pictures or helpful resources will be much appreciated.  All the windows except for one small one in the mud room have been replaced with cheap home depot specials.  The window opening have also been closed in to accommodate them.  I'd love to find a photo that shows the original windows.

 

[Retama]

The house in the first photo you posted is my favorite, Amsterdam. I first saw it in a book about Houston (I think it was one of those Ray Miller books) and happened to pass by it one day while doubling back one afternoon.

[txn4art]

When I was teaching in HISD, a colleague told me that she once attended a social event event in a Riverside home and was astounded to see that it had an actual escalator installed between the first and second stories. She said wasn't the add-on chair type, but a moving stairway similar to those in commercial buildings. It sounds fanciful, but perhaps others have heard of this.

[9075]

Never heard of a house with an escalator, but the Katherine Mott house in my earlier post had an elevator in it.  The elevator was similar to the one in the movie "Lady in a Cage".

[9075]

I stumbled on this 1954 home movie on Youtube that shows the house in the top right, as well as some of the surrounding area:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o62M-m5Il3Q

 

The first part of the movie was taken at the Cotton Bowl.  The Riverside Terrace footage starts around 1:45.

 

It is amazing how the landscaping on that street has matured in the last 60 years.

[ozzie_73]

9075, thanks wow!

[57Tbird]

Off subject a little... The video is titled, Houston 1954 Cotton Bowl.  Actually, it was the Dallas 1954 Cotton Bowl with Rice playing Alabama.  It was notable for the instance where an Alabama player, Tommy Lewis, came off the bench/sideline and tackled Dicky Moegle, who was in the clear on a long run for a touchdown.  Moegle was given the touchdown by the referee.  I was watching that game on TV when it happened.  The two players later made an appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show.

 

Edited November 21, 2014 by 57Tbird

[bobruss]

It's interesting to read this recent history of Riverside Terrace from 2008 and 2009. 

Overall I'd say things have gotten much better. Most of the homes that had been abandoned or were in bad shape have now been restored or replaced.

Sadly some of the developers who have built new homes in the area have built ugly stucco McMansions but overall Riverside Terrace has remained

one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in Houston. We moved in two years ago, and since have seen quite a few makeovers and they have started and stopped

restoring the Weingartens mansion on McGregor east of Scott. I'm not sure what the current status is but fortunately it has been weathered in with new roof and windows.

H.E.B. has started construction on the new store at 288 and N. McGregor, and across the bayou a new  hospital is being built. Largest in the country for psychiatric care, to be 

run by UT and the state. With the growth of the med center and U.ofH. this area is definitely coming back into its own greatness. If you haven't been in the neighborhood in a while I highly recommend a drive through. Parkwood is one of the most beautiful areas with its ravines and beautiful mansions that ring the park. 

[nate4l1f3]

What are the official boundaries for riverside?

[bobruss]

To my knowledge it starts somewhere north of N MacGregor near Calumet and Live Oak and continues all along the southern border of S. MacGregor to Calhoun.

I live between Cullen and Scott on the south side on Fernwood. The section known as Parkwood has the most contours and a beautiful park

with a large ravine with beautiful homes on both sides. It lies just west of Scott. Del Rio is a good entry point to see the park.

[Brenda B. Smith]

Does anyone know where one could get a copy of the movie "This Is My House, It Is Not for Sale."  I grew up in that neighborhood in that period.  Brenda Beust Smith

[mkultra25]

On 10/28/2020 at 6:54 PM, Brenda B. Smith said:

Does anyone know where one could get a copy of the movie "This Is My House, It Is Not for Sale."  I grew up in that neighborhood in that period.  Brenda Beust Smith

 

Hey, it's the Lazy Gardener herself! Welcome to HAIF!

 

The MFAH Store used to sell DVD copies of "This Is Our Home, It Is Not For Sale", but I don't see it listed on their website now. Probably worth a phone call to them anyway, as they may not have everything they stock listed on the site. As I recall, it was about $40 - not cheap, but still much less than institutional pricing. 

 

As an alternative, the downtown public library as well as the Rice and UH libraries have it in their collections. Not sure if any of those copies circulate or if they're reference material that has to be viewed onsite (and since libraries are still closed or have otherwise restricted access thanks to COVID, that could obviously present a problem).

 

I'm not sure if the director Jon Schwartz sells copies himself, but if he has a website, I couldn't find it, and at any rate I think that the copies the MFAH Store were selling were obtained directly from him.

Edited October 30, 2020 by mkultra25
corrected film title

[NenaE]

The 2506 Riverside Dr. house is on HAR, under contract. Its nice to see photos of the Art Deco exterior and interior. The yard has been overgrown  for many years. I wonder if it be saved or bulldozed.