Swamplot Sponsor: Preservation Houston’s 2017 Good Brick Tour

Dentler Building, 1809 Summer St., First Ward, Houston

Dentler Building, 1809 Summer St., First Ward, Houston

Our thanks today go to Preservation Houston, which is continuing this series to introduce the properties that will appear on the 2017 Good Brick Tour later this month. Swamplot appreciates the support!

It takes a certain kind of person to look at a derelict apartment house and see in it a potential family home. Fortunately, the Dentler Building found visionary new owners who rescued the crumbling brick building. It had been constructed in 1923 by food manufacturer George H. Dentler, best known for his Dentler Maid Potato Chips.

The painstaking rehabilitation of this building took a year and a half. What had been a termite-riddled eyesore is now an asset to the High First Ward Historic District; it also demonstrates how a historic building can serve a modern household.

The Dentler Building at 1809 Summer St. is one of 5 award-winning historic houses and buildings that will welcome visitors with guided tours from noon to 5 pm on both Saturday, April 29, and Sunday, April 30.

Purchase advance tickets to the 2017 Good Brick Tour online for $25 per person through Thursday, April 27. Tickets will be available for $30 per person at any tour location during the weekend. Tickets are valid both days of the tour and provide 1 admission to each location.

Preservation Houston has recognized all the properties on tour with Good Brick Awards for excellence in historic preservation. The other tour locations are:

  • 309 Sampson St., East End: A classic Victorian house (c. 1895) that shines with remarkably intact detailing and original art.
  • Fire Station No. 2, 317 Sampson St., East End: Up-to-date interior design transformed a turn-of-the-century fire station (1910) into a private home with brass fire poles intact.
  • Isabella Court, 1005 Isabella Ave. at Main St., Midtown. A spectacular courtyard and unique apartments distinguish this one-of-kind Spanish Colonial Revival-style building (1929). Three apartments and Isabella Court’s namesake courtyard will be open to visitors.
  • 2219 Kane St., Old Sixth Ward Historic District: A quaint Folk Victorian cottage (c. 1900) preserved as an architect’s office and guest house.

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