08/01/16 1:00pm

Exxon Gas Station with McDonald's, 11035 Katy Fwy., Wilchester, Houston

Exxon Gas Station with McDonald's, 11035 Katy Fwy., Wilchester, Houston

Do not mourn the Exxon station with the McDonald’s inside on the eastbound feeder road of the Katy Fwy. Yes, there’s a new fence around the property, and it’s about to be demolished. But the replacement is well worth waiting for: It’ll be a brand new Exxon station — with a brand new McDonald’s! Ah, but the more things stay the same, the more they change: A reader who contacted the burger chain’s regional office reports the new McDonald’s will sport McDonald’s “next generation” design, and will feature free wifi when it opens — around mid-October Election Day.

Photos: Swamplot inbox

Exxon and McDonald’s, Together Again
08/01/16 12:00pm

628 E. 6th 1/2 St., Houston

628 E. 6th 1/2 St., Houston

Swamplot’s sponsor today is the 2-story home at 628 E. 6th 1/2 St. Thank you for the support!

The open, main gathering area (pictured at top) of this 2,570-sq.-ft. brickfront home is upstairs, which allows for a combined living, dining, and kitchen space that spans the entire width of the home. Two pairs of north-facing French doors from this space allow access to the covered deck that lines the front façade. The master bedroom suite (see second photo), with a separate shower and whirlpool tub, is downstairs, and opens onto the back patio and yard.

Sure, a good number of Heights-area homes are within walking distance of the many dining options on White Oak Dr. But how many of these homes have a gate that leads directly to White Oak’s Onion Creek Coffee House? You’ll find the one at the end of the backyard of this property pictured in the listing photos. The Heights Hike & Bike Trail is only a block-and-a-half away. And the home, which was built in 2007, is zoned to Harvard Elementary School.

If you’d like to see more pics of and details about this 3-bedroom, 2-bath home with the quirky-but-cool fractional address, please take a look at the property website.

Unique spaces in unique places get attention when they pop up as Swamplot sponsors. Find out about this site’s Sponsor of the Day program here.

Sponsor of the Day
08/01/16 10:15am

Hops Meet Barley, 2245 West Alabama St., Upper Kirby, Houston

It’s a good bet the kiddie playground that once stood in front of the Mission Burrito (and later Überrito, after the Mexican fast-food restaurant changed its name) at 2245 West Alabama St. won’t be returning for the dining and drinking joint now slated to take its place. Überrito shut down that location 11 months ago. But a couple of weeks ago a sign for a grains-and-greetings-themed establishment (above) emerged where once a plastic castle held court in a sea of mulch. And newer signs on the property, reports a Swamplot reader, indicate that staff is now being hired. According to Eater Houston’s Amy McCarthy, incoming beer destination Hops and Barley is a project of Stephen Long, an owner of the Reserve 101 bar at 1201 Caroline St. downtown.

Photo: Hops Meet Barley

 

Missin’ Burritos
07/29/16 12:00pm

Downtown Houston Skyline

Houston’s own Central Bank is again sponsoring Swamplot today. Thank you for the continued support!

Central Bank has 4 (central) Houston branches available to meet your business or personal needs: in Midtown, the Heights, West Houston, and Post Oak Place.

Central Bank believes that change is essential to its success; the company actively pursues the latest in service, technology, and products. Central Bank aims to know its customers personally and to be their primary business and personal financial resource. The bank’s staff values relationships and strives to be available when you need them.

To learn more about how Central Bank can meet your banking needs, please call any of the following Senior Vice Presidents: Kenny Beard, at 832.485.2376; Bonnie Purvis, at 832.485.2354; Gary Noble, at 832.485.2366; or Ryan Tillman, at 832.485.2307. You can also find out more on the bank’s website.

Swamplot sponsors make the Swamplot go ’round. Here’s how to become one. 

Sponsor of the Day
07/28/16 12:00pm

2415 Avalon Pl., Avalon Place, Houston

2415 Avalon Pl., Avalon Place, Houston

Today’s Swamplot Sponsor of the Day is the 2,608-sq.-ft., 3-bedroom home at 2415 Avalon Pl. We sure appreciate the support!

If you dream about the back of your house opening up to a backyard pool-and-spa combo, you’ll want to check out this place in Avalon Place. By removing the walls surrounding what was once a separate study adjacent to the living room, the owners of this brick midcentury home have created a full-width interior space that lines and laps the pool. An array of 10 full-height expanses of glass (including 2 sets of French doors) covers the home’s back wall. The photos above show a portion of this arrangement, but you’ll want to click through the slideshow on the property website to appreciate the extent of this poolside hangout.

