Tag: 77006

77006, Home Decor, Homes for Sale, Houston Architects, Hurricane Ike, Hyde Park, Interiors, Montrose, New Construction, Trees

Furniture

08/21/09 12:17pm

Pieces of Old Fort Bend County, at Rest in Montrose: A Peek Inside the Architect’s House

Home Decor, Home Design, Houston Architects, Hyde Park, Interiors, Montrose

9 Comments

Antiques fan Spencer Howard takes readers on a tour of a Hyde Park house full of them: the home of his former boss, architect John Zemanek.

The home’s design “falls somewhere between a Texas farm house and Japanese Tea House,” writes Howard:

However, the landscape, structure and furniture are accented with mysterious objects. Some are recognizable and easily comprehended, but most are not — engaging the viewer to imagine the story behind the piece.

What mysterious objects? A few choice rusting relics of Zemanek’s Fort Bend County childhood: a hunk of the engine from the family’s 1923 Buick; parts of old farming implements; the family typewriter, on a pedestal by the front door.

Wanna quick tour of the place?

77006, Antiques, Furniture, Home Decor, Home Design, Houston Architects, Hyde Park, Interiors, Montrose

Houston History

08/13/09 3:41pm

When Westheimer Was for Cruising

Lower Westheimer, Montrose, Quicklink, Streetscapes

4 Comments

WHEN WESTHEIMER WAS FOR CRUISING John Nova Lomax reminisces: “This was Oil Bust Houston, and it looked then like Montrose might become a full-on slum. There were no condos along ‘Theimer (as it was often called by the mullet set) and few fancy restaurants. From Montrose Boulevard all the way to what is now called Midtown, Westheimer was lined with little more than one “modeling studio” after another, and it seems like there were even more tattoo shops than there are now. The denizens and visitors to these businesses (not to mention the street hustlers, drag queens, punks and Guardian Angels that still lurk in the area) provided plenty for the hordes of suburbanites — getting their first taste of freedom and big city life — to gawk at from the safety of their Blazers and Cutlasses. . . . on weekend nights, Westheimer would be bumper-to-bumper from Bagby to well past Buffalo Speedway, and sometimes all the way out to the Galleria, a phantasmagoria of teenage hormones and sound-collisions: car-horns, engines revving, and squealing girls, the hiss-and-almost-subsonic bass rumble of ‘Paul Revere’ booming from a Jeep Cherokee interlocking with a Honda CRX chirping out that inane ‘Two of Hearts’ pop ditty or the root canal Teutonic skronk of that ‘Warm Leatherette’ monstrosity.” [Hair Balls]

77006, Houston History, Lower Westheimer, Montrose, Streetscapes

Galleria

08/11/09 9:01pm

Small, Stylish, and Already Sold: Design-y Inner Loop Home Bargains You Missed

Greenbriar, Home Decor, Homes for Sale, Interiors, Montrose, Southampton, Staging, Upper Kirby, West University

22 Comments

“I do always seem to be showing you houses that few of us can really afford,” Houston interior-design blogger Joni Webb admits to her readers:

But the secret truth is, nothing gets me more excited than seeing a house which is NOT expensive yet looks like it was designed by a professional! Nothing is better because it affirms what I fully believe, style is not about money.

So Webb sets out to find a few inside-the-Loop homes dressed to meet her style standards — and priced between $300K and $500K. How long does it take her? Two days, poring through “hundreds, if not thousands” of HAR listings.

What does she find?

77005, 77006, 77027, 77098, Galleria, Greenbriar, Home Decor, Homes for Sale, Interior-Design, Interiors, Montrose, Southampton, Staging, Upper Kirby, West University

First Montrose Commons

07/29/09 5:57pm

High School Rules: HSPVA and First Montrose Commons’s Historic Decision

Historic Districts, Schools

29 Comments

Who’s gonna decide whether First Montrose Commons gets its historic designation? HISD. At least that’s what FMC Neighborhood Association president Jason Ginsburg says in a letter he sent out earlier this week to HISD board trustees:

Without HISDâ€™s participation, the resulting shortfall in committed land area would require our Association to gain the consent of a vast majority of the other FMC property owners, which is a practically impossible burden that goes far beyond the original intent of the historic district ordinance. But, with HISDâ€™s participation, our Association will be able to fulfill all of the requirements necessary to achieve a historic district designation. Simply put, HISDâ€™s decision with regard to our Associationâ€™s petition will either make or break FMCâ€™s proposed historic district. [Italics in original]

To become eligible for historic designation, a district only needs the signatures of property owners representing 51 percent of its land area. More than 50 percent of First Montrose Commons landowners have already signed on to become a historic district. But the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (!) takes up a huge chunk of First Montrose Commons, skewing those numbers.

