COMMENT OF THE DAY: WEST HOUSTON’S PLAN FOR SUBURBAN DOMINATION 
“Houston does not have a centralized downtown district. After Gerry Hines built the Galleria, the city fractured into numerous regional shopping centers and has remained decentralized since. Perhaps Houston functions better this way.
Humpty Dumpty fell off the wall and all the King’s men cannot put Humpty Dumpty back together again.
MetroNational and Midway Cos. are determined to reconstruct Houston with a new centralized downtown district in CityCentre. They envision Memorial Drive and Gessner as commercial 8-lane thoroughfares. They envision the corridor of residential neighborhoods between the Katy Freeeway and Memorial Drive as one big mega shopping center, an expansion of Memorial City that stretches on for miles. They envision deed restricted neighborhoods of Walnut Bend and Briargrove Park as office parks. Don’t believe me? Just go to the West Houston Association website and click on 2050 map. They are serious about remapping Houston. And what are they going to do with all the storm water run-off from these commercial buildings? They are going to channel it into Buffalo Bayou, of course. To do this they have to deforest the bayou and widen and deepen and concrete it. They are determined to do it. And where are they going to get the money to do this? Out of TIRZ 17 and MetroNational Bank.” [Memorial Resident, commenting on Comment of the Day: Houston’s Westward Tilt] Illustration: Lulu
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Tag: Briargrove Park
Lacking frills but with a bit of grille at the front, this 1973 home in Briargrove Park presents a curbside scene that appears a bit basic when viewed from its circular driveway, located off the cul-de-sac out front (above). Inside, however, more private views span across the vaulted rooms (top) and into the fenced yard. The somewhat hidden home was listed Friday; it has an asking price of $449,000.Â
In the Briar Patch
A renovated 1974 “Contemporary” in Briargrove Park is a glass act, though currently without a curtain call; most windows come unadorned (top) and look over manicured lawns (above) of Zoysia grass. The peekaboo property appeared on the market a week ago with an asking price of $799,000. That seventies show of angles and tilted roofage (at right) shelters an open-floor-plan interior with natural light beaming in from many levels and directions.
Vintage postcard coloring in this relisting’s exterior photos further the motor lodge vibe of this updated 1971 Briargrove Park hacienda, located on a dog-boned inner street with cul-de-sacs at either end. The ground-hugging home’s front-filling parking court (in lieu of garage) abuts a gallery of gated arches at the entry’s inner courtyard. On and off the market since November 2012 — when it debuted at $679,000 — the property returned last week with a new agent, new agency, and new and slightly lower price: $659,000.
A tile-and-paver prone property in Briargrove Park deploys its preferred flooring on pathways, courtyards, patios — and interior rooms. Located on a quarter-acre corner lot in the middle of the neighborhood (north of Briar Forest Dr. near the West Belt), the home hit the market this week with an initial asking price of $719,900.
Since its listing 3 weeks ago, a re-remodeled home in Briargrove Park has taken a couple of breaks (for a day or less) from the market. The status is now on again, however, for the overhauled gated-courtyard property, which is capped by an almost dainty topknot of a chimney cap. Windows in the front rooms face a gated courtyard instead of the street, and a pair of smaller windows lie behind brick columns on the recessed porch. Interior revisions moved, removed, or expanded archways, doors, and parts of walls to reposition how rooms function. A massive brick fireplace now covered in stone tiles (above) provides the main living space a punchy A-side hearth, B-side backdrop to the front entry hall. The home was built in 1974, remodeled in 2006. Other going-for-a-flip tweaks to the home since its purchase in late August for $275,000 freshened the finishes and replaced the deck, windows, and roof. Despite its on-and-off market behavior, the new asking price has stayed at $449,500.
A Briargrove Park 1974 contemporary plays up all its angles. The multi-level floor plan carves out a few unexpected spaces inside and out, including a series of decks, patios, and covered porches. Listed earlier this month at $480,000, the piney-woods property is just off a cul-de-sac that’s a block — or 8 homes — from the noise-baffling wall of the West Belt feeder road north of Briar Forest Dr. That places it west of Seagler Rd., the dividing line between the neighborhood’s start in the sixties and its seventies’ buildout.
This property in Briargrove Park has had more MLS lives than Henry VIII had wives. The current listing is the fourth round for the same agent and seventh for the address since November 2010. In the interim, the price has bounced around, landing at an even $500,000 10 days ago after runs at $529,000, $499,000, $495,000, $499,000 (again), $575,000 in April, and reductions to $549,000 and $525,000.
Stylized photos of the 1998 brick-and-stucco home in Briar Court show its little-of-this, little-of-that exterior, decked out with builder-deco keystones, quoins, gas lamps, and an entry arch. A Medici-worthy Italianate balustrade suggests a balcony, but it’s not to be: A window sits close behind it helping light the atrium entry hall within. Beyond the double-wide leaded-glass front door, a stripped-down entry unfolds, complete with curving, pincher-like double staircases and a marble floor:
The guesses are in for this week’s mystery pad! We heard West University twice, the Augusta-Bering area twice, plus Bellaire, Southgate, South Post Oak Lane, Tanglewood, Missouri City, Mid Lane, Bay Glen or Bay Oaks in Clear Lake, West Bellfort/Fondren, Kingwood, “west of Weslayan between Bissonnet and 59,” Pearland, Woodlake, Memorial Club, Briar Hollow, off Memorial between Voss and 610, and North Post Oak.
The winner this week is David W, who was wrong at least about the neighborhood and housing type . . . but still came closer than any other contestant!
I agree with those who think it is a townhouse – but I think it might be farther out in the burbs. Maybe Woodlake or Memorial Club? It has to be pretty old – when is the last time you saw a sliding glass door in a bedroom? I think it must be near water, too with all the tile and no rugs (or the resident has allergies) so I am leaning more towards Woodlake or maybe it is closer in around Briar Hollow. It can’t be too expensive or they would have gone the granite/stainless steel kitchen route. Maybe just outside the loop around North Post Oak north of Memorial? Tough to tell.
An honorable mention goes to Starkeshia, who didn’t even bother to guess a neighborhood, but did pick the correct decade — and didn’t call it a townhouse. The kindest portion of Starkeshia’s comments:
More than likely this is just some house out in suburbia built in the late 70s or 80s that has had some remuddling done.
Okay, 1970s . . . not a townhouse . . . but where?
Briargrove and Briargrove Park are 5 miles and (to judge from this weekend’s open houses), about $700,000 apart. But both feature homes so eager to be sold that they’re giving up a good portion of their Memorial Day weekend just so you can visit.
Location: 10335 Lynbrook Hollow St.
Details: 4 bedrooms, 3 baths; 2,958 sq. ft.
Price: $410,000
The Scoop: 1976 brick home on cul-de-sac in Briargrove Park, built around brick courtyard. Two bedrooms, including Master, downstairs. Partial second story. Partially covered deck in back. On the market since mid-January. Price cut $25K last week.
Open House: Sunday, 3-5 pm
More Briargrovian homes below:
