Back again with another Neighborhood Guessing Game! Are you ready to play?
You know the drill. We’re still playing under the same old rules — for now: You look at the photos below. You start to get a sense of place. Maybe you start to get a little sleepy. But then you shake that off, and scroll to the bottom of the page so you can enter your guess of this home’s neighborhood in the comments. And you explain your brilliant methods of photographic deduction.
Got it? Let’s see those photos, then:
We’ve had a pretty good run of 35 Neighborhood Guessing Games. So a train wreck like this week’s contest was probably overdue.
At least 6 participants in this round already knew the property posted on Tuesday. Sadly, only one bothered to spice up the game by writing in with the answer, then attempting to deceive the other players with wacky but mildly credible guesses. Most everyone stuck by the rules, but those rules will probably need to see some adjustments (beginning next year) to prevent the NGG from turning into a contest where players compete to guess at things they already know.
Here’s where those of you who were actually guessing thought this colorful pad might be: Meyerland, Tanglewood, the edge of River Oaks, Southampton, Mandell Place, Montrose, the Medical Center, the near Northside near Patton and Main, on Blossom near Shepherd, the Memorial Villages, “somewhere near the Galleria,” Rivercrest, Southgate, Rice Military, Camp Logan, Memorial near Westcott, “that modernish enclave of new houses north of Richmond and west of Kirby,” “just west or southwest of Highland Village shopping center,” or off Woodway near Buffalo Bayou.
The winner this week was John, who managed to stretch out his quick guess into this complete sentence:
My guess is, of all places, Tanglewood.
A few of the many (later) Tanglewood entries:
I think it is that hideous house that is painted school bus yellow just off the boulevard that was built maybe 10 years ago.
this has to be that horrible house in tanglewood near chimney rock.
This has to be that bright yellow, Legorreta wannabe house just east of Chimney Rock.
It reminds me of the hotel Pierce Bronsan stayed at in Matador. All that purple, pink and yellow sure is festive.
Special honors go to this week’s double-agent, Richard, who unleashed some mad FUD-inducing skillz:
The owners of this paean to contemporary high-class-Mexican architecture are probably maxing out their platinum American Express cards at the Louis Vuitton shop at the Galleria. The scale and colors remind me of the Camino Real Hotel in Mexico City, but if they want to sell this house in Rivercrest, they’re going to have to make a trip to Home Depot for some taupe and tan colored paint. This second-home for Mexican immigrants of the non-gardening-or-custodial variety is in Rivercrest, probably even north of Briar Forest on Crestbend. . . .
In fact, after reviewing a previous Swamplot headline, may I venture to guess it’s on the corner of Crestbend and Enchilada??
So what’s the scoop?
First things first: If you know this residence, or if you think you know it, please read this page and focus your attention on rules number 3 and 4.
For the rest of you: Welcome to this edition of Swamplot’s Neighborhood Guessing Game, where you never know where you’re going to end up!
Many of you know how to play already: Study the photos below, look for clues, then try to figure out what neighborhood this place is in. Explain how you’ve come to your conclusion in a comment. Then wait . . . for Thursday, when the answer is revealed, and everyone will recognize what a brilliant expert on Houston real estate you are!
Or not.
Wanna chance it? The photos are this way:
Where was this thing?
First, your guesses: 2 each for Braes Heights, Bellaire, Westbury, and Garden Oaks. Plus: “within a mile of Montrose/Studemont /Studewood,” east of Montrose near Alabama, near Westheimer and Kirby, Highland Village, Montrose, Meyerland, Castle Court, near the Menil, Sharpstown, West University, Larchmont, Oak Forest, Timbergrove, Lazybrook, Timbergrove or Lazybrook, Spring Branch, “Maplewood, west of Chimney Rock, maybe even right on Beechnut,” “somewhere right off of Shepherd between 59 and Allen Parkway,” Idylwood, near Stella Link, and Afton Oaks.
Fortunately, nobody guessed the Heights. Is it in the Heights? In a lazy, geographical way, maybe. But not really. Only the real-estate agent would call this neighborhood the Heights. Or, more specifically, “Heights/East.”
Which means the winner is . . . the quick-to-the-draw marmer, in the very first response:
This smallish one-story was probably built just before or just after WWII, and is probably within a mile of Montrose/Studemont/Studewood, could be anywhere between Bissonnet and North Main.
And it is — just barely — at the top end of both ranges.
If someone is able to detail the garage history of this home, it might win Carol an honorable mention. Without that, the nod goes to Howard Hughes, for this bit of only somewhat peccable real-estate logic:
Lack of seperation between the living/dining areas, as well as a small squatty window denote this as a post-war house…probably from the mid to late 1950s. $ was spent on the interior decoration, so it’s probably in an area enjoying a resurgence.
So . . . what’s with the garage?
For this week’s game, another reader submission — keep ’em coming!
Do you know how to play the game?
Look closely at all the photos. Add up the clues. Plot the coordinates on a map. Then impress everyone with your brilliant conclusions! The winner gets a . . . win!
Ready?
Looks like the Guessing Game subject for this round wasn’t quite as popular as last week’s Wylie Vale Contemporary Country home in Katy. But the guesses were better!
Two of you guessed Sharpstown. The rest: Sharpstown/Bellaire, Pearland, Westchase, south of the Westpark Tollway near Highway 6, off Newcastle just south of 59, “anywhere in a wide swath from Westpark [counter]clockwise to 288,” Tanglewilde, around 59 and Beltway 8, the Dairy Ashford corridor, Sagemeadow, “between Bellaire and Harwin; Wilcrest and Kirkwood,” off Fry Rd. north of I-10, “one of the older neighborhoods on the Cinco Ranch side of I-10 around Kingsland or Highland Knolls,” Bear Creek, Katy, Pasadena, Greenspoint, “Sommerset” (Somerset Place on Memorial Dr.?), Atascocita, the Woodlands, Glenbrook Valley, “down I-45 toward Almeda,” “West side south of Buffalo Bayou between Beltway 8 and Highway 6,” Alief, and “somewhere in the stretch of floodplain between League City and La Porte.”
The winner is the reclusive Howard Hughes, for the sufficiently inclusive guess of “the 59/BW8 area.” No one came closer!
An honorable mention goes to Miz Brooke Smith, for these wide-ranging observations (including an equally wide-ranging — but accurate — stab at the map):
How generic can one place get? This could be anywhere, any time between 1979 and 2005. Definitely somewhere flood-prone, given all that room-expanding bias tile. And the wood floors in the bedrooms look suspiciously like laminate. Home-Doodle-special builder’s-grade cabinetry, marbuluxe countertops and molding-less nekkid window frames scream 1980’s el cheapo condo, as does the treeless view out the sliding glass patio doors. But where, oh where could this grim pad be? I will defer to fellow Guessing Game contestants to pin the tail on this donkey that could be anywhere in a wide swath from Westpark [counter] clockwise to 288.
Can we get a little more exact? How about the Northfield Patio Homes, in Fondren Southwest?
Here we go again! Another mystery home, open for your roundup of the usual and the unusual suspects. Just what neighborhood is this home in?
If you have an idea, please make sure you understand all the rules of the game before you play. Got ’em down? Then take a good long look at all these photos:
Just what was it that made this week’s Neighborhood Guessing Game the most popular ever? Carol tries to explain:
It’s not just the cool mod furniture and decorations, or the funky taxidermy room. Maybe it’s that the house looks like the family was so much fun. Maybe it represents the family we all want to go home to on holidays, when Grandma pulls out the Betty Crocker cookbook and makes the greatest stuffing ever and Grandpa tells his hunting stories for the thousandth time. Maybe this was the real American middle class dream of the 1950s. Cue the violins and the teardrop. I second the call for a field trip. Realtor: Please schedule an open house!
Here were your guesses: Garden Oaks, Garden Oaks near Shepherd, Spring Branch (3 votes), Sharpstown (2 votes), Meyerland (2), off Braeswood near the Braeburn Country Club, Bellaire, Garden Villas (2), Braeswood, Glenbrook Valley (2), Spring Valley, Willowbend, Linkwood (2), Memorial Bend, South Braeswood near Stella Link, Tanglewood, Memorial (3), Hunters Creek, Pasadena (3), Meadowcreek, Allendale, Mount Vernon, Ayrshire, Piney Point, Katy, Braeswood (2), South Houston, East Harris County, Deer Park, Baytown, Memorial Villages (3), Marilyn Estates, “Briargrove, or one of those Briar places,” off Briar Forest inside the Beltway, Willow Meadows, Riverside Terrace, between Spring Valley and Hedwig Village, Lake Jackson (2), Texas City, Mt. Pleasant, Creekside, Tynewood, Westbury, and Park Place.
How far are you willing to travel for that open house?
The winner was BenH, who in accordance with rule 3 “guessed” Katy. He’s visited the house, but deserves credit for reporting about it on HAIF last week (shortly before another reader wrote to Swamplot with the suggestion). He says the photos don’t do it justice.
Many fine and original comments this week! Honorable mentions go to JT, for some never-mind-the-carbon dating (but what if the home truly was ahead of its time?):
The house is definitely in the 1954-1958 era with the pale yellow kitchen tile counters and the MCM signature pink adobe brick being the telltale. Mrs. Matron loved her draperies but, Lord, can anyone open them up? It looks like some prime windows are hidden.
and Jessica, for expressing the spirit of many in the group, before outing herself as one of those crazed, antler-worthy fans:
You might not want to post the address of this place – I fear the homeowner might be fighting hopeful furniture buyers off with a stick! (Or a pair of antlers – plenty of those handy.) I am totally obsessed with this house, and would also like to see what’s inside the kitchen cabinets!
Eager to have a better look at this house yourself? Here’s some more detail:
Do you recognize this home? If you do, please check out the rules of this here little weekly contest.
If you don’t, congratulations! You’re ready to play Swamplot’s Neighborhood Guessing Game!
The rest of the photos are a real treat. Study them carefully . . . then make your brilliant guess: Where is this place?
Your votes are in! And the winners weren’t: Eastwood (with 3 guesses), Woodland Heights, the Heights (2 guesses), Winlow Place, West University, Midtown, south Midtown, between Midtown and the Third Ward, around Elgin and 288, Montrose (3 guesses), Temple Terrace, “close to University of St. Thomas and the Menil,” Tanglewood, Southmore area, Riverside Terrace, Audubon Place (3 guesses), Sixth Ward near Houston Ave., the near Northside (2 guesses), Binz, Eastside, Avondale, Timbergrove, San Felipe/Briar Hollow, Mandell Place, Lawndale, or Lindale Park.
The correct answer was . . . the Westmoreland Historic District. Congratulations to reader tcpIV, who figured it out!
Four honorable mentions this week! The first goes to MariaO, who didn’t seem to make any mistakes . . . until she climbed too high:
Feels like a Montrose duplex to me, built in the 1930s but (mostly) renovated in the early 80s. I remember my grandma having that mediallion tile pattern from the second bathroom in her kitchen around that era.
Could be the north end of Montrose close to Allen Parkway — I’ll go out on a limb and say Temple Terrace.
The next goes to Cathy, who wasn’t too far away either:
1920’s or 30’s: tall ceilings and plenty of pre-AC windows. The kitchen could be an add-on — no original windows — but the door to the pantry makes you think it is in the original location. And I’d guess that the 2nd bathroom is new, or was new in the 70’s.
How many neighborhoods did Houston have in the 30’s? I’ll guess Avondale.
Also JT:
This has the earmarks of a home built around 1928-1935. Lots of remodelling evident from the 1970s kitchen to the garish Spanishesque floor tile in bath number two. The front door looks to be less than ten years old.
Judging from the size of the rooms and footprint, this seems too large for the standard 50′ lot in much of the Heights.
My guess is Mandell Place in Montrose.
Oh, and karen too:
I agree with JT about the timeframe for this house. It’s not quite bungalow style, and the interior fireplace puts it later in the 20th century….high ceilings, too. And it’s built on a pretty high crawl space foundation – see how the fence looks low from the windows! But the narrow moldings say late ’20s or early ’30s to me. Later ’30s had much smaller rooms.
I think it’s weird that the butler’s pantry has a space heater while the kitchen has forced air. What’s that about?
The last time anyone spent any serious money on this house was in the 80s or early 90s when they put in new kitchen cabinets. So this is likely in a neighborhood that’s seen some tear down pressure in the last decade or so, making many of the above guesses reasonable. On the other hand, the place is in good shape, telling me that the sellers aren’t sure if it’s a teardown or a remodel. Perhaps the previous owners simply lived on a budget and couldn’t afford the excesses of the ’90s and ’00s.
There was more than met the eye with this one:
All politics is local, no? So . . . where are you casting your ballot?
For today’s general election, you’ll probably want to vote where this site tells you to — if you haven’t already. But for today’s guessing game on Swamplot, the neighborhood is entirely up to you! Just make sure you’ve read the rules before you play.
And you might want to study these photos carefully:
This sure was a tough one again this week, wasn’t it?
First, your guesses: 4 for Kingwood, 2 each for The Woodlands, Clear Lake, Willowbrook, and Champion Forest. Plus: Memorial, Memorial near Dairy Ashford, off Briar Forest inside Beltway 8, Hudson, Fondren, Fondren Southwest, Briar Forest around Kirkwood, Briar Hills, between Wilcrest and Kirkwood north of Memorial, “Memorial and Gessner towards Westheimer,” “Gessner between Memorial and Briar Forest,” Jersey Village, Hammersmith, west of the Galleria between Woodway and Westheimer, Dairy Ashford, Atascocita, Humble, Spring, Jones Rd., FM 1960, Eldridge, Copperfield, Sugar Land, Sugar Land south of 59 and east of Williams Trace, Missouri City, Friendswood, Bear Creek, Quail Valley, Olde Oaks, Green Tee Terrace in Pearland, Lakeside Place, and Brook Forest.
That’s a lot of guesses! Many of them were close, veering toward the west side of town.
But not far enough west. Maybe if more of you Neighborhood Guessing Game lurkers had actually entered a guess, someone might have happened upon the right name. C’mon in next time, there’s room for you! More than enough Houston subdivisions to go around!
So: no winner. But an honorable mention goes to JT for this evocative description:
Going to date this house from 1977 to 1982 as the formica butcher block counters and
brick fireplace with the clerestory style ceiling are giveaways. The master bath looks original as it has a late 70’s “oversize greenhouse window and more interior brick. Gut reaction is Champion Forest/Olde Oaks area of Northwest Houston because of the layout, traditonal furnishings and oddball juxtaposition of a moonbridge, early american railings and soft contemporary open floor plan and window styles.
So where is it?
Step inside this lovely home and look around. Where are you?
Time to guess! If you’re just joining us, poke your nose into the rules for a bit before you start playing the game.
When you’re ready, look carefully at the rest of the photos below. Just where do you think this place might be?
The winner of this week’s contest . . . didn’t even bother with a guess!
The rest of you guessed Westbury, “off Rayford,” the Woodlands, Memorial, Memorial Drive, Hilshire Village (twice), Braeswood, Old Braeswood, Braes Heights, Piney Point, Meyerland, Riverside Terrace (twice), Glenbrook Valley, West University, Bellaire, Afton Oaks, Spring Branch (three times), Tanglewood (three times), Memorial Bend, Spring Valley, T.C. Jester just outside the Loop, Richmond inside the Loop west of Weslayan, or off Woodway near Sage.
Nobody actually guessed River Oaks, but Richard mentioned it:
. . . I also like this house and totally agree that it took some $$$ to create the hallucinogenic patterned nightmare. Without the kitchen it actually looks like a Howard Barnstone house or even the house that Philip Johnson designed for Dominique de Menil in River Oaks.
So he is the winner!
An honorable mention goes to paneling expert Robert, who obviously knows his woods:
The paneling in the den is a pecky cypress commonly referred to as “wormwood.†Expensive in it’s day, too expensive for Westbury. The house appears to large with too many custom features like that to be a basic tract house. The pattern festival was popular back in the 70’s and cost a lot to create that abomination in decorating.
In what part of River Oaks has this home been hiding?
Here we go with this week’s Where the Heck Is It? challenge. The home pictured was suggested by a reader. Do you have any clue where it might be?
Before you answer that, be sure you’re familiar with the rules of Swamplot’s weekly Neighborhood Guessing Game. Then get your neighborhood maps ready . . . and study these revealing photos:
