Did everyone get their bets in on what the next use for that half-constructed cult-ready megamansion off County Rd. 59 was gonna be? Well, you’ve had plenty of years, and now time’s up: A group is currently working with the city of Manvel to turn the 30-to-70-bedroom space into a veterans housing facility, with plans to house veterans’ families as well (and to offer services like PTSD treatment, readjustment counseling, art classes, and rides to VA appointments). The place is going by the name The Bailey House, after actor and PTSD-afflicted veteran Jimmy Stewart’s character in It’s a Wonderful  Life. A meeting with the organization is in the works for Saturday morning, if you want more info (or want to help the place get set up and running, financially or otherwise).
Veteran Christa Mode, who’s spearheading the project, told the Chronicle’s Dana Guthrie this week that there won’t be a completion date floated until funding is taken care of. The building has also been roughed up by vandals since it last showed its face on HAR:
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Not much news as to what the building’s half-sized sibling next door is up to these days: The mini version of the megamansion was sold by Dr. Ulysses Watkins, who commissioned both structures, to an entity called Aramco Investment Group back in 2010.
- Manvel’s Giant, 30-Bedroom House Could Become a Facility for Veterans [HAR]
- Previously on Swamplot:Â 50-ish Bedroom Fixer Upper near Pearland Could Be Your Dream Whatever for $3.5 Million;Â Pearland Mansion Mystery — Unrevealed!
Photos:Â HAR (top), The Bailey House (second), Google Earth (aerial view at bottom)
But what about the other mystery mansion nearby? Or an explanation about these two rectangular mansions from Dr. Youngblood? Strange with these two homes on a prime property near Pearland.
Not to judge the doctor by his intentions, just curious. Great to hear about leasing out space for veterans.
Prior swamplot story noted the following “medical rehab institution by its doctor owner” and that sounds right to me.
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House and rehab people with insurance or those in trial proceedings and bill the insurance when they get their court awards. Which reminds me, I need to get into the medical or military biz, surely the two most wasteful industries around.
George Bailey never went to war. He was declared 4F because of his hearing loss (incurred when he rescued his younger brother from the ice). Wouldn’t be surprised if George ended up with PTSD from the whole Clarence experience, though.
320 Sycamore, we used to call it the “Old Granville House” and many of us made a game of throwing rocks at the windows, and if you smashed one you could make a wish.
Mary bought the house in October 1932, the day George and her were married. Over the years they rebuilt the house by repainting it. They put new ceilings and floors in and gave it love. George and Mary had four children, Pete, Janie, Zuzu and Tommy, and brought them up in the house.
I immediately thought Beetle Bailey, shame on me.
And why did George get married in the middle of a work day when the rest of his coworkers and Uncle Billy were in the office? Did people do that back then?
That first photo feels like it was borrowed from a Wikipedia page where the caption could have read something like “This is were the cult lived until the mass suicide occurred”.