A reader reports that the Frame House, a fifties-Modern classic tucked off Memorial Dr., is up for sale for a cool $3 million. Designed by Houston architect Harwood Taylor in 1960, this is about as close to a Case Study House as Houston ever got — and it perches just about as close to Buffalo Bayou as you’d ever want a home to get. Its recent restoration from a mid-eighties whitewashing earned the current owner, his architects, and builder a local preservation award.
If you’re a fan of this kind of Modness, the best news of all is that you don’t have to pay to play: An open house is scheduled for the afternoon of Sunday, February 17th. If you’re not a fan, you can visit and imagine how it would all look with crown moulding and a nice, traditional pitched roof.
After the jump, a few more details about the home, plus a demonstration of the real value real estate agents can bring to a fine listing like this.
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The home has 5 or 6 bedrooms, 6 1/2 baths, and sprawls over 5,067 sq. ft. on a 28,641 sq. ft. lot. The home was featured in last September’s Texas Architect magazine, but it’s apparent that some of the Hester + Hardaway photographs from the article either weren’t available, were too expensive, or just really weren’t going to help sell the home in the real world. So the listing agent, Peggy Vineyard of Martha Turner Properties, has included a few improved versions of similar views in her listing.
Here’s a photo from the magazine, showing the view from a hallway:
And here’s a similar shot as shown in the listing:
To the left is a view from the magazine of the sunken terrazzo shower under a skylight . . . and below is the improved-for-sales version, which helpfully highlights the current owner’s fine tchotcke collection and reassures prospective buyers that there is indeed a place to hang towels here:
Finally, a view of the front entrance. Admittedly, the magazine shot is a little confusing: What’s indoors, and what’s out?
Thankfully, the listing snapshot clears up all the confusion:
- 403 Westminster Dr. [HAR]
- Mod of the Month – 403 Westminster [Houston Mod]
- Fifties Cool Revived: A Houston Case Study [Swamplot]
First, second, fourth, and sixth photos: Hester + Hardaway
