Remember the Neighborhood Guessing Game? Of course you do! And this time Houston. It’s Worth It. is back as a sponsor!
Win this round and you’ll get 3 HIWI prizes: the new HIWI: Ike book; the original Houston. It’s Worth It. book; plus an official HIWI “Hunkered Down” stencil kit, useful for the next time you’re stuck with some spray paint and need to do some hunkering in a downward direction.
To win these great prizes, all you gotta do is look at the pictured home — which was suggested to us by a reader — and tell us what neighborhood it’s in. If more than one of you guesses the home’s correct location, the prize will go to the player who provided the best explanation for the guess.
If you already know this home — or if you find it or come across it while we’re playing the game — please don’t blurt out the answer and ruin the fun for the other players. Instead, send Swamplot a link to the listing (so we know what you’re doing) and then submit an incorrect guess. Your goal: throw the other players off. If you do this well, you’ll earn special recognition when the answer is announced. And if no other players guess the correct answer, you could win the prize for yourself!
Got the rules down? Great — let’s have a look around this joint:
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Think you might be able to figure this one out? How about after seeing these?
Put all those clues together and make your guess in the comments below. The answer will show up here on Thursday!
Update, 10/15: And the answer is . . .
- This week’s prize sponsor: Houston. It’s Worth It.
Photos: HAR
Where can I get a gold fridge? And what is behind the smoked glass above and below that TV/microwave? And is it a TV or a microwave. No guess, too stunned ….
Did they steal the refrigerator panels and master bedroom from a casino in Macau? My heart says greater Pasadena, but my head is leaning towards Sharpstown.
Wow! This one is something else. The bathroom gives it away as 50’s construction. The burglar bars suggest the neighborhood is somewhat sketchy. And what about that pink kitchen?! It should be almond and circa 1983. I’ve seen the mirrored fridge before at Sears about ten or twelve years ago. Very nice! The one thing I don’t get is the fire pit off the kitchen. That must be a barstool to the right that we are not seeing in other photos. That round bed is beyond commenting about. I like the living room with the ironwork over the windows – reminds me of a high school buddy’s divorced dad’s place on the southwest side of town. I remember visiting there while we were in college. It has got to be either Westbury or Willowbend – memory fails. Either that or somewhere in Pasadena. Yep, that’s my guess.
That’s a brothel in southeast Houston if I’ve ever seen one. I like the Sharpstown area guess.
Er. That’s southwest, I mean. Sorry I got stunned by the reflection off the fridge.
what’s with that dining area? Is it where the “guests” have a tipple or two before retiring to a different room with one of the “ladies”? That Miss Piggy pink n purple bedroom with the round bed is amazing. Wherever this is, I’ll bet the neighbors have NO IDEA that the interior looks like this! Unless maybe there’s some mirrored and/or 18th century yard art out front?
I’m going with the Spring Valley area. I bet that gold fridge is stocked with goodies from Komart. Did these folds used to live in that dentist office/ brothel combo featured a few weeks back? Movin’ on up.
ZOMG. I have no idea where it is, but it is freakin’ AWESOME.
I particularly dig the burglar bars on the bathroom windows.
Wow, what a cool place in an Elvis style. Westbury is my guess.
Dang! Already TWO guesses at Sharpstown, which was my first thought. OK, then … I’m going to go with somewhere in Meyerland/Westbury. This is definitely SW territory. Or a 70s condo in Vegas.
Once a high-end mid-century ranch (note the architectural lines, stacked brick fireplace, color-matched appliances in the pink kitchen), this place has been “improved” by recent US immigrants that have brought a new idea of fantastic from their former homeland. Other than a sofa and a few leftover tables from the prior owner, the new folks have stocked the place with auction purchases from one of Saddam Hussein’s palaces. Although this seems to be de rigeur in Glenbrook Valley, its probably SW.
At least it seems to be very clean. Looks like some rooms were added. Maybe on Beechnut out west of Hillcroft. Gold leaf everywhere, looks like a gypsy house.
I love the chandelier in the dining room. A bit too large for the room perhaps but it appears to have been hung correctly. Usually they are too high or too low over the table.
The decor is obviously 60s, the house itself probably 50s, and because of the apparent layout I would suspect one of the “better” neighborhoods in the Spring Branch or Sharpstown or Willow Meadows/Willowbend areas. Something about the kitchen screams the Willow Meadows/Willowbend area.
No comment on the round bed. Remember them well. Fun to play in. Not so fun to sleep in. Inevitably when you tossed and turned you tumbled and ended up on the floor.
I’ve been in this par-tay house, or its evil twin. Good bones hidden under too much ’70’s glitz and glam. (I do love the white freeform sofa and matching coffee table.)
All that pank is somewhere in the oldest part of the Windsor Village-Simsbrook-Brentwood nexus, within a 2-mile radius of Hiram Clarke @ West Orem.
Oh my. I’ll go opposite the crowd and try Meadow Creek.
