James West Mansion At 3303 Nasa Pkwy.

[SloaneGallery]

I have decided to post more images of the old West Mansion and get a little more into the room detail. I will show the wide angle of a room and then pick close up images of items in the room.... I will do all the rooms but have started with just a few of the more interesting....

follow this link to see the slide show: http://www.sloanegallery.com/jim_west_mansion.htm

please support the Preserved in Time group and help save this home for future enjoyment... thanks, Story III

[editor]

Love the interior pictures with all the furniture. Usually when you get to tour an historic home the furniture is minimal, recreated, missing, or behind a velvet rope. The pictures with everything in situ are really evocative.

[marketingwiz]

I thoroughly enjoyed looking at those historic photos and thanks for sharing them! Are there any photos of the upstairs 'sleeping porch' that I've read so much about or the master suite area? I'd love to see those. And yes I've contributed to and signed the petition to save the JW Mansion.

[SloaneGallery]

I thoroughly enjoyed looking at those historic photos and thanks for sharing them! Are there any photos of the upstairs 'sleeping porch' that I've read so much about or the master suite area? I'd love to see those. And yes I've contributed to and signed the petition to save the JW Mansion.

Hereis one of the sleeping porch.. the master bedroom negative was heavly damaged...I will be posting more detail images of the den and dinning room also... story III

[dbigtex56]

I'm grateful that Sloane Gallery is preserving and sharing these photographs.

Hope they'll help in persuading people to save the Jim West mansion.

[marketingwiz]

Hereis one of the sleeping porch.. the master bedroom negative was heavly damaged...I will be posting more detail images of the den and dinning room also... story III

Gosh, that was FAST! Thank you so much, Story III. The sleeping porch is very much how I imagined it. Your photo collection is amazing. I actually feel 'lost in time' when I look at these, don't care how corny that sounds. These images are transporting.

[johnfinley]

Good Gravy! This is fantastic! Thank you so much! How many more pictures are there that aren't on the website?

[FilioScotia]

Fund Raiser to benefit the Jim West Mansion

[tmariar]

Fund Raiser to benefit the Jim West Mansion

This was a very nice event. The organizers did a great job.

The Irvin House (1927 - Joseph Finger) has been beautifully maintained. I hadn't been to Morgan's Point in years - or to LaPorte. for that matter. I've got to plan a trip during the day to get a better look at the Sterling Mansion and LaPorte's Main Street.

A number of talented people have gotten involved in the West Mansion preservation efforts. The updates were all positive, but Preserved in Time still has a long way to go to raise the money it needs, and needs all the help it can get.

Edited February 14, 2009 by tmariar

[fortbendtomontrose]

This is a particularly painful exercise for me as Hakeem Olajuwon is involved and apparently

on the wrong end of the issue.

I always had a lot of respect for Hakeem both as an athlete and a person with high

ideals and sound ethics.

Meanwhile, I've signed the petition.

Edited April 9, 2009 by fortbendtomontrose

[tmariar]

Thanks!

Though, the house hasn't been torn down yet, and Hakeem has cooperated with GHPA to some extent on other issues in the past - so I wouldn't assume just yet that he won't make some concession to the historical significance of this building. Even if it's just not charging a non-profit as much as he would a commercial venture for the purchase of the building.

[kayzer]

Thanks!

Though, the house hasn't been torn down yet, and Hakeem has cooperated with GHPA to some extent on other issues in the past - so I wouldn't assume just yet that he won't make some concession to the historical significance of this building. Even if it's just not charging a non-profit as much as he would a commercial venture for the purchase of the building.

This needs more publicity to push it over the edge. I signed it, though.

[tmariar]

This needs more publicity to push it over the edge. I signed it, though.

Thanks!

[sevfiv]

I had forgotten, but a couple weeks ago I heard about an architectural firm making plans for a renovation and trying to stick to the original plans as much as possible. I know I don't have many details, and the actual project may not happen, but there is some activity in the planning of a restoration, even if it doesn't make it past the planning stage..

[tmariar]

That sounds like maybe good news - thanks!

[Sue O]

I don't know if my opinion would count as I left Houston in 1959, but grew up there from 1936-1959. As a Girl Scout in Harris County I would spent at least one or two weeks at Camp Tejas Girl Scout camp next door to the Jim West Masion. At that time the scouts had permission to use the swimming pool at the Masion. I remember peeking throught the windows of the deserted mansion and wishing with all my heart I could live there someday. We scouts loved the beautiful old home, and hated to see it not being cared for in the 40's. It would be such a shame to tear down this wonderful old place representing the great past.

