Home At 12902 Memorial Dr.

[GoAtomic]

Sitting at the light on the northwest corner of Memorial and Beltway 8 last week, I noticed the mysterious, nearly hidden contemporary Memorial Plaza house on the corner is FOR SALE. Looked it up last night, and it's a fixer ... but they're giving a $7500 credit at closing for repairs.

http://search.har.com/engine/indexdetail.c...mp;backButton=Y

Something about this house rang a bell, so I went to the Memorial Bend website site and, sure enough, this is what I found written about it:

"First home to be built in Memorial Plaza

[retromodernjeff]

You know through my HAR searches for an MCM house in houston for my relocation I found this one, interesting from the photos, but I kind of wrote it off due to the location I viewed from the map and sat photos. Are you saying it is still a nice property even though it is at a noisy intersection / freeway area?

I also looked at MLS#2881711 address is 13034 memorial dr, but there is no full exterior photo. Any info on that one?

Edited September 12, 2006 by retromodernjeff

[GoAtomic]

You know through my HAR searches for an MCM house in houston for my relocation I found this one, interesting from the photos, but I kind of wrote it off due to the location I viewed from the map and sat photos. Are you saying it is still a nice property even though it is at a noisy intersection / freeway area?

I also looked at MLS#2881711 address is 13034 memorial dr, but there is no full exterior photo. Any info on that one?

The one on the corner of the Beltway definitely would be a challenge due to proximity to traffic, however, with the right fencing and landscaping it could be a good deal. But at least it doesn't face a glow-in-the-dark gas station like a couple on the East side of that Beltway intersection!

[rps324]

It seems like there are some interesting houses by A. Carroll Brodnax, but his houses don't seem to garner the attention of Floyd, Jenkins, & Lars Bang.

[Drewdog]

You know through my HAR searches for an MCM house in houston for my relocation I found this one, interesting from the photos, but I kind of wrote it off due to the location I viewed from the map and sat photos. Are you saying it is still a nice property even though it is at a noisy intersection / freeway area?

I also looked at MLS#2881711 address is 13034 memorial dr, but there is no full exterior photo. Any info on that one?

How do you search for MCM homes on HAR?

[retromodernjeff]

How do you search for MCM homes on HAR?

Very tediously!

I was also given some pointers from Rob S.

[Willowisp]

http://www.houstonmod.org/realEstate.htm

RPS does most of the work for you on Houston Mod. HAR acts like vintage houses are not worth searching. They need a better age search feature. The only way you can search for a house by age is what "5 years or newer" "1 year or newer" or something like that??? Uh, thanks, but no.

As for this particular house, I have seen it from the outside and it looks like a tough sell from all around, and this is coming from someone who was willing to overlook noise to purchase a special home... It also looks like the owner has neglected it big time, probably figuring it as a teardown...

However, considering that some houses can go for $150K more than this in that area, you could fix it up and build pretty big fences.

Jason

How do you search for MCM homes on HAR?

[texasdago]

I wonder how much of it is still original. I imagine quite a bit could be since it has been a rental house for 20+ years - the current tenant has been there for the past 20 years. It has turned owners at least once in the past 3-4 years. Who knows? May be worth checking out put the cost is high.

[SpaceAge]

It seems like there are some interesting houses by A. Carroll Brodnax, but his houses don't seem to garner the attention of Floyd, Jenkins, & Lars Bang.

Lars Bang, Carroll Brodnax, Lucian Hood, and Bill Jenkins were all friends and architecture students at the University of Houston in the early 1950s. Their teachers included Donald Barthelme, Howard Barnstone, and David Red.

12902 Memorial Drive

Houston Chronicle, July 24, 1955 via the Memorial Bend website

This house cost about $30,000 in 1955. Houses in River Oaks sold for the same amount in 1955.

[domus48]

Say "goodbye" to this one, demolition began Saturday and currently only about 1/4th of the structure remains. Walking the site yesterday I observed the following:

• Many original floor finishes remained -- some curious ones indeed.
  
• House possessed an intercom system (main panel with interesting clock) remains
  
• Documents laying about possessed dates from the 50's(!)
  
• Roman brick used at exterior also utilized selectively within structure
  

The house was pretty much doomed to it's current fate given it's location. Which renders what could possibly be built there even more paradoxical -- hopefully deed restrictions/zoning (whatever that is in this town) will not allow a gas station or worse, a convenient mart.

It's probably safe to say that there will be more tear-downs in that neighborhood.

[Willowisp]

Thanks for the info, that's about what I expected. Whatever goes up there should have thick, sound absorbing walls...

Jason