10/20/09 3:34pm

This week’s Neighborhood Guessing Game is on! Do you know where this home is?

If you do, see the next paragraph for some specific instructions. If you don’t, why not make a guess? If you guess correctly you can win a great prize from the Rice Design Alliance: a one-year individual RDA membership! (If more than one person guesses the correct neighborhood, the prize goes to the player who provided the best explanation for the guess.)

Seen this place before? Great — please don’t spoil the game for everyone else by posting the answer. Instead, send Swamplot a link to the listing (so we’re clued in). Then post an incorrect guess — but make it sound believable! If you do this well, you’ll get special recognition when the answer is revealed. And if no other player comes up with the right neighborhood, you could win the prize!

Ready for a better look at this place? Go ahead, take a poke around:

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10/15/09 11:44pm

Where was this place? And did anyone win the prizes from Houston. It’s Worth It?

Good questions! And this week we had a lot of very good guesses. Seven each for southwest Houston and Westbury. Six each for Meyerland and Sharpstown. Three for Willowbend; plus 2 each for Pasadena, Spring Branch, Willow Meadows, LaPorte, and Riverside Terrace. The rest? Westwood, Spring Valley, Robindell, “somewhere off Braeswood,” “on Beechnut out west of Hillcroft,” “somewhere in the oldest part of the Windsor Village-Simsbrook-Brentwood nexus, within a 2-mile radius of Hiram Clarke and West Orem,” Meadow Creek, “the Almeda Mall/Fuqua area,” Baytown, Spring, Aldine, East Houston, Lockwood, “near North Houston,” Glenbrook Valley, Morgans Point, Deer Park, Briarmeadow, “north of Westheimer around Voss/Woodway,” Gulfton, “the older part of Sharpstown by Fondren and the Southwest Freeway,” Sharpstown Country Club Estates, Sharpstown Country Club Terrace, Larkwood, “near Hobby Airport,” “Bellaire West out past Beltway 8,” Clear Lake, League City, “somewhere east of the Gulf Freeway,” Candlelight Trails, “within a block of Bissonnet, between Edloe and S. Gessner,” Bellaire, “610 and Stella Link,” Eastwood, Third Ward, Alief, “around the North Airline area,” “Airline around 45 North,” Maplewood, Braeburn Valley, Braeburn Terrace, and Stancliff Park.

Of the 3 Willowbend guesses, the entries from matt came with the best explanation (plus some bonus entertainment value):

. . . The decor is obviously 60s, the house itself probably 50s, and because of the apparent layout I would suspect one of the “better” neighborhoods in the Spring Branch or Sharpstown or Willow Meadows/Willowbend areas. Something about the kitchen screams the Willow Meadows/Willowbend area.

No comment on the round bed. Remember them well. Fun to play in. Not so fun to sleep in. Inevitably when you tossed and turned you tumbled and ended up on the floor.

and later:

The ceiling/front windows have that Maplewood/Braeburn Valley look. But the one photo of a “den” which appears to be a second den indicates it was once the garage and I believe that’s a no-no in Maplewood and Braeburn Valley as well. So that leaves Westbury and Willow Meadows/Willowbend or Robindell, the bathroom has that Robindell look, or even the Braeburn Terrace area to the northwest of Robindell. Another possibility is the Stancliff Park area off Bissonnet and Wilcrest. Could be anywhere but it just has the Southwest Houston look. Definitely “upper middle class” house or at least it was back in the 1960s.

Congratulations, matt! You’ve won 3 fab prizes from Houston. It’s Worth It: The original HIWI book; the new HIWI: Ike book, plus an official HIWI “Hunkered Down” stencil kit! Our very close runners-up are David W and Cathy.

Also deserving recognition this week are fake-out guesses from readers who knew the listing. Here’s James:

Whoa! This elderly gent knows how to romance the ladies. And he runs a darn good bingo tournament on the weekends!!
Obviously the owner has done absolutely nothing in terms of updating or staging so this has to be in prime location. The owner is about to cash in and he knows it. This bachelor pad is north of Westheimer, around Voss/Woodway.

. . . and PaxMcKatz:

This fixer upper was owned by a bonafied ASTRONAUT-alternate in Clear Lake. In the 70’s, 80’s he lured the ladies back to his abode for an “Out-of-this-World” night. He chose the fridge cause, “Hell it looks like the moon-lander.” After the mission was scrubbed and a moonshot was no longer gonna happen, this confirmed bachelor dated a series of artsy-craftsy women; one of which painted the kitchen pink and was promptly dumped. He settled down with a cute divorcee; with all the mixens of a small shabby-sheik cottage to merge with his mod. She brought her stuff to the house and now these 2 lovebirds are looking forward to taking an around-the-world cruise, playing bridge with their friends before they move into the condo on the lake. He loves that she still calls him “Captain” and humors him by serving freeze-dried food on date night. They are a cute couple.

PaxMcKatz’s entry attracted fans in the comments. Great work!

Now about that house . . .

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

10/13/09 10:55pm



Remember the Neighborhood
Guessing Game? Of course you do! And this time Houston. It’s Worth It. is back as a sponsor!

Win this round and you’ll get 3 HIWI prizes: the new HIWI: Ike book; the original Houston. It’s Worth It. book; plus an official HIWI “Hunkered Down” stencil kit, useful for the next time you’re stuck with some spray paint and need to do some hunkering in a downward direction.

To win these great prizes, all you gotta do is look at the pictured home — which was suggested to us by a reader — and tell us what neighborhood it’s in. If more than one of you guesses the home’s correct location, the prize will go to the player who provided the best explanation for the guess.

If you already know this home — or if you find it or come across it while we’re playing the game — please don’t blurt out the answer and ruin the fun for the other players. Instead, send Swamplot a link to the listing (so we know what you’re doing) and then submit an incorrect guess. Your goal: throw the other players off. If you do this well, you’ll earn special recognition when the answer is announced. And if no other players guess the correct answer, you could win the prize for yourself!

Got the rules down? Great — let’s have a look around this joint:

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

10/08/09 10:48pm

Well, whaddya know? Someone won one!

Where was that mystery cabin? There were 2 votes each for Conroe, Tomball, Sealy, Katy, Magnolia, and New Caney. The rest of your guesses? “Somewhere out in Montgomery County,” Silsbee, Jasper, Woodville, Liberty, Pearland, West University, Lake Livingston, Wharton, Memorial, Alvin, the Heights, Kirby Dr., Lake Jackson, Richmond, Rosenberg, Porter, “near Lake Houston,” South Braeswood, League City, Pinehurst, Manvel, Galveston, Splendora, Hempstead, Baytown, and Carson City, Nevada.

So who’s the newest member of the Rice Design Alliance? It’s Matt, for guessing

Near Lake Houston. East side of the lake, north of FM 1960.

Okay, wrong side of the lake, wrong side of FM 1960. But good enough for the win, and good enough for that one-year, individual RDA membership. Congratulations!

This next entry is wrong in more ways than we can count, but wins movocelot runner-up status because it’s just so . . . comprehensive:

I agree with the stabs at old communities outside of town because it looks like a genuine 1870s, hipped roof, four-square. But I think it’s a thoughtful reconstruction for weekend use (also outside of town, Pinehurst between Tomball and Magnolia.)

The bones are old and I envision came from around San Felipe, Wallis or East Bernard. The exterior walls are pine and could well be logs, hewn to square: Sure looks like pointing between them, and the outlet boxes are cut horizontally out of the middles. Look at the lovely wide plank floors! 24”centers for roof joists looks right.

So, the place was moved & reconstructed in the 1970s “way, way out” on a deer lease on the NW side. It is dated by the ovens, exterior doors, ‘old-looking reused’ brick so popular then, drapes and schmaltzy framed pictures.

Also the wall, separating the bedrooms from living space, is newer, yellower pine, the walls have been trimmed to the roof joists in a modern manner, the wide cypress boards at the fireplace are hard/expensive to come by anymore and were probably salvaged 30 years ago. Also the carpentry is so-so & not original to the house.

Well, you can’t discharge firearms half mile from 249 anymore & there’s no wood to chop, so it’s become a divorced dad’s den: Cache of unmatched furniture, tower of old audio components, TV above the fireplace, ‘light-the-wrapper‘ log. The only signs of life are the part-time kids and their stuff. If two sets of twins won’t kill a marriage, nothing will.

So what’s the real deal?

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

10/06/09 11:47pm

Here’s the latest installment of the Neighborhood Guessing Game. If you play it right, you can win a one-year individual membership in the Rice Design Alliance!

All you have to do: Guess the location of the home in the photos. If more than one of you guesses correctly, the prize will go to the player who provided the best explanation for the guess.

If you come across the listing for this home, or if you know of it already, please don’t ruin the game for everyone else. Instead, send Swamplot a link to the listing. Then post an incorrect guess — but make it sound plausible. If you’re able to throw other players off the scent, you’ll earn special recognition when the answer is announced. And if nobody guesses the correct neighborhood, you could win the prize yourself!

Here are a few more photos:

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

10/05/09 11:55pm

We have a winner of that Rice Design Alliance membership!

First: your guesses in last week’s Neighborhood Guessing Game. We had “just outside the Loop,” Oak Forest, Katy, Olde Oaks, “Memorial/Dairy Ashford area” (2 guesses), the Memorial Villages, “somewhere south of I-10 and east of Highway 6,” “off Briar Forest between Dairy Ashford and Wilcrest,” south of Memorial City Mall, west of Bunker Hill between Hammerly and Memorial, Memorial close to Beltway 8, Kingwood, near Lake Houston, Bellaire, Westbury, Tanglewood, Meyerland (2), Riverside Terrace, Clear Lake (3), Braes Heights, Lakewood Forest, Brook Forest, Pinehurst, Humble, Wilchester, Westchester, Nottingham Forest, Nottingham VIIIage, Nottingham Country, “Nottingham something,” “around I-10 and the Beltway, Spring Shadows, south of I-10 “around the Gessner area,” Maplewood, Ashford Village area, 77077, Southgate, “near the Med Center,” Huntwick Forest (2), Quail Valley, “near the Costco on Bunker Hill,” near IKEA, Green Trails, Green Trail Estates, Champion Forest, Memorial Bend, “near off Memorial just east of Hwy. 6,” near Gessner south of Clay Rd., north of I-10, near Pinecrest Golf Course,” Sharpstown, “Braeburn area,” Katy near Katy-Hockley Rd., Baytown, Spring Creek Oaks, Mission Bend, West Bend, Walnut Bend, Northampton, Pasadena, Cypress, Jersey Village, Dickinson, Sugar Creek, near Hearthstone Country Club, Copperfield, Briar Meadow, Pearland, Memorial Northwest, River Oaks, and Texas City.

The winner of that one-year individual membership in the Rice Design Alliance? flake, for landing on Jersey Village! Congratulations, flake!

Want the details?

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10/02/09 11:48pm

Maybe you’d like to take the weekend to think about this week’s Neighborhood Guessing Game? Good idea! Where could this place be? Not in any of the neighborhoods that have been guessed already.

What’s at stake this week? A one-year individual membership in the Rice Design Alliance. It’s still up for grabs.

So guess again, in the comments of the original post. We’ll announce the winner on Monday if there is one!

Photo: HAR

09/30/09 6:37pm

What happened to Tuesday’s Neighborhood Guessing Game? This week it became Wednesday’s Neighborhood Guessing Game. And here it is!

Up for grabs this week: a one-year individual membership in the Rice Design Alliance. And you’ll win it — if you guess the location of this week’s mystery mansion. If more than one of you guesses the correct neighborhood, the prize will go to the player who provided the best explanation for the guess.

What if you already know this home, or if you come across the listing while the game is on? Please don’t blurt out the answer and ruin the game for everyone else. Instead, send Swamplot an email with a link to the listing — to give us a heads-up. Then submit an incorrect guess, but make it sound entirely plausible. If you do this well enough to throw other players off the scent, you’ll get special recognition when the winner is announced. And if nobody guesses the correct location, you could win the prize!

How about taking a good look around?

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

09/24/09 11:25pm

Who won the prizes from Houston. It’s Worth It.?

For this week’s game four of you guessed Sugar Land. We had 3 guesses each for “the Champions/1960 area,” Missouri City, Silverlake, Cypress, and Atascocita. Two votes each for “near Highway 6,” Eagle Springs, Sienna Plantation, Lake Olympia, and Katy. Single guesses hit Commonwealth, Brightwater, Sweetwater, First Colony, Sugar Mill, Sugar Creek, Sugar Lakes, New Territory, Lexington Colony, Summerwood, Walden, Lake Houston, Longwood, Pearland, Audubon Place (in Pearland), Crystal Lakes, “one of those gated communities near 35,” Meyerland