How about adding to that vision with a ground-floor master bedroom opening onto that space? The other 2 bedrooms are upstairs (one with a built-in office alcove; the other with windows on 3 sides). Because it’s in Avalon Place, Chuy’s and West Ave (to the southeast), River Oaks Elementary (to the west), and the River Oaks Theater (to the northeast) are all within walking distance.

Do look through all the pics on the 2415 Avalon Pl. website, where you can also find additional details. It’s listed for sale by New Leaf Real Estate, which offers unique savings programs for both sellers and buyers.

Swamplot’s Sponsor of the Day program is a great way to draw attention to a local property or business. Find out more about it here.

Sponsor of the Day
07/25/16 12:00pm

Degre12 Classic Wine Rack

Degre12 Gravity Wine RackSponsoring Swamplot today: The metal wine storage racks from the wine storage experts at Houston’s Nos Caves Vin. Thank you for the support!

If you’re looking for a way to store your wine collection that allows you to show the bottles to their best advantage, you’re going to be interested in metal wine racks. The steel racking systems from Belgium’s Degre12 come in 3 distinct lines, each of which can be integrated neatly with almost any style of decor: Classic (see photo at top), for wine rooms; Sliding (see this video) for climate-controlled wine cabinets, and Gravity (shown in the second photo), for wine cabinets, rooms, or as an add-on to either of the other systems.

Each is available in different heights and depths, and incorporates LED systems to display your wine collection in the best light. The Classic and Sliding lines have both fixed and sliding shelf options.

NCV Custom Wine Rooms is the exclusive distributor of Degre12 wine rack systems in Texas. Special pricing and support is available to professionals installing Degre12 racks for a client; though the system is available to end users to assemble and attach themselves, NCV recommends having a qualified professional design and complete the installation.

To learn more about these systems or see photos that show how well they’ve been used, please take a look at the NCV Metal Wine Racks website.

Swamplot’s Sponsor of the Day spot is a great showcase for fine interior furnishings. See this page to learn how to get products featured in this space.

Sponsor of the Day
07/22/16 12:00pm

WLN Invite

Today’s Swamplot sponsor is . . . a party! It’s the gathering Boulevard Realty is putting on before White Linen Night festivities begin in the Houston Heights — from 5 to 8 pm on Saturday, August 6th — and it’s open to all.

Boulevard Realty is billing the pre-party’s location as the most expensive new single-family home listing ever to hit the Houston Heights, and the party will serve as an early open house for it, too: It’s the new 6,814-sq.-ft. residence Smith Family Homes is building at 1035 Harvard St. — which is expected to be completed in the fall.

But there’s room on the home’s 9,900-sq.-ft. lot (plus an adjacent property) for a few party attractions: a live performance by Craig Kinsey & His Band; food trucks Foodgasm and St. John’s Fire; plus specially fortified New Orleans-style snoballs from the Mam’s House of Ice trailer. There will also be lawn games, refreshments, and a shuttle bus to and from the main White Linen Night in the Heights party on the 200 and 300 blocks of 19th St.

Where you planning on attending White Linen Night this year? Stop by here first! See the pre-party’s event page on Facebook for more information.

Need to get the word out about an important local event? Sign up to become a Swamplot Sponsor of the Day!

Sponsor of the Day
07/21/16 12:00pm

2207 Devonshire St., Glendower Court, Houston

2207 Devonshire St., Glendower Court, Houston

Today’s site sponsor is the 3-bedroom, 3-1/2-bath home at 2207 Devonshire St. in Glendower Court. Swamplot appreciates the support!

Brick-paved and landscaped spaces frame this 1992 2-story, 3,669-sq.-ft. home near River Oaks. Outside the front entry is a gated-in patio with a fountain feature and plenty of plant life. Straight through the main hallway, past the formal living and dining rooms, French doors (see top photo) open onto a neat fenced-in back patio with more space and more foliage (above) — a space suitable for a morning coffee or an evening cocktail with friends and family.

A balconette off the second-floor master bedroom overlooks the front courtyard. The upstairs is rounded out by 2 more bedrooms; one, with its own full bath, leads to a flex room. Additional rooms downstairs include a den and an office area. The listing notes the home could be outfitted with an elevator.

The home is offered for sale by New Leaf Real Estate, which offers unique savings programs for both sellers and buyers. You can find additional views of and details about the property on the 2207 Devonshire website. If you like what you see, you’ll want to stop by the open house this weekend: from 2 to 4 pm on Sunday, July 24th.

Your home offers privacy — but it needs publicity? Give it a star turn — as a Swamplot Sponsor of the Day!

Sponsor of the Day
07/19/16 12:00pm

Rendering of 33 1/3 @ Thirtyfourth, Ella Blvd. at 34th St., Oak Forest, Houston

Rendering of 33 1/3 @ Thirtyfourth, Ella Blvd. at 34th St., Oak Forest, Houston

It’s time to reveal a bit more info about the Oak Forest and Garden Oaks-area retail development known as 33 1/3 @ Thirtyfourth — Swamplot’s Sponsor of the Day today. (Thanks for sponsoring us!)

The first aerial-view renderings of the design for the multi-tenant center, above, show an additional element we haven’t seen before. It’s next to the standalone restaurant building and patio space along 34th St. (in the front of both renderings) and in front of the larger retail structure perpendicular to Ella Blvd. (in back) — both of which were featured in drawings shown the last time this development appeared as a Sponsor of the Day. These new overall views of the design for the project, by the Houston office of Gensler, reveal the surprise: Down in front, directly on the corner of Ella and 34th St., it looks like some prime parking spots are reserved for . . . food trucks!?

What!? No drive-thru bank?

Nope: Food trucks, right down there on the corner all those Garden Oaks and Oak Forest residents will be passing daily on their drive home. (Workers in the North Loop medical and office buildings should provide a good chunk of the midday traffic.) Broker Tony Armstrong, who’s leasing retail space in the property, says he’s “extremely excited to work on a development of this caliber in an area that is undergoing some really cool change. . . . I rarely see such high demand for a project this early in the marketing phase.”

Not counting the mobile food units, a total of 18,500 sq. ft. of retail and restaurant space is planned for 33 1/3 @ Thirtyfourth. It’s a project of Crescere Capital Management. There are still more details and images of the center to show; look for them in future 33 1/3 @ Thirtyfourth Sponsor of the Day posts on Swamplot.

What’s notable about that thing going up on that corner that you’re working on? Show it off by becoming a Swamplot Sponsor of the Day.

Sponsor of the Day
07/15/16 12:00pm

Downtown Houston Skyline

Today’s sponsor is Houston’s own Central Bank. Thank you for the continued support of Swamplot!

Central Bank has 4 (central) Houston branches available to meet your business or personal needs: in Midtown, the Heights, West Houston, and Post Oak Place.

Central Bank believes that change is essential to its success; the company actively pursues the latest in service, technology, and products. Central Bank aims to know its customers personally and to be their primary business and personal financial resource. The bank’s staff values relationships and strives to be available when you need them.

To learn more about how Central Bank can meet your banking needs, please call any of the following Senior Vice Presidents: Kenny Beard, at 832.485.2376;Bonnie Purvis, at 832.485.2354; Gary Noble, at 832.485.2366; or Ryan Tillman, at 832.485.2307. You can also find out more on the bank’s website.

Is a Swamplot sponsorship in your future? Read this to find out. 

Sponsor of the Day
07/14/16 12:00pm

2415 Avalon Pl., Avalon Place, Houston

2415 Avalon Pl., Avalon Place, Houston

The 2,608-sq.-ft., 3-bedroom home at 2415 Avalon Pl. is Swamplot’s Sponsor of the Day today. Thanks for the support!

If you dream about the back of your house opening up to a backyard pool-and-spa combo, you’ll want to check out this place. By removing the walls surrounding what was once a separate study adjacent to the living room, the owners of this brick midcentury home have created a full-width interior space that lines and laps the pool. An array of 10 full-height expanses of glass (including 2 sets of French doors) covers the home’s back wall. The photos above show a portion of this arrangement, but you’ll want to click through the slideshow on the property website to appreciate the extent of this poolside hangout.

How about adding to that vision with a ground-floor master bedroom opening onto that space? The other 2 bedrooms are upstairs (one with a built-in office alcove; the other with windows on 3 sides). Because it’s in Avalon Place, Chuy’s and West Ave (to the southeast), River Oaks Elementary (to the west), and the River Oaks Theater (to the northeast) are all within walking distance.

Do look through all the pics on the 2415 Avalon Pl. website, where you can also find additional details. It’s listed for sale by New Leaf Real Estate, which offers unique savings programs for both sellers and buyers.

Is your home lost in a directory of listings? Give it the attention it deserves with a stint as Swamplot Sponsor of the Day.

Sponsor of the Day
07/13/16 12:00pm

6337 Mercer St., West University Place, Texas

6337 Mercer St., West University Place, Texas

Today Swamplot is brought to you by the 5-bedroom, 5-bath house for sale or lease at 6337 Mercer St. in West University Place. Thanks for the support!

If you have a big family — or maybe anticipate a lot of visitors — you’ll find plenty of room in this 4,922 sq.-ft. home. Just inside the front door, a curving staircase leads up to all 5 bedrooms: three of the same size, the fourth slightly larger, and the master more than twice the size of any. A jack-and-jill bathroom separates 2 of the bedrooms; there are 3 other bathrooms upstairs, including the master. The fifth, which includes a shower, is located downstairs.

The heart of the home, however, is the kitchen-and-family-room setup at the back, downstairs, which is arranged nicely for entertaining. (It’s pictured above, minus a second row of French doors, just off camera to the right.) The French doors in the family room lead to a patio and back yard that has room for a pool. Behind the kitchen is the formal dining room. Off the 2-story foyer is the formal living room (now used as a den), which leads, through a set of arched double pocket doors, to a private paneled study.

All this within walking distance of both the Rice Village and West U Elementary. You’ll find more details about 6337 Mercer St. on the property websites — one for potential buyers and the other for potential renters.

2 bedrooms? 4 bedrooms? 6? 12? Show off your listing nicely as a Swamplot sponsor.

Sponsor of the Day
07/07/16 12:00pm

2629 University Blvd., West University Place, Texas 2629 University Blvd., West University Place, Texas

Today’s sponsor of Swamplot is the house at 2629 University Blvd. in West University. Thanks for supporting this website!

Here’s a home that’s just down the street from the Rice Village — not quite a block deep on the West U side of Kirby Dr. What else stands out about it? Well, in a good rainstorm you should notice the standing-seam metal roof. And rain or shine, sitting in the breakfast room, it’s hard to ignore the 660-bottle climate-controlled wine-storage setup. (Look for the photo on the property website.) Unless, of course, from the table you’re focusing your attention on the covered patio on the other side of the triple window.

The 4-bedroom, 3-1/2-bath home dates to 2000. Granite countertops, slate floors, and stainless-steel appliances from Sub-Zero, Thermador, and Bosch round out the kitchen (see photo above). The family room, shown in the top photo, opens onto the back yard. The second-story master bedroom has a vaulted ceiling.

More views — and information about the 2-story, 3,401-sq.-ft. home — are available on the property website. It’s listed for sale by New Leaf Real Estate, which offers unique savings programs for both sellers and buyers.

You’ve been giving your home a lot of attention — but what about Swamplot readers? Show them what you’ve got (for sale) with a Swamplot sponsorship.

Sponsor of the Day
07/06/16 12:00pm

Rendering of 33 1/3 @ Thirtyfourth, 34th St. and Ella Blvd., Oak Forest

Rendering of 33 1/3 @ Thirtyfourth, 34th St. and Ella Blvd., Oak Forest

For today’s Sponsor of the Day post, the developer of the multi-tenant retail center coming to the southeast corner of Ella Blvd. and 34th St. has some brand-new renderings to show off. Thank you, 33 1/3 @ Thirtyfourth, for supporting this website (and for the pix, above)!

What will the place look like? Garden Oaks and Oak Forest, here’s your first peek!

Chris Hotze, best known to nearby residents as the developer and owner of The Shops at Oak Forest (up a few blocks, on the northwest corner of 43rd St. and Ella), says he wants 33 1/3 @ Thirtyfourth to reflect the quality of Oak Forest and Garden Oaks. His firm, Crescere Capital Management, hired architects Peter Merwin and Ted Rubenstein of the Houston office of Gensler to create a design for the 2.5-acre site that includes greenspace at the intersection, plus a high overall parking ratio and varied buildings with high ceilings — to help draw exciting concepts to this busy corner site. Current plans call for a total of 18,850 sq. ft. of retail and restaurant space.

Gensler’s rendering at top shows a freestanding restaurant building fronting 34th St., which includes plenty of room for patio seating beneath and around an extensive building canopy. The drawing below it shows the view from Ella Blvd., and the larger, more varied multi-tenant structure at the southern end of the site.

For more details and images of this center, stay tuned for future 33 1/3 @ Thirtyfourth Sponsor of the Day posts!

Sponsor of the Day posts are a great way to introduce readers to exciting developments in and around Houston. Find out more about the program here.

Sponsor of the Day
07/01/16 12:00pm

Downtown Houston Skyline

Today’s Swamplot sponsor is Houston’s own Central Bank. Thank you for the continued support of this site!

Central Bank has 4 (central) Houston branches available to meet your business or personal needs: in Midtown, the Heights, West Houston, and Post Oak Place.

Central Bank believes that change is essential to its success; the company actively pursues the latest in service, technology, and products. Central Bank aims to know its customers personally and to be their primary business and personal financial resource. The bank’s staff values relationships and strives to be available when you need them.

To learn more about how Central Bank can meet your banking needs, please call any of the following Senior Vice Presidents: Kenny Beard, at 832.485.2376;Bonnie Purvis, at 832.485.2354; Gary Noble, at 832.485.2366; or Ryan Tillman, at 832.485.2307. You can also find out more on the bank’s website.

Thinking hard about becoming a Swamplot sponsor? You’ll want to read this. 

Sponsor of the Day