Set your sights on this River Oaks mansion previously owned by late Texas governor John Connally (in office when John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and wounded in the same car). The 1958 house’s minimalist-inspired exterior at the corner of River Oaks Blvd. and Locke Ln. belies a suite of neoclassically appointed formal rooms inside. Â The 8,426-sq.-ft. home also contains 5 bedrooms (of which 3 are masters), 8 full baths, 2 half baths, and a pool. and is currently on the market for $4.9 million.
A state historical marker at the corner gate notes the house’s significance as John Connally’s former dwelling:
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A symmetrical room with contrasting Wedgwood blue tray ceiling leads into a stately colonnade in the hallway:
The color and the columns carry through into the formal living room:
The living room flows into the formal dining room, which opens out to the pool patio:
Downstairs study can be converted into a master suite, since it has its own private bathroom:
The teevee room off of the main hallway is surrounded by built-in arched bookshelves and topped with a contemporary light fixture:
The mint green game room also plays host to a powder room:
The game room leads into an upstairs bedroom with matching rug:
The first of 2 potential master suites on the second floor is lit by a chandelier:
The first upstairs master bathroom features a checkered marble floor and walk-in shower with tiled walls:
A pair of doors leads from the second upstairs master suite into a study:
The bathroom for this master suite features a mirrored bath nook:
The upstairs terrace keeps lookout over Locke Ln., away from the pool area:
The minimalist pool on the north side of the house offers a setting for gated summer fun:
A semi-covered brick patio is set on the south side of the house:
- 2411 River Oaks Blvd. [HAR]
Photos: HAR
This is the Ernest and Cathrine Shult house. Shult got his architecture degree from Rice and later worked for Alfred Finn. He designed several movie theaters for the Long chain in the 40s and 50s (and one very lovely house in Lake Jackson, which is why I know about him.) Shult’s known work displayed a simplified Moderne style like this. This house is a City of Houston protected landmark as of September 2011. http://www.houstontx.gov/planning/AboutPD/news_releases11/2011_Sept-landmarks.pdf
Fail to see anything remotely charming or interesting about this house aside from the entry hall. Even a palette of neutral paint throughout would not make much difference.
Guaranteed, all-over roasting sitting by that pool in July…solar rays coming from all directions.
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The exterior of this house is superb. Nice proportions with human scale and windows that are set into the wall’s thickness creating shadow lines.
Wow, that ask is nearly double the County’s appraisal of market value, $2,574,030.
I enjoy the exterior, but the interior seems completely muddled and in need of a sympathetic overhaul and re-thinking. And someone really, really loves their dog(s).
Is that a single gargoyle by the front entrance? Is this a thing in million $ + homes?
Seriously? Everything about the interior if this house is blah…and the outside by the pool looks cobbled together. Dated and overpriced. $3 mil tops!
11 different flooring types throughout! Wtf?!!!
The big question is whether that city historical landmark designation prevents a tear-down. Because finer homes in River Oaks have been torn down recently.
“Adolph: Wow, that ask is nearly double the County’s appraisal of market value, $2,574,030.”
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Even more reason to buy. Tax bill will be 1/2 what it should be (assuming the pricing is at ‘real’ market). Seriously though, HCAD value is NOT always accurate. I’m not saying the sales price is reasonable in this case (a buyer and seller will make that decision), but the true market price doesn’t always match up to HCAD.
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I’d rather buy a $1m home that had a $500k HCAD value than a $1m home that had a $2m HCAD value. Heck, I pay my tax protester a ton to fight my tax values every year to keep them as low as possible. The lower the tax value, the lower the tax bill, the higher the NOI, the better the CAP, the higher sales price I can get.
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So yeah, ironically, the lower I can get my HCAD value, the more I can sell my property for.