Glenbrook Valley Historic District Designation

[rps324]

Me likey that one.  It has some promise for a renovation that wouldn't ruin its heritage. 

Noting wrong with bringing mid-cent-mods into the 21st cent is there?

Sharpstown is full of these kinds of homes.  Geez, I sound like a broken record don't I.

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I think some of these are bigger than the ones in Sharpstown. I know the people that have this one and I may get some interior shots to post. It has a 40' round living room. It was built by the Montalbano's (Montalbano lumber). the current owner bought the custom made round sofas the Montalbanos had made for the house to fit the curving walls.

[musicman]

It was built by the Montalbano's (Montalbano lumber).  the current owner bought the custom made round sofas the Montalbanos had made for the house to fit the curving walls.

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i went to school with several of the grandchildren and YES this was an amazing house. i believe their son still lives on dover. Check out DeLeon, Dover, Santa Elena, Glencrest, etc. Section 1 of Glenbrook has some amazing structures. Really innovative for the 50's.

When the apartments on Broadway got bad, many of the old residents moved to clear lake. I have a good friend whose parents live on Glencrest. Their house was designed by an engineer at nasa. The cabinets are suspended on metal rods from the vaulted ceiling. Another nice amenity, they have a nice pool in back. They have two hall accessible bathrooms that faced the back. You could enter the bathrooms from the hall and outside as he put doors on the outside walls. Another nice feature were the terrazo tile floors in the public areas.

There was a shopping center at the corner of Bellfort and Broadway where the FIRST Soundwaves opened believe it or not.

[stolitx]

i went to school with several of the grandchildren and YES this was an amazing house.  i believe their son still lives on dover.  Check out DeLeon, Dover, Santa Elena, Glencrest, etc.  Section 1 of Glenbrook has some amazing structures.  Really innovative for the 50's. 

When the apartments on Broadway got bad, many of the old residents moved to clear lake.  I have a good friend whose parents live on Glencrest.  Their house was designed by an engineer at nasa.  The cabinets are suspended on metal rods from the vaulted ceiling.  Another nice amenity, they have a nice pool in back.  They have two hall accessible bathrooms that faced the back.  You could enter the bathrooms from the hall and outside as he put doors on the outside walls.  Another nice feature were the terrazo tile floors in the public areas. 

There was a shopping center at the corner of Bellfort and Broadway where the FIRST Soundwaves opened believe it or not.

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I live in Glenbrook Section 1. And it does have amazing 50s achitecture. Sadly I recently learned it also is a section with the most vague Deed Restrictions on building changes. Hence what was allowed to happen to the formerly wonderful Parade Home.

[tw2ntyse7en]

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[Trophy Property]

I love Glenbrook Valley. I just can't convince myself to move all the way over there from the westside.

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I have to admit that I can either way with Mod homes. I guess like all genre's (for a lack of better word) there are bad designs and good designs. The houses I have seen in this part of the message board have been pretty cool. I think when a mod home is kept up and re-habed they look awesome. When they are left to rot they look absolutely horrible.

[musicman]

I love Glenbrook Valley. I just can't convince myself to move all the way over there from the westside.

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I thought the Katy Freeway construction would convince you.......

I know I stay clear.

[LTAWACS]

I thought the Katy Freeway construction would convince you.......

I know I stay clear.

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:werd: For some, ignorance is bliss.

[rps324]

It drives me crazy when agents don't put photos on their listings. There are a couple of Glenbrook listings on the Houston Mod website without pictures. So here they are in case anyone is interested..

8102 Colgate - $275,000 asking price, HCAD sf of 3875 more details in folder three on Houston Mod.

This is the one on Glen Dell for $259,000 (Move the car please!)

This one is the first listing in folder three at the Houston Mod website. They have photos, but they didn't include this cool little mod architectural detail on the end facing Dover. 7742 Wynlea asking $115,000

[tw2ntyse7en]

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[musicman]

Katy will be finished in 3-4 years. The area around Glenbrook will still be crummy in 3-4 years. Besides, I live by the Westpark toll, so now the Katy Fwy is a non-issue.