The boys orphanage was across the inlet from the Girl Scout camp. As Scouts we rowed on Clear Lake when it was CLEAR and clean. My great aunt taught Webster HS teaching English and Latin, she produced Shakespearian plays for several years in that school. So many wonderful memories of days gone by.

[tmariar]

I don't know if my opinion would count as I left Houston in 1959, but grew up there from 1936-1959. As a Girl Scout in Harris County I would spent at least one or two weeks at Camp Tejas Girl Scout camp next door to the Jim West Masion. At that time the scouts had permission to use the swimming pool at the Masion. I remember peeking throught the windows of the deserted mansion and wishing with all my heart I could live there someday. We scouts loved the beautiful old home, and hated to see it not being cared for in the 40's. It would be such a shame to tear down this wonderful old place representing the great past.

The boys orphanage was across the inlet from the Girl Scout camp. As Scouts we rowed on Clear Lake when it was CLEAR and clean. My great aunt taught Webster HS teaching English and Latin, she produced Shakespearian plays for several years in that school. So many wonderful memories of days gone by.

Thanks so much for posting your memories of the mansion and the area, Sue! I know from having grown up in Clear Lake in the 70's and 80's that not many people knew much of its history in the period you lived there. I would love to hear more. If you ever have time to share some stories in the Coastal Prairie or Historic Houston sub-forums, I bet others would be interested as well. I know that not many people remember the orphanage, for example, though I think there is an historical marker at the location.

[pookrat]

Was interested to see if anyone has more information than I can find on the old estate on Nasa Parkway on Clear Lake across from the Hilton. See the overhead shot via maps.live.com below. It looks like a pretty large estate with guest quarters and a nice garden, pool, and other features I can't make out. Maybe a stable or tennis court? Looking at HistoricAerials.com (which was down when typing this), it looks like it predated the Space Center which was my first guess as to who might live there. An important figure there. It also appears to have been part of the Rice Univeristy System for a bit. HCAD shows Olajuwon as the currect owner. What were it's beginnings and who was the lucky person to have such a nice place right on the lake? ANy stories or coments welcome.

http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&...1&encType=1

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=U...mp;t=h&z=18

Thanks ahead of time.

[sevfiv]

West Mansion:

http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/in...?showtopic=9646

http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/in...showtopic=17962

http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/in...showtopic=17250

[TheresaQ]

Another interesting link to West Mansion: http://www.ghpa.org/endangered/

Was interested to see if anyone has more information than I can find on the old estate on Nasa Parkway on Clear Lake across from the Hilton. See the overhead shot via maps.live.com below. It looks like a pretty large estate with guest quarters and a nice garden, pool, and other features I can't make out. Maybe a stable or tennis court? Looking at HistoricAerials.com (which was down when typing this), it looks like it predated the Space Center which was my first guess as to who might live there. An important figure there. It also appears to have been part of the Rice Univeristy System for a bit. HCAD shows Olajuwon as the currect owner. What were it's beginnings and who was the lucky person to have such a nice place right on the lake? ANy stories or coments welcome.

http://www.bing.com/maps/default.aspx?v=2&...1&encType=1

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=U...mp;t=h&z=18

Thanks ahead of time.

[pookrat]

Thanks guys.

Guess Moderators can delete this post or just let it fade in to oblivion.

[fatesdisastr]

ive always loved the west mansion and those links to the articles are great. thank you!

if anything this post revives the old post. not many people would dig into yr old post to try and find the west mansion. thanks for the revival. atleast for my sake

Edited June 25, 2009 by fatesdisastr

[WestUNative]

I don't know if my opinion would count as I left Houston in 1959, but grew up there from 1936-1959. As a Girl Scout in Harris County I would spent at least one or two weeks at Camp Tejas Girl Scout camp next door to the Jim West Masion. At that time the scouts had permission to use the swimming pool at the Masion. I remember peeking throught the windows of the deserted mansion and wishing with all my heart I could live there someday. We scouts loved the beautiful old home, and hated to see it not being cared for in the 40's. It would be such a shame to tear down this wonderful old place representing the great past.

The boys orphanage was across the inlet from the Girl Scout camp. As Scouts we rowed on Clear Lake when it was CLEAR and clean. My great aunt taught Webster HS teaching English and Latin, she produced Shakespearian plays for several years in that school. So many wonderful memories of days gone by.

Oh! Sue O, I attended Camp Tejas in about 1947 and somewhere here in a much earlier post I described exactly what you just did! We loved tramping over and peering into the depths of the mansion. I guess we were all enamored. Rowing on the lake, the separate wood cabins throughout the woods, making way through the "wilderness" to get to bathroom building in middle of night. I was only 6 at the time but loved it. Do you recall the pool decorations? Mosaic tile colors, perhaps of acquatic creatures? I cannot remember, just know it had some embellishment, not just plain vanilla.

Anyway the interior of the house looked like the occupants just up and left without moving their things and never came back, which I now understand is what the widow did.

[NenaE]

http://www.thescenem...05_02-p20b.html

... a few links about the West mansion.

...the views out the windows of the property are beautiful, and those staircases take my breath away.

...had to put on earphones to hear the voices on the youtube tour.

http://lonestar.texas.net/~mdmclean/J_M_WEST_BIO.html

...towards the bottom, describes the mansion materials, why he sold the property, oil on it.

Edited September 17, 2011 by NenaE

[jjmcge]

Signed with pleasure...

[Specwriter]

I saw some activity going on at the West Mansion last weekend (a big dumpster on the east side of the main house and several workers with a few pickup trucks). There was also a Lull (a brand name of a large fork lift that is used to lift things like construction materials to an upper floor).

I've been out of town this week but will be heading down to the area this afternoon. Does anyone know what is happening there now?

[Houston19514]

I saw some activity going on at the West Mansion last weekend (a big dumpster on the east side of the main house and several workers with a few pickup trucks). There was also a Lull (a brand name of a large fork lift that is used to lift things like construction materials to an upper floor).

I've been out of town this week but will be heading down to the area this afternoon. Does anyone know what is happening there now?

From Swamplot: "Hakeem Olajuwon's Dream for the Jim West Mansion: Flagship Clothing and Furniture Store?"

[Specwriter]

About 18 years ago, before it became the UTMB Open Gates Conference Center, an architect friend of mine oversaw a project on the Sealy Mansion in Galveston that was basically a stabilization of the existing structure - fixing leaks, repointing mortar, etc. - to stop deteriorization of the building. Fortunately the Medical Branch was able to realize its completed project shortly thereafter.

I can only hope some sort of stabilization is going on at the West Mansion until a viable adaptive use for the building can come about. Some of the things mentioned in the Swamplot article are simply ridiculous, especially the suggestion that the exisiting structure would be used for a high-end clothing or furniture store.

I like the idea of a reception and meeting place. In my estimation the main rooms seem large enough and the grounds extensive enough that all sorts of events could be held there. Even events held under canopies on the grounds are possible for a good part of the year (and have been held before) because the lake allows breezes that more "inland" places do not. I live in the 77586 zip code (Seabrook) and my family has often had picnic dinners at the county park on NASA Road 1 and at Sylvan Beach Park even as late as June where we were perfectly comfortable.

I have a daughter who may (I say MAY) be getting married in a few years and having the reception for that event at the West Mansion would be ideal. Perhaps the present owner should sell the property (sorry I can't afford it) and use the money to open his couture boutique some place where it might stand better than a snowball's chance on a July day in Houston like Highland Village. Or was that whole Swamplot article jumping the April 1st date just a bit?

Edited April 2, 2012 by Specwriter

[Specwriter]

Update: Since last April the exterior stucco has been "painted." It also appears as if something has been applied to the tile roof. Additionally, it looks like the parking area has had a coating applied (not resurfaced though). Just yesterday I drove by at about 2:00 pm and saw several large piles of sand around the yard. There were also a couple of men up near NASA Road 1 who looked like they were repairing the low stone fence near the corner of the property. A later drive-by at 6:00 indicated they hadn't done much. If anyone has an idea what is going on at the West mansion it would be nice to know.

[luciaphile]

I just cursorily read Jim West's bio, so I don't know very much about him, but it seems to confirm something that has fascinated me: how in the past someone who was probably perceived as an uneducated, "country-bumpkin"-type (I do realize that at the time, our population was rural, and the term would have applied to most of us) could use his fortune to build an outlandish huge house that was yet tasteful and beautiful and high-quality. To my eyes, at least.

Something has definitely changed with regard to the nouveau-riche. It's as though they're not being well-served. Someone should Save them.

The reason for my post, though, is my " 'satiable curtiosity" for all things Texas and gossip-y. The Save the Jim West Mansion website alluded to his family having vacated the mansion at his death "per the wishes in his will." Was this part of the terms, a life estate or something, of the earlier sale of the land to Humble Oil? It didn't say that, but instead made it sound like he wanted the property to sit vacant, with its contents pointlessly intact. He doesn't otherwise come off as an eccentric.

I love that it housed the Lunar Science Institute. It gives the place a Bletchley Park vibe, making it even cooler. There's probably moondust mixed in with all the other dust.