Yesterday we introduced the first 2 nominating categories in the Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate. Nominations will remain open until the crack of dawn next Monday for both awards: Favorite Houston Design Cliché and Best Vacancy.
Today, there are 2 more award categories to introduce. And the first is one you’ve been waiting for: Best Teardown of 2009. What property would you nominate for this singular honor — and why?
Sure, teardowns are raw, physical acts, but there are emotional, historical, cultural, artistic, literary, sonic, and ecological aspects to consider too. Add your thoughtful and well-argued nominations for this coveted award to the comments section below — or send them in a private message to Swamplot HQ. If you’d like a more complete description of the nominating process, see these instructions.
It’s time to knock out the nominations for this category. Give us what you’ve got!
I would like to nominate the Height’s arsonist for bringing to light all the crappy little structures in the Heights that should be burned down.
@ dirtyd:
The owners of the formerly crappy large structures known as Wilshire Willage mock the Heights arsonist for such a small and scattershot approach.
oops, my lisp seems to be acting up. Or my inner Russian, one.
Boris and Natasha agree with Ensign Chekhov that it’s hard to argue with Wilshire Willage. But someone’s gotta nominate 314 E. Friar Tuck, Neuhaus & Taylor’s 1970 beauty for developer Kenneth Schnitzer. Here’s a reminder: http://swamplot.com/a-last-look-at-the-old-schnitzer-home/2009-10-30/#more-13274
That’s certainly the best house that was torn down. As to whether the category of “Best Teardown” means “saddest.” “most unnecessary,” or “good riddance,” I am not sure.
314 E. Friar Tuck. It has everything you expect from a Houston teardown. A notable, attractive, well-designed, proportionate, and functional structure was levelled to make way for a gargantuan Thomas Kinkaid-inspired residence. Towers, turrets, limestone, and Bexar meets Bordeaux coming right up!!!!
Friar Tuck is a crime, but it effects so few. Wilshire Village was slumping 20 years ago.
For its symblism, the number of people who see it and the future effect, I nominate the northwest corner of River Oaks Shopping Center. It is the start of the end for the place where I ate my first meal in Houston (The Wine Press) and to this day makes me feel like I am in Beverly Hills circa 1956. But hey – three Starbucks on one corner is a huge improvment.
Friar Tuck is a crime, but it effects so few.
Wilshire Village was slumping 20 years ago.
For symbolism, the number of people who see it and the future effect, I nominate the northwest corner of River Oaks Shopping Center. It is the start of the end for the place where I ate my first meal in Houston (The Wine Press) and to this day makes me feel like I am in Beverly Hills circa 1949. The theater will go next and then, when the economy heats up, it will be “modernized” to add a lot more parking and verticle space.
But its worth it to have three Starbucks on the same corner, doncha think?
If “Best Teardown” means “good riddance,” then I have two noms: (Nom nom nom)
The Savoy Apartments, for its sheer brick-dropping squalor and decay.
Macy’s Texas Stove Works at the corner of Almeda and Binz, which was expensively remodeled with a bunch of art-deco stucco detailing just a few years ago and fell into neglect shortly thereafter.
Bonus nom: 1212 Hyde Park, a spectacular but badly neglected large Tudor that even the neighbors were glad to see scraped.
This is Houston, how can there be just one?
314 Friar Tuck would have to qualify as the worst of the personal tear downs.
As for public tear downs, I’d have to give the edge to the River Oaks Shopping Center because we already know what it was replaced with (crap) and the implications are far reaching …is the R.O. Theatre next or will it be the Alabama? Wilshire Village makes me sad because it was such a waste of potential for so long, but hey, a vacant lot with mature trees is certainly better than that horror show that sits on the corner of West Gray @ Shepherd.
Was the River Oaks Shopping Center this torn down during 2009? I have a feeling it was gone before that.
For me, it has to be Wilshire Village. So much neglect, and if you talk for five minutes to the folks who used to live there, you’d understand it was so needless.
I’m going to throw the Karen Lantz deconstruction teardown into the ring. She got the anti-teardown and pro-green support for donating building materials and the property rights and property investor support for making a choice that was economically beneficial to her. For a brief moment, I thought everyone on this site agreed on something. Or maybe my inner-Pollyanna needs a crushing dose of reality? http://swamplot.com/the-slowest-demo-in-town-karen-lantz-pulls-a-house-apart/2009-10-06/#more-12667
All good nominations – for most grandiose I’ll add 405 W Friar Tuck Ln. (Staub’s Mosbacher house) and for city structures Fire Stations 33 and 37..
I actually saw this in person… Time gets a little fuzzy for me so I hope it was this year. The beautiful compass bank building cleared to make way for…. nothing!