Lucia Benton Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 I am writing my master's thesis on the Houston houses of Katharine Mott. Hardly anything has been written about her (one Cite article by SF), so I am going to be relying largely on primary source information. I know serveral people who have posted here have an interest in work. If anyone has information, access to original plans, or any ideas at all about where to dig other than the obvious (HMRC), I would welcome and really appreciate hearing from you. She is a wonderful, sort of mysterious, part of Houston's history, and her houses really deserve to be saved. She also deserves to be written about because she demonstrated that you can build spec houses of integrity that will last- a lesson lost in this last 20 years of feverish building. THANKS in advance for your thoughts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NenaE Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 I am writing my master's thesis on the Houston houses of Katharine Mott. Hardly anything has been written about her (one Cite article by SF), so I am going to be relying largely on primary source information. I know serveral people who have posted here have an interest in work. If anyone has information, access to original plans, or any ideas at all about where to dig other than the obvious (HMRC), I would welcome and really appreciate hearing from you. She is a wonderful, sort of mysterious, part of Houston's history, and her houses really deserve to be saved. She also deserves to be written about because she demonstrated that you can build spec houses of integrity that will last- a lesson lost in this last 20 years of feverish building. THANKS in advance for your thoughts!Wow, good for you...I am assuming you are in a Houston or Texas university...university students can access info. from other libraries, such as Rice University, University of Houston, or UT archives easier than the general public. I would actually visit the libraries, or visit their on-line searches before going, or simply call them. Librarians are there to help you, use them. These libraries are a good place to find original blueprints, maps,etc. not normally seen. Katherine Mott was associated with architectural firms, such as Burns & James. I would explore those firms she worked with, as well as books on River Oaks, or other neighborhoods she was associated with. The Houston Architectural Guide, with two publications, has some great brief but accurate info. on architects & their Houston - built homes.She was a great role model for women, I would love to read your thesis, some day. Good luck! http://citemag.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/RiversideTerrace_Fox_Cite19.pdfhere is a link with some of the neighborhoods she was associated with, see #5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted June 2, 2011 Share Posted June 2, 2011 Hi and welcome to HAIF - unfortunately you're right...there really isn't a lot out there. You may have seen this thread already: and this is all I have collected: http://www.arch-ive.org/1920woodbury.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucia Benton Posted June 2, 2011 Author Share Posted June 2, 2011 Thank you so much! I am definitely hoping to find original docs at HMRC (HPL) and possibly in the Will Hogg Papers at UT. I know the Burns & James Papers are at the Indiana Historical Society. I haven't really done any digging at Rice or UH. My degree is actually out of state, though I'm a Houstonian, so I need to figure out how to get reading privileges (may not be a big deal). And you are right- she is just fascinating- someone who took on a man's business only a few years after women got the right to vote. This is something I've been wanting to do for a long time.And will be happy to share my work when it gets done!thanks againWow, good for you...I am assuming you are in a Houston or Texas university...university students can access info. from other libraries, such as Rice University, University of Houston, or UT archives easier than the general public. I would actually visit the libraries, or visit their on-line searches before going, or simply call them. Librarians are there to help you, use them. These libraries are a good place to find original blueprints, maps,etc. not normally seen. Katherine Mott was associated with architectural firms, such as Burns & James. I would explore those firms she worked with, as well as books on River Oaks, or other neighborhoods she was associated with. The Houston Architectural Guide, with two publications, has some great brief but accurate info. on architects & their Houston - built homes.She was a great role model for women, I would love to read your thesis, some day. Good luck! http://citemag.org/w..._Fox_Cite19.pdfhere is a link with some of the neighborhoods she was associated with, see #5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucia Benton Posted June 2, 2011 Author Share Posted June 2, 2011 Thank you- so glad to have joined. It's always nice to meet other people who care about these things.I have seen these and they were good starting points when deciding on the topic. I may be in for a serious amount of field work.....Thanks again!Hi and welcome to HAIF - unfortunately you're right...there really isn't a lot out there. You may have seen this thread already:http://www.houstonar...-b-mott-houses/and this is all I have collected:http://www.arch-ive....920woodbury.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bachanon Posted June 5, 2011 Share Posted June 5, 2011 very interesting! keep us posted on your progress, if you have the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simbha Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 In the same vein as NenaE's link, here's another by Stephen Fox: http://citemag.