And to LTAWACS - there's no ignorance here, I know exactly what I'm missing over there. I have to make choices too however. So: "to each, his own". 

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There are crummy areas along the Katy as well as in all of Houston. I just thought everyone realized that.

[stolitx]

Katy will be finished in 3-4 years. The area around Glenbrook will still be crummy in 3-4 years. Besides, I live by the Westpark toll, so now the Katy Fwy is a non-issue.

And to LTAWACS - there's no ignorance here, I know exactly what I'm missing over there. I have to make choices too however. So: "to each, his own". 

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So much for "to each his own" - there's no need to call it crummy when you don't actually live or work in Glenbrook.

[tw2ntyse7en]

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[rps324]

If anybody is interested in the area, this one just had a huge price reduction. It is not one of my listings, but I thought I would share because I think this would make a great deal for someone who is looking. I think it may be an estate sale, but I am not sure. It has been reduced from $149,900 to $135,000 & is on a really good block in the northern section. It is on Dover right where it curves and turns into Santa Elena. It is around 2500 sf & has some cool retro features. Poured terrazzo entry & some great vintage modern light fixtures!

[stolitx]

It is around 2500 sf & has some cool retro features.  Poured terrazzo entry & some great vintage modern light fixtures!

Why o why couldn't I have pulled up the peach carpet to find terrazzo!?!?

[SpaceAge]

Terrazzo is a beautiful asset.

Approximately how much does terrazzo cost to have installed?

There are dozens of stores in town with the terrazzo covered with vinyl tile- such a waste.

[tw2ntyse7en]

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[rps324]

My whole k-12 school was covered in terrazzo. On the mornings after the janitors had buffed all the floors all night, you could almost see your reflection.

I too would like to know how much per section (I notice most terrazzo comes in 4x4 sections)?

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I think there are people who can restore existing poured terrazzo, but as for installation, that is harder to find. One Architect did tell me they knew of only 1 person that installs it today, and it is $50 per square foot. OOOOOOOOuch!

Maybe someone else has some other info or resource for this?

[jm1fd]

I too would like to know how much per section (I notice most terrazzo comes in 4x4 sections)?

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It doesn't come in sections or tiles....

Terrazo is kinda like fancy concrete....it is a poured product, with chips of marble or granite in it for color (similar to the aggregate in concrete), with a colored slurry to fill the voids. Once it has hardened the slurry/marble/granite is ground smooth and flat.

[mike]

Terrazo floor months in the making

[stolitx]

I've searched in vain for a ceramic/porceline tile that even simulated terrazzo to no avail.

[sevfiv]

quick question...i noticed on the glenbrook valley website that 8131 Glenfalls St. was the first home bought in the neighborhood (the old paper clipping).

was this one of the homes demolished to widen the bayou? was the whole street taken?

[rps324]

No, I think they just got the street name wrong, I am pretty sure that house is 8131 Glencrest.

Most of the houses taken out for the bayou widening were on the opposite bank, although I think one at the end of Colgate St. was demolished in the process.

[midtown 4.2]

I currently live in Midtown . . . metal loft, and considering moving up to a Mod. This neighborhood caught my eye, but the surrounding area . . . what are your thoughts? Crime? Schools? Grocery? Future? Values? etc.

Thanks,

[VicMan]

Glenbrook Valley's zoned schools (Since Santa Elena St. and Broadway indicate where the subdivision is) apparently are Park Place Elementary (http://www.parkplacees.org/), Ortiz Middle (http://ms.houstonisd.org/ortizms), and Ch

[rps324]

Glenbrook Valley's zoned schools (Since Santa Elena St. and Broadway indicate where the subdivision is) apparently are Park Place Elementary, Ortiz Middle, and Chavez High in Houston ISD.

Of course, you do not have to send your kids to those schools. Houston ISD has many transf

I think it is Juddson(?) Elementary on Rockhill.

[VicMan]

I think it is Juddson(?) Elementary on Rockhill.

Do you mean Judd Mortimer Lewis Elementary (http://es.houstonisd.org/lewises/)?

The neighborhood's website used Santa Elena St. and Broadway, but the actual neighborhood could be east of that.

Lewis feeds into Ortiz and Ch

[stolitx]

I currently live in Midtown . . . metal loft, and considering moving up to a Mod. This neighborhood caught my eye, but the surrounding area . . . what are your thoughts? Crime? Schools? Grocery? Future? Values? etc.

Thanks,

I can't speak to the schools since I don't have kids and didn't look into that when I moved. I do think I'm zoned to Park Place Elementary in my section of Glenbrook Valley. Honestly if/when I have kids in school, I'll probably enroll them elsewhere.

The HEB on Gulfgate is huge. But I prefer to grocery shop by my office on my way home from work. I'm lucky that I work near a Whole Foods and a huge Kroger Signature store. The HEB at Gulfgate is too similar to visiting a Walmart for me. Too crowded. There is a Kroger in the neighborhood that I visit, but not being a Signature store it doesn't carry many of the items I prefer to buy (deli counter selections & meat selections). But it's a decent store that was recently remodeled and even carries my beloved St Arnold now.

There is a Signature store on Fuqua and also on the Beltway. It sounds far, but really takes 5 minutes since it's a straight shot on 45. A Super Walmart is opening soon on 45 just north of Almeda for another grocery/retail option. There are tons of retail options on Beltway in Pasadena. Again it sounds far, but I'm there in 15 minutes since it's all highway.

Most of the crime that I hear of is petty stuff, like plants stolen an cars broken into. Same thing when I lived in the Heights. I feel safe, but I live in one of the nicest areas of Glenbrook and I have 2 very, very large dogs. Well one very large, and one very loud.

The values are only going up. Particularly for the mods (thanks rps), but that helps the whole area. The retail growth in Gulfgate and even the new Walmart and other construction around Almeda are good signs. There is a plan for a walk/bike trail along Sims bayou and a rail line eventually connecting Hobby to Downtown. Also Telephone, Broadway and Bellfort are targeted for a clean up with some money (a grant I believe) to help beautify the streets leading to the airport. These are long term plans, but a sign of the area rising.

The homes in my section are huge for the money with huge lots. That's why I moved here. I loved the Heights and lived there 10 years in a townhouse. The values there got too high for me to move to a home in the area, but made it great for me selling.

[midtown 4.2]

thanks stolitx,

rps showed us the basket-weave fence house next door . . . has lots of potential for a unique re-hab, but unfortunately they're asking too much (for the contition it's in). If it was about 60K less, I might be able to overcome my fears of getting stuck in a fixer-upper money pit. We are still going to look around a bit, but might come back and make an offer . . . who knows, we might eventually be neighbors.

[stolitx]

thanks stolitx,

rps showed us the basket-weave fence house next door . . . has lots of potential for a unique re-hab, but unfortunately they're asking too much (for the contition it's in). If it was about 60K less, I might be able to overcome my fears of getting stuck in a fixer-upper money pit. We are still going to look around a bit, but might come back and make an offer . . . who knows, we might eventually be neighbors.

It would be great to be neighbors! I understand completely about my neighbor's home. The potential is definately there.

[stolitx]

thanks stolitx,

rps showed us the basket-weave fence house next door . . . has lots of potential for a unique re-hab, but unfortunately they're asking too much (for the contition it's in). If it was about 60K less, I might be able to overcome my fears of getting stuck in a fixer-upper money pit. We are still going to look around a bit, but might come back and make an offer . . . who knows, we might eventually be neighbors.

Also if do you buy it, I will let you borrow my brother's power washer to help with the costs of taking care of that "honey do". He's a contractor so he has a nice one.