Here — minus mysteriously absent lots 5, 7, 9, 11, 17, 19, 21, and 23 — are the outlines of the 19 homesites carved from the 10-acre wooded property that Holy Name Retreat Center sold off last year in Bunker Hill Village. Black Diamond Companies, the purveyors of two elsewhere-themed, other-worldly developments — the Cáceres Andelusion in Rice Military and vaguely Francophile Bammel Lane Park Homes on . . . uh, Bammel Lane — so far appears to be soft-pedaling the existence of any foreign entanglement in this latest development.
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Or maybe not. The name being used is Greyton Lane. That and the development’s marketing package hint at the possibility of some later Anglophile action, should the company — which teamed up with Abercrombie Builders for this project — decide to set the fantasy spigots flowing.
- Greyton Lane subdivision home prices start at $825K [Houston Chronicle, via OffCite]
- Greyton Lane [Black Diamond Companies and Abercrombie Builders]
- Communities [Black Diamond Properties]
- Holy Name Giant Homes [Swamplot]
Images: Greyton Lane and Black Diamond Properties
http://www.cityofboston.gov/FreedomTrail/bunkerhill.asp
Sounds like the high ground is still important to British occupation.
I see no reason why Black Diamond should have to restrict themselves to one Euro-cliche. After all the majority of the buyers wouldn’t know a verandah (Indian to Anglo by way of the Empire) from a loggia (origin obvious). All they will want to know is that adopting hackneyed elements of European architectural styles will apparently make them more sophisticated.
I’d like to see Russian 19th century pastel classicism revived. And then maybe the residents can get their yard workers to grow beards and wear their belts on the outside of their shirts, so they’ll look like serfs–just to complete the illusion.
That would also neatly fit in with our tradition of adopting styles that clearly evolved in climates very digfferent from ours. After all what could be more fitting for our heat than mock Tudor, or Normandy French? Maybe a push for gingerbread German might be worthwhile.
Hmm… How about Swiss chalets then?
But actually, that’s a great point–there are some really interesting historical styles of architecture from the tropics (you mention British colonial in India, and I would add various Caribbean styles and some beautiful Brazilian house styles)–I wonder why those so rarely are invoked by developers. (There is, however, an apartment complex on Hazelhurst Dr. just north of Hadden Park in Spring Branch that appears to have been designed to look Bermudan.)
OK, Who does not get a little aroused by the very thought of Brasil? The Girl from Ipenema, Black Orpheus, Astrid Gilberto with Stan Getz backing her. So how about a Brasil themed development called !Favela!. We could use sheets of cardboard and tin in a kind of adaptive re-use “green” marketing thing.
Can I do the sound track for the marketing video? “!Favela!, it’s more than a dream, it’s a mystery…… “
So how about a Brasil themed development called !Favela!. We could use sheets of cardboard and tin in a kind of adaptive re-use “green†marketing thing.
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I was actually thinking something a tad more bourgeois. (Perhaps like this: http://leonardofinotti.blogspot.com/2009/02/mendes-da-rocha-house-in-pacaembu.html )
Wouldn’t a Brasil or even Argentine styled development be essentially European? It would be either Italian, French, German, or Portuguese.
Or it could be kept honest and locally vernacular: The Dogtrot Estates. Oversized, 10,000-sq-ft cabins with porches, deep roof overhangs for shade, and of course the dogtrot separating the main house from the hired help’s quarters. Some chickens in the yard and some hogs in the common green, and there it is.
From kjb434:
Wouldn’t a Brasil or even Argentine styled development be essentially European? It would be either Italian, French, German, or Portuguese.
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Without addressing Argentina here, remember that Brazil has had 300+ years or so to create its own styles, just as the U.S. has. But more important for the purpose of the (admittedly silly) discussion is that Brazil’s architecture is adapted for the tropics. There are marvels of baroque architecture in Brazil, but also more modern styles and vernacular styles, some of which could be successfully adapted to Houston.
I also like the idea of the dogtrot house. Done right, that could have real appeal.
I really don’t care what the developer does there in Bunker Hill–I just hope it’s not more of the same. Hence my somewhat facetious suggestion to look at other continents for inspiration.
Who’d a thunk it? One fine Thanksgiving eve 1969 ,cold as a witches%@*,Bering’s Shelby 500 barely missing a culvert on Bunker Hill that we’d all survive our fun to someday hear ,as old men,calls to prayer reverberating through those conifer canyons instead of Schulte’s siren.Memories better than your dreams .LMAO!