torimask Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 (edited) http://digital.houstonlibrary.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/images/id/3706/rec/34 There doesn't seem to be any information connected to this one, just "Mansion with fountain" as description. Long shot, but anyone know any information about it? from another angle: http://digital.houstonlibrary.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/images/id/3709/rec/44 Edited February 11, 2015 by torimask 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brhaltx Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Nice fountain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NenaE Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 (edited) I don't know... but, if you look at it with the magnified tool, you can see two hot air balloon shaped poles? (middle of horizon) with two skinny things in the middle of them. Bizarre looking. And to the left, there is some sort of slender bldg... maybe an entrance gate. Could it be "Wayside"/ Simms Estate? off Lawndale, by Houston Country Club? just a wild guess. I looked again, I think those balloon shapes may be entrance gate urns. Edited February 14, 2015 by NenaE 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torimask Posted February 15, 2015 Author Share Posted February 15, 2015 (edited) Looking at both shots, this is the side of the house, and those urns are probably on a circular drive at the front, where the marbled columns can be seen. There's also a fountain out there, too. It seems like an awfully large place in the "middle of nowhere" (huge estate?) to not be recognizable, unless it's long been demolished? The front appears to have six Corinthian columns along the face of the house, with another one on each side. Maybe that helps narrow it down to someone more familiar with the Simms estate? I can't seem to find any photos of it online. Zoomed in from the "street view" one. And is that a screened in porch area top right with the four dark vertical panes? Second zoomed in screen grab shows the urn on the column out front really clearly, the other fountain, as well as the very young line of trees planted and the ornate iron work on the (gas?) lamp stand (maybe?). Edited February 15, 2015 by torimask Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnu Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 There are two other photos of the mansion in the same collection.One looks out from the front balcony showing the entrance "circle" and the other is an interior shot. http://digital.houstonlibrary.org/cdm/ref/collection/images/id/3712 http://digital.houstonlibrary.org/cdm/ref/collection/images/id/3715 I cannot find any real clues other than you can see several other structures nearby. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torimask Posted February 15, 2015 Author Share Posted February 15, 2015 Thanks gnu! Since it's clear the photographer was allowed in the front door, I wonder what other photos might be lost. Wouldn't it be a bit strange, knowing the set up involved in one interior shot back then, to cart all that equipment for just a four glass plates? There is no vehicle in the drive, and it appears the side of the house on the street where the first two photos were taken also had vendor/servant entrances. I don't know why, maybe the size of those baby trees and a few staked larger trees (visible from the front drive photo), but it seems like the place, if not new, has very new landscaping. Didn't glass plate negatives fall out of common use by the 1930s? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NenaE Posted March 7, 2015 Share Posted March 7, 2015 The specific landscape design/ layout of the gardens may hold a clue to the estate's identity. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.