COMMENT OF THE DAY: LITTLE HOUSES NOT FAR FROM PRAIRIE ST. “I did get a chuckle out of the statement that the problem with the old houses was that they were 900 square feet and thus there was ‘nothing to do’ but tear them down. I actually think there’s quite a market for 900 square foot living spaces located right near downtown. When they are condos or apartments, they’re quite popular, and there are quite a few houses that size in the Heights that continue to sell – and not as teardowns. It’s an ideal, efficient living space for a single person or a couple, and the existence of smaller houses creates housing options – so the entry price in a neighborhood isn’t higher than many can afford – and thus you get a healthy mix of residents, from young professionals in the smaller houses to families in the larger ones. Having small houses in the mix is really good for an urban neighborhood; the idea that they all have to go is kind of crazy.” [John, commenting on Withering Townhouses of the First Ward]
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Tag: Demolitions
And it’s . . . off! The building designer who had planned to demolish a 1920 bungalow in the newly designated Freeland Historic District and build two 4-story townhomes in its place has now backed out of the deal completely. In a letter to neighborhood residents, Jack Preston Wood and his wife, Samantha Wood, say they’ve canceled their purchase contract for 536 Granberry, in the soppy southern reaches of the Heights.
What made them change their minds? Maybe . . . the gentle encouragement of their would-be neighbors?
We received mean spirited mail, emails, blogs, and visits to our business website all because we were planning on tearing down a house in very poor condition and replacing it with a new compatible home.
The Woods say that after the city historical commission rejected their demolition and construction plans in mid-March, they abandoned the double-townhouse idea and decided instead to replace the bungalow with a new 2800-sq.-ft. 1-1/2-story bungalow. But the neighbors kept at it:
Even though we had sent a response that we were not going to build our original plans and we were working on new plans the neighborhood still held a protest and plastered Freeland with signs. As we watched the news clip on the protest we began to realize that any new home, no matter how compatible, would not be accepted because the Freeland mantra was to remain an “intact†neighborhood. . . .
About three weeks into the six weeks, we realized that we had become the “Poster Child†to deter and slowdown development in the area.
Lots more fun in the full text of the Woods’ letter, reprinted — along with a neighbor’s response — below:
Swamplot’s Daily Demolition Report lists buildings that received City of Houston demolition permits the previous weekday.
A little help for a few stubborn structures that just won’t melt on their own:
The day’s take in crushed house pieces, now currently arrayed about the city at these addresses:
Fifth Ward smashers! And then it came down to these to down:
Demo artist Dan Havel sends in positive and negative preview photos of Give & Take, a sculpture he and partner Dean Ruck carved and carefully extracted from a dilapidated bungalow on West Cottage St. in East Norhill. The 30-foot-long egg-shaped piece they removed will be on display as part of a group show at the Contemporary Arts Museum featuring Houston-related work by various Houston artists. The exhibit, called No Zoning, opens this Friday.
So what’s the take?
And now, another installment of “1000 Houston Buildings To Demolish Before You Die.” In today’s episode: Seven Head for Heaven.
COMMENT OF THE DAY: CANDLELIGHT TRAILS, DIMMED “My family lived there for 17 years (1985-2001) and we watched this place transform from a luxury conodo complex into a complete waste. We frequently revisitied the complex on several occaisions and it stayed just about the same from the late 1980s until now. The danger of living there really showed its true colors when we went onto the abandoned property last January and discovered a murder scene in our old condo. For many reasons I want this place torn down, but for the most reasons, I don’t want this place down mainly because that used to be my home and where I grew up and seeing it go into the ground might be too much of a sight to bear on my part. Despite this, I rest easily knowing that the complex will never be torn down because it was one of those ‘take action for a day and feel good about it but forget about it the next day’ types of situations so there is no doubt in my mind that the buildings will remain standing as long as I live.” [John, commenting on Lights Out for Candlelight Trails?]
Three little Inner Loop housies bow on their exit. Backstage visits, anyone?
Swamplot’s Daily Demolition Report lists buildings that received City of Houston demolition permits the previous weekday.
Here it is: The premier — and only — address in Houston demolition today!
Some trouble getting permit info this morning means our demolition details will be a bit delayed. We’ll get them to you as soon as we can.
If you can’t wait, feel free to check the city’s sold-permit search engine throughout the day. If you can pull any demos from there, feel free to post your finds in the comments! (Note: the search engine only works with Internet Explorer.)
What’s the day’s damage? Something spread over these buildings:
Maybe if we knock these ones down fast they’ll just wash away!
Swamplot’s Daily Demolition Report lists buildings that received City of Houston demolition permits the previous weekday.
The wheels of destruction keep on spinning! Here’s where they’re cranking out the action this time: