- 3623 Maroneal St. [HAR]
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Braes Heights
It’s a mod with original features still intact through and through. Attributed to architect Joseph Krakower and Herb Greene, a designer who worked in his office, the well-preserved and well-screened (top) custom mid-fifties property has deep eaves beneath a hipped roof (redone in 2008) and spreads across a quarter-acre Braes Heights lot. The location is on the spit of homes between Brays Bayou and N. Braeswood Blvd. near Edloe St. The home was listing a week ago with an asking price of $518,000.Â
Lots of Slots
Down came the curtains and up went the price of this sturdy 1955 home with stone and tile floors, among other original touches. It sits on an over-sized lot fronting the north bank of Brays Bayou just west of Edloe in Braes Heights. Back in May 2012, the midcentury property sold for $313,000. Its November 2013 listing has a $495,000 asking price. Will it flip? Although the current description touts the lingering livability of the existing home, it makes no mention of any specific updates in the interim, though judging from the latest pics the interior does appear to have lightened up with fresh paint and the jettisoning of old-school window treatments.
Curtains Called
- 3828 Bellefontaine St. [HAR]
- 3618 Durness Way [HAR]
Dude! Decorating an older home with flagstones is so choice! They go anywhere — floors, walls. All it takes is a little of that sticky stuff and a little, you know: imagination.
And there’s no heavy lifting, cuz you’re just sticking it on!
Like this one place, in Braes Heights? It was built in the early sixties. Wait’ll you see what we did to the garage!
Unlike properties featured in previous rounds, the home in this week’s Neighborhood Guessing Game wasn’t for sale. It was listed on HAR as a rental.
Maybe that’s what made it so difficult?
Well, someone must have found it. Sometime between Tuesday and today the listing disappeared.
Your guesses? Three for Montrose. West University, Southampton, and Southgate attracted 2 each. There were a number of long or inventive neighborhood names, such as “near the Menil,” Bellaire outside the Loop, the “Vassar/Milford/Banks” area, “somewhere off Fountainview somewhere near 77056,” off Hammerly/Long Point, East University (“whatever the area west of Greenbriar, north of Holcombe, east of Kirby and south of the Village is called”), “the Mandell/W. Mandell area bordered by Westhiemer to the North, W. Alabama to the South, S. Shepherd to the West and Montrose to the East,” “the area between Westheimer and West Gray bounded by Shepherd to the West and Montrose to the East,” “that neighborhood that’s just west of Weslayan on the north side of the SW freeway,” and “in the Meyerland area, all the way in along da bayou to the med center area.” The rest: Medical Center, Museum District, the Heights, Hyde Park, Riverside Terrace, Garden Oaks, Lynn Park, and Weslayan Plaza.
No winner this time. But we have 2 strong runners-up: Brad, who came close enough to set up his own neighborhood:
. . . for lack of a better idea, I’ll guess whatever the area west of Greenbrier, north of Holcombe, east of Kirby and south of the Village is called… East University?
And marmer, who tells a pretty convincing story:
This is a nice little pre-war two story that someone added a big den to the back of. Notice how there’s painted brick to the right of the fireplace but not the left? That’s where the end of the original wall was. The fireplace brick is different (though the chimney brick looks similar though unpainted.) Enclosed sunroom was probably the sleeping porch, originally screened. The dining room bay window keeps it from being too old. You see this kind of thing all the time in Galveston where someone will make a historic southern townhouse livable by adding a big den and kitchen in the back. But I don’t think it’s Galveston. Probably more likely Montrose, Southgate, or Southampton.
Keep going with those “South”s . . . !
But the real answer is . . .
Above the gentle northern banks of Brays Bayou lie this weekend’s featured neighborhoods: the curiously named Emerald Forest and lofty Braes Heights. Midcentury Mod and Newcentury Faux, side by side! Why not take a peek?
Location: 3747 Gramercy St.
Details: 4 bedrooms, 2 baths; 2,600 sq. ft.
Price: $449,500
The Scoop: 2-story postwar Mod in Braes Heights holding its ground between recent stucco interlopers. Many neutralizing updates. Three bedrooms on first floor. Large back yard; no garage. One of 3 Houston Mod “Mods of the Month” this weekend. On the market for a month and a half. Price already chopped $25.5K.
Open House: Sunday, 2-4 pm
Want to see more bayou-side treasures? Click this way, please!
