The godfather of Houston’s high-ceilinged modernists passed away last Wednesday at the age of 91. Preston Bolton moved to Houston in the days before air conditioning, after serving in a field artillery unit during World War II. An architect of many distinctive homes in the area — first in partnership with Howard Barnstone, and later on his own — Bolton was also a cofounder of the Houston Ballet and an early supporter of many other arts organizations. Among the homes designed by Bolton featured on Swamplot over the past few years: This elegant single-story townhome on a street that bears his name in Lafayette Place, and his own Buffalo Bayou-side home on Pine Hollow Ln., which is still listed for sale.

• Architect and civic leader Preston Bolton dead at 91 and Editorial: Preston Bolton was an arts pioneer [Houston Chronicle]
• Previously on Swamplot: As It Is and Was: Preston Bolton Single-Story Townhome Near the Galleria, Preston Bolton’s Pine Hollow Home — For Less!, Comment of the Day: There’s Probably an ‘N’ Missing in There, but Houston Architects Will Take All the Compliments They Can Get, North Post Oak Courtyard Mod: When Townhome Didn’t Mean Stairs, Preston Bolton’s House of Skylights, Weekend Open House Tour: Hunters Creek Village

Photos: HAR (266 Pine Hollow Ln. and 519 Bolton Pl.)