What a unique set of design and decorating choices. My first reaction was SW. But my spirit guide is directing my south. This special home is in the Almeda Mall\Fuqua area.
Out east, towards beautiful baytown. I might rather be homeless.
Late 60’s/early 70’s style, burglar bars, unusual finishes, burglar bars. I don’t want to waste my guess heading southwest or Sharpstown/Fondren. Is there any reason why this couldn’t be Spring or Aldine? As I recall there are a bunch of weirdish houses of this vintage out that way. And it’s not very far to Gallery Furniture.
Burglar bars inside the bathroom window–I’ve never seen that before. Of course, I’ve never been inside Buffalo Bill’s torture palace, either.
Looks to me a commercial/ex-church structure turned residential. Too much open space and square rooms to make this a residential as a fore-thought..
No idea where.. but I’ll guess either East Houston/Lockwood, or near North Houston. This cannot be outside the 610 loop..
Wow, that bathroom is awesome. Has anyone even used it in 50 years? And where would you even find pink cabinetry? Matt mentioned but didn’t guess Glenbrook Valley, so I want to make that my guess.
I have more questions than answers. What are those tables? They look like some oddly shaped gaming tables for a game I’ve never played — though the one in the foreground looks like a poker table; the other two are oddly shaped. Why are there anacin and prescriptions next to the phone in the kitchen? What was on all of those empty shelves? How did they keep those wood floors so nice? What is that mostly hidden under the bed in the white armoire room? What are those trophies in the white sofa room? Who watches all of those TVs? Why are there no towels or a shower curtain in the bathroom?
This must have been a fabulous house when it was built in the late 50’s, but the neighborhood seems to have been sliding downhill ever since. Willowbend or Westbury seem like obvious good choices, but the questionable activities taking place here are leading me to a more remote location — LaPorte.
This is where wild Uncle Bill retired after wife number three back in 1978. He did a gut remodel to bring it up to a schwandienda standards….
He always was a chick magnet, and had to install a “Now Serving Number….” system outside of the master bedroom. Many a night spent in swinging singles, key swapping style. Oh, and the round bed? It spins!
Morgans Point to Deer Park/LaPort.
I have to agree with Miz Brooke Smith on the “good bones” of this home. It’s like they moved into an historically nice neighborhood on its decline and wanted to turn this into their palace. Only it ended up looking exceptionally tacky. I will go with Briarmeadow – east of Gessner, west of Hillcroft, south of Westheimer – because every time I look for homes in that area they seem awesome from the outside, but they look so tacky on the inside.
Gaughty ranch = Meyerland. I like the spittoon to the right of the fire place… classy…
Whoa! This elderly gent knows how to romance the ladies. And he runs a darn good bingo tournament on the weekends!!
Obviously the owner has done absolutely nothing in terms of updating or staging so this has to be in prime location. The owner is about to cash in and he knows it. This bachelor pad is north of Westheimer, around Voss/Woodway.
I don’t know what the big mystery is. Clearly this is the former home/business of Leisure Suit Larry. He runs a poker operation in the backroom (the bathroom bars are to keep people from running out on their debts). He rents out the bedrooms by the hour. And there is even a seductive lounge environment surrounding the fireplace. I can almost hear the Burt Bacharach music playing in the background. It must have been a tough call to decide whether to go with the reflective gold fridge or a fridge with pink panels to match the cabinets but no doubt Larry enjoys checking himself out in the mirror whenever possible. And where else would Larry have run this operation but around the Gulfton area off 59S.
My friend and I used to joke about “The gypsie section at Star Furniture.” I’m guessing the older part of Sharpstown by Fondren and Southwest Freeway.
If he was still with us, I’d say this looked like a place Marvin Zindler would abide.
I also get a southwest/Meyerland vibe, say somewhere off Braeswood.
This is near Hobby Airport. The house was built in 1957, these are the second owners, and they’re moving to be closer to their grandchildren. The bathrooms are original, but they did replace the original jalousie windows when they remodeled the kitchen (which also had a jalousie window) in 1991.
Arrrgh! This place HAS to be in Sharpstown – I live right down the road in Robindell so I know my SW hood. The only value I can add is specificity, so lets say Sharpstown Country Club Estates, or Sharpstown Country Club Terrace. Or maybe Larkwood, although the house looks too big for Larkwood.
…..or Bellaire West out past Beltway 8?
This fixer upper was owned by a bonafied ASTRONAUT-alternate in Clear Lake. In the 70’s, 80’s he lured the ladies back to his abode for an “Out-of-this-World” night. He chose the fridge cause, “Hell it looks like the moon-lander.” After the mission was scrubbed and a moonshot was no longer gonna happen, this confirmed bachelor dated a series of artsy-craftsy women; one of which painted the kitchen pink and was promptly dumped. He settled down with a cute divorcee; with all the mixens of a small shabby-sheik cottage to merge with his mod. She brought her stuff to the house and now these 2 lovebirds are looking forward to taking an around-the-world cruise, playing bridge with their friends before they move into the condo on the lake. He loves that she still calls him “Captain” and humors him by serving freeze-dried food on date night. They are a cute couple.
Where to begin? It has that “Shrimper from the Far East who made good” vibe to it. Somewhere SoutEAST of Houston. I’m going to say League City. Or at least somewhere East of the Gulf Freeway.
She has been a widow since 1977. She would never marry again – he was her one true love. Funny and kind. And he loved that round bed!
She sold MaryKay Cosmetics and since she already had a gold Cadillac, they gave her a pink kitchen.
My Migraine Spirit Guide says the headboard look like an aura. Wait…I hear something…Yes! Meyerland.
BTW, LOVE the Mah Jong room.
Wow, this is the luxury and lifestyle of the 50s and 60s slowly burglar-barred into the 80s and 90s, with the owners finally giving up being prisoners of their once-proud community and moving to Florida or a nice retirement community. I’d say Candlelight Trails.
Man this place is tidy! I suspect it’s well-maintained & really hope it isn’t on the market to be scraped. The floors are awesome (except the kitchen tile.)
Built on a biggish lot in a great neighborhood which turned sketchy. Has an 1970s add-on & a converted garage/mahjong room, and still there’s enough safe, private backyard for un-barred sliders there. Clearly no one lives there, yet so much furniture in place: Old folks.
I like the Meyerland, Westwood, Westbury guesses, but I’ll be specific: Within a block of Bissonnet, between Edloe and S. Gessner.
Oh wow! if we could rent a wood chipper and toss all of that cheap Las Vegas “no-tell” motel furniture away and burn those custom draperies, we’d find some great bones in this mid century number. The godawful 1981 kitchen re-do is beyond salvation in this 1958-1960 ranch. With the abundance of burglar bars, it seems like the only neighborhood we’d see a custom copper hooded firepit is Riverside Terrace. I’ll bet this place can be picked up for a relative song and I don’t mean one by Wayne Newton.
It looks like the whole house was sprayed down with polyurethane. Must make for easy cleanup since every surface probably repels water. The only thing missing is the plastic covers on the furniture.
I think it is in the Bellaire area. 610/Stella Link, probably near the Palace Lanes bowling alley.
Years ago, when I was looking for a place to buy, I found a listing over in that area. It was a townhome that had very similar features, although the one that I toured had no kitchen cabinet doors. Kind of an open-concept idea. Just as shiny, though.
Imagine trying to keep those fridge doors clean of fingerprints…
North of I-10, west of 610. By all of the Vietnamese upholsterers. You know, like Wirt and Hammerly or Long Point.
I want that fridge, and I kind of want a pink dishwasher. Awesome. Also, this house looks like a church for some reason. I’m going to say either the Eastwood area, or somewhere in the 3rd ward, close to UH.
I don’t know if @PaxMcKatz is right, but I sure hope so. The freeze dried food on date night made me snort. LOVE.IT.
Like JT, I was originally *positive* this house is in Riverside Terrace. The decor (pink cabinets? gold fridge? so much purple…), mature trees, square footage… However, when I was searching for a home in Riverside Terrace, I don’t remember seeing those low ceilings much.
Any of the Southwest neighborhoods seem like they’d be too easy to guess. But oh, so much Asian influence. What’s that Amy Tan book where all the women play Mahjong all day? I can picture a good game around those tables in the lounge. The bathroom’s too old for Alief…but I’m thinking somewhere in that area.
I’m torn, thinking Greater Sharpstown, but that’s already a popular guess. So I’ll try to steal JT’s glory and officially guess Riverside Terrace.
doesn’t get much gaudier than this one. I’m thinkin somewhere around the North Airline area.
Airline! Around 45 North!
GOD I WANT THAT BED!
Now this is a swankienda. Atomic ranch architecture pegs original construction in the 50’s or early 60’s, smallish rooms and burglar bars tell me it’s not River Oaks. First guess would be Westbury, with Willow Meadows or Meyerland being a possibility, too.
‘Tis truly a mystery. Somewhere in Southwest. The ceiling/front windows have that Maplewood/Braeburn Valley look. But the one photo of a “den” which appears to be a second den indicates it was once the garage and I believe that’s a no-no in Maplewood and Braeburn Valley as well. So that leaves Westbury and Willow Meadows/Willowbend or Robindell, the bathroom has that Robindell look, or even the Braeburn Terrace area to the northwest of Robindell. Another possibility is the Stancliff Park area off Bissonnet and Wilcrest. Could be anywhere but it just has the Southwest Houston look. Definitely “upper middle class” house or at least it was back in the 1960s.
I agree with Pax – this home has been subjected to the decorating whims of several women over a long period of time. This could be the home of Michael Jackson’s personal doctor. He wooed the mothers of his children with good Champagne and a Lowe’s credit card. Acres Homes is where it’s at.