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/ModernHomecraft_Fox_Cite42.pdf http://citemag.org/w..._Fox_Cite19.pdf here is a link with some of the neighborhoods she was associated with, see #5. Also, depending on which university you're attending, you may be eligible to receive materials from (say) UH through an interlibrary loan. Here's the link to UH's site on ILL's: http://info.lib.uh.edu/services/interlibrary-loan. You may wish to check out Lending Policy for a bit more information. Rice and other schools may have similar arrangements. Another option is to affiliate yourself with a professor at a school from which you wish to receive privileges. I once had a student from another university request assistance from me in obtaining materials from the UH library. I was able to help the student in navigating some of the bureaucracy on our side and ultimately obtain some reference materials. I received an acknowledgement in her dissertation for that. If you'll be specific about which school you're attending, there may be other, specific options available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NenaE Posted June 6, 2011 Share Posted June 6, 2011 That was a very informative article on the Motts & their contributions to Houston. Thanks Simbha, for pointing that out.Katherine Mott was a cancer survivor, lived many years after diagnosis. Kept on building, what a life.Cite is such a great source of information, thank you Stephen Fox. I would love to tour one of her homes. Maybe someday. Oh, btw, what is a "scissor stair with wrought iron"? ( p.34) ... I've never heard that term before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houston83 Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 I am writing my master's thesis on the Houston houses of Katharine Mott. Hardly anything has been written about her (one Cite article by SF), so I am going to be relying largely on primary source information. I know serveral people who have posted here have an interest in work. If anyone has information, access to original plans, or any ideas at all about where to dig other than the obvious (HMRC), I would welcome and really appreciate hearing from you. She is a wonderful, sort of mysterious, part of Houston's history, and her houses really deserve to be saved. She also deserves to be written about because she demonstrated that you can build spec houses of integrity that will last- a lesson lost in this last 20 years of feverish building. THANKS in advance for your thoughts!We are currently restoring a Katherine Mott home. It was remodeling a number of times in the past and we are attempting to restore some of the original design elements and update the interior. The house is under current construction. You are welcome to tour the house if it would be a value to you. Our architect was also able to find the original annoucement that was placed in the paper when the house was completed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucia Benton Posted June 12, 2011 Author Share Posted June 12, 2011 Simbha- Thank you for these links. This is the Cite article that is really the only focused look at the Motts that I am aware of. I have been slowly putting together the game plan for research - I'm sure I can figure out the ILL for local institutions- I have great reading privileges in NYC (NYU Bobst, MMA Watson, Parsons, and NYPL - and the online subscription databases), but it doesn't help me much if I'm down here! Also, with such regionally specific topic..... HMRC is planned this list this week. I really think I willl end up with mostly regional primary source information. I will keep you posted-can I contact you if I need help accessing UH??? (promising due credit, of course!) In the same vein as NenaE's link, here's another by Stephen Fox: http://citemag.org/w..._Fox_Cite42.pdf Also, depending on which university you're attending, you may be eligible to receive materials from (say) UH through an interlibrary loan. Here's the link to UH's site on ILL's: http://info.lib.uh.e...terlibrary-loan. You may wish to check out Lending Policy for a bit more information. Rice and other schools may have similar arrangements. Another option is to affiliate yourself with a professor at a school from which you wish to receive privileges. I once had a student from another university request assistance from me in obtaining materials from the UH library. I was able to help the student in navigating some of the bureaucracy on our side and ultimately obtain some reference materials. I received an acknowledgement in her dissertation for that. If you'll be specific about which school you're attending, there may be other, specific options available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucia Benton Posted June 12, 2011 Author Share Posted June 12, 2011 That would be terrific! What a great thing you are doing! I would love to walk through. I would like to try to get inside as many of the extant buildings as possible- this is a great start. Though I know almost all of the houses have been altered, there is still no substitute for actually moving through the spaces to understand the scale and flow etc. And to see details up close. The houses are well known for their brick work, and I would like to find out who the masons were- she, apparently used the same crew over and over again. THANK YOU! I will send a separate note for details.We are currently restoring a Katherine Mott home. It was remodeling a number of times in the past and we are attempting to restore some of the original design elements and update the interior. The house is under current construction. You are welcome to tour the house if it would be a value to you. Our architect was also able to find the original annoucement that was placed in the paper when the house was completed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simbha Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 I'm glad you found them useful. You're welcome to contact me (email via my profile), and I'll be very happy to help in any way I can. However, please note that I'm somewhat limited in what I can do because (i) I am not affiliated with the Hines School of Architecture (I was in the business college) and (ii) my affiliation with even the business school is only as an occasional adjunct now. I do know some people and might be able to help in some ways, however, so it wouldn't be a complete waste to contact me. Simbha- Thank you for these links. This is the Cite article that is really the only focused look at the Motts that I am aware of. I have been slowly putting together the game plan for research - I'm sure I can figure out the ILL for local institutions- I have great reading privileges in NYC (NYU Bobst, MMA Watson, Parsons, and NYPL - and the online subscription databases), but it doesn't help me much if I'm down here! Also, with such regionally specific topic..... HMRC is planned this list this week. I really think I willl end up with mostly regional primary source information. I will keep you posted-can I contact you if I need help accessing UH??? (promising due credit, of course!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted May 2, 2013 Share Posted May 2, 2013 Not sure if Lucia Benton is still around HAIF but it looks like it was published: http://gradworks.umi.com/15/14/1514624.htmlhttp://books.google.com/books/about/The_Houses_of_Katharine_B_Mott_1925_1931.html?id=KHRCmAEACAAJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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