HOLIDAY FIRE ROUNDUP A former auto parts store converted to a house of worship for the local congregation of a Nigerian-based church burned in the early hours of New Years Day, in a fire begun from a candle at the altar. The facility at 9430 West Bellfort, which backs up to Braeburn Valley West, was completely destroyed, except for some metal siding. Congregants, who are now holding services in a northside restaurant, have vowed to rebuild. A few days earlier, in the gated enclave of homes just north of Rice University known as Shadowlawn Shadyside, another fire struck a $12 million mansion with some history behind it: “The home was designed by New York architect Harrie T. Lindberg for William Stamps Farish, the founder of Humble Oil, which was one of the companies that eventually became Exxon Mobil Corp. According to a biography of [Howard] Hughes, the mansion at 10 Remington Lane was where Hughes married Ella Rice, the sister of Farish’s wife.” [abc13; Reuters]
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I can’t speak to a parishioner’s comment that “The lord is guiding us through the kind of difficulties” when the place is in ashes…
but, I surely don’t think it’s cool that ABC13 puts a house-fire in the Entertainment section of its website!
Sure sure,I know: One man’s tragedy is another man’s treasure…
So…how badly damaged was the mansion?
Hope the Lindeberg house is salvageable. There aren’t many of those and they all have significant ownership history from early Houston oilmen. Lindeberg sent the young John Staub down to Houston to supervise construction of those houses and Staub wound up staying to open his own practice. The rest is history, as they say.
Oh, and Remington Lane is in Shadyside, not Shadowlawn. Shadowlawn is the little circle off Bissonnet (I’m pretty sure there’s at least one Lindeberg over there too.) J. S. Cullinan developed Shadyside next to Rice; the gates were only installed in the 80s.
@marmer: Fixed, thanks!
I hear that there is drama surrounding 10 Remington. Something about a big multi-million dollar addition that was later torn down and disputes with the architect or contractor or something. My source didn’t know any more details than that. Anyone else know anything?