Letter to HISD Board of Education President and District IX Trustee Lawrence Marshall (PDF) [First Montrose Commons]
1st Montrose Commons asks HISD to back historic district [River Oaks Examiner]
An Historic Effort To Preserve Our Neighborhood (PDF) [First Montrose Commons]

Map of proposed FMC Historic District: First Montrose Commons

77006, Development Regulations, First Montrose Commons, HISD, Historic Districts, Midtown, Neartown, Schools

Corinthian Pointe

07/03/09 11:54am

La Maison in Midtown: The Power of a Good Night’s Sleep

Financing, Midtown, New Construction, Windsor Village

20 Comments

There’s a new $2 million bed and breakfast going up in Midtown? The Chronicle‘s Nancy Sarnoff reports that the project’s developers were “able to persuade a lender” to finance construction of their 3-story “New Orleans-style” B&B, which has already broken ground at 2800 Brazos, at the corner of Drew St.:

â€œIt was a little challenging early on in the process,â€ [developer Genora] Boykins said. â€œThe thing that made the difference is we really didnâ€™t give up on the vision we have.â€ . . .

That sort of positive thinking is apparently nothing new for Boykins, an attorney for Reliant Energy who serves on the Downtown Management District board of directors — along with her La Maison partner, Centerpoint Energy community relations VP Sharon Owens.

Kirbyjon Caldwell, the pastor of 14,000-member Windsor Village United Methodist Church, provides more insight into Boykins’s real-estate techniques in Chapter 3 of his now-decade-old bestseller, The Gospel of Good Success: A Road Map to Spiritual, Emotional and Financial Wholeness:

77006, 77085, B&Bs, Community Development Corporations, Corinthian Pointe, Financing, Midtown, New Construction, Religious Institutions, Windsor Village

06/26/09 5:15pm

Solar-Powered Shipping Containers Flee; It’s Apartments for the Mirabeau B.

Buying and Selling, Condos, Development Strategies, Green Design and Development, Houston Architects, Hyde Park, Montrose, Proposed Developments, Real Estate Marketing

1 Comment

Hey, what’s happening to those fancy solar-powered recycled shipping containers on the corner of Hyde Park and Waugh, meant to attract eco-minded buyers to the $400K+ condo units in the Mirabeau B.?

Up and away they go! Did the Mirabeau B. meet its sales target? Nope . . . but it’s time for construction anyway, developer Joey Romano tells Swamplot:

Our financing is in place and we have signed our contract with Mission Constructors who have commenced work on the site. If all goes to plan at the City, the building work will begin in the next few weeks.

How’d that happen? With a little switch: to rental. But Romano says none of the project’s “green” features will be changed:

Weâ€™ll still plant our green roof; our 15 KW solar PV system will still power all common areas; and our rainwater retention system will still irrigate our native Gulf Coast plants. Our units will be large, open, and spacious, offering unique, high-grade finishes, high-end energy efficient appliances, and natural light in every bedroom.

So where are the shipping containers headed?

77006, Apartments, Buying and Selling, Condos, Development Strategies, Green Design and Development, Houston Architects, Hyde Park, Montrose, Portable Buildings, Proposed Developments, Real Estate Marketing, Shipping-Containers, Solar Power

First Montrose Commons

06/22/09 11:29am

Swamplot Price Adjuster: Sweet Home on Alabama

Homes for Sale, Price Adjuster

49 Comments

Is this house on W. Alabama in First Montrose Commons priced . . . too low?

Location: 409 W. Alabama St., First Montrose Commons
Details: 3-4 bedrooms, 4 1/2 baths; 2,558 sq. ft. on a 7,812-sq.-ft. lot
Price: $449,900
History: On the market for a month and a half. Price cut $50K a month ago.

“Why should this house be listed for more?” asks a Swamplot reader:

Because it is really large in square footage (2,558) and lot size (7,812 sf) and in addition to the main house, there is a nice carriage house in back that could be a home office, in-law quarters, rental apartment, or given that itâ€™s Montrose, a nightclub or tattoo parlor (kidding). Although itâ€™s been 10 years since it was updated, I think the updates have held up and stayed fairly current with todayâ€™s design trends as evidenced by the kitchenâ€™s under-mount, double stainless sink, cooking island, granite, tile floors and tile backsplash with custom dark wood cabinetry and upgraded appliances included (looks to me). Master bath has tile and granite; one of the secondary baths looks like it could use some serious updating.

Custom paint throughout, looks like big closets, nice hardwood floors (some look better than others), lots of French doors and a bright and sunny interior make this home, in my opinion, the quintessential (non-bungalow) Montrose residence. And then thereâ€™s the added bonus of a wrought iron fenced and gated (not cheap) property on a very eclectic street. Who needs TV when you live on W. Alabama? Just sit on the porch and watch the street life. Nice landscaping, too.

What would be a better price?

77006, First Montrose Commons, Home Prices, Homes for Sale, Montrose, Price Adjuster

Demolitions

06/10/09 12:15pm

Transubstantiation for Augustine on Graustark

Institutional Buildings, Montrose, University of St. Thomas

No Comments

A Swamplot correspondent, concerned that readers of this site

so often have “before” and “after” photos, but rarely a “during”

sends in these action shots from this morning, showing the demolition-in-progress of the University of St. Thomas’s Augustine Living-Learning Community at 4119 Graustark.

UST’s news department reports that the building’s destruction will at last allow the liberation of the programs formerly sequestered within:

. . . the heart of the Living-Learning Community, an intensive experience in the integration of faith, academics and life, will continue to beat in a program bearing a new name â€“ Augustine-Without-Walls.

â€œThe name signifies more than the removal of the residenceâ€™s brick exterior: the program will now be open to all UST students who want to share in Augustine events, which focus on integrating academic learning with faith convictions and real everyday life,â€ said Sister Paula Jean Miller, FSE, Augustine-Without-Walls Program director.

77006, Demolitions, Institutional Buildings, Montrose, University of St. Thomas

06/02/09 2:40pm

Comment of the Day: Inner Loop Rents, Hard and High

Comments, Montrose, Price Trends, Quicklink, Renting

17 Comments

COMMENT OF THE DAY: INNER LOOP RENTS, HARD AND HIGH “I have to disagree with rents being soft in the inner loop. I just relocated here in January and, unless things have changed, I found rents exceedingly high and availability low. Granted, I did not want a cookie cutter apartment, but I was blown away by the prices. I looked at the new Gables property on Kirby and they were $2,500 minimum a month for a two bedroom. The kicker was that theyâ€™d only accept a 18 month lease. I thought that was crazy. The Alexean on Westheimer was a little cheaper at $2,000 per month but it didnâ€™t seem well built. I preferred condoâ€™s or houses to apartment complexes and most of them were in the $2,000 plus range. Those under $2,000 that were nice rented almost immediately after coming on the market. I wound up in a two bedroom house in Montrose for $2,600 and everyone I talk to seems to think I got an ok deal. I have to concur that it seems more expensive to rent than buy. I certainly could have bought for less in this market but, being new to town, didnâ€™t want to dive in to home ownership immediately. Anyone that says Houston is cheap hasnâ€™t looked at inner loop real estate.” [Charlie, commenting on Where Rents Have Dropped]

77006, Apartments, Comments, Montrose, Price Trends, Renting

Leasing

06/01/09 8:15am

A Look at the New Midtown Restaurant in the Mix

Midtown, Mixed Use, New Construction, Restaurants

13 Comments

At last: That year-old, right-up-to-the-street, parking-garage-behind The Mix @ Midtown building at 3201 Louisiana gets a ground-floor tenant! Going into the buildout in the space at the southeast corner of Elgin, below 24 Hour Fitness: a new Japanese restaurant.

Want a peek inside?

77006, Leasing, Midtown, Mixed Use, New Construction, Restaurants

05/29/09 6:03pm

The Menil Looks at Richmond

Art, Menil, Proposed Developments

3 Comments

Director Josef Helfenstein tells Cite magazine’s Raj Mankad that the new campus plan architect David Chipperfield is developing for the Menil Collection won’t necessarily involve the demolition of the Richmont Square apartment complex at 1400 Richmond.

The blocks along Richmond could become more dense than the other parts of the campus and serve as a buffer. The Dan Flavin installation â€“ it was the last big piece done while Dominique was still here and Flavinâ€™s last commission before he died â€“ could become a gateway to the North. I actually think, if we do things right, Richmond Hall could help us to eventually integrate commercial development that has high standards with the artistic program we have in mind.

Photo of Richmond Hall and Richmont Square: Raj Mankad

77006, Apartments, Art, Menil Collection, Proposed Developments

Art

05/29/09 3:32pm

Just a Few Blimps on the Houston Landscape: Inflatables on the Move

Castle Court, Downtown, Parks, Public Art

3 Comments

Scenes from the latest blowup in the Houston art scene: Giant, blobby creatures emerge onto Sharon Engelstein’s Castle Court driveway.

Where’s that Grand Opening?

77006, 77010, Art, Castle Court, Discovery Green, Downtown, Public Art

05/22/09 2:54pm

No, the Wilshire Village Apartments Didn’t Catch on Fire Today

Hazards, Lancaster Place, Quicklink

2 Comments

NO, THE WILSHIRE VILLAGE APARTMENTS DIDN’T CATCH ON FIRE TODAY But the much smaller West Alabama Place apartments catty-corner to them, at 1648 W. Alabama, did: “Officials said eight upstairs units were damaged either by fire, smoke or water. The fire appeared to be in the attic above the units.” No injuries have been reported. [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]

77006, Apartments, Fires, Hazards, Lancaster Place, Wilshire Village Apartments

Comments

05/20/09 3:50pm

Comment of the Day: 903 and 909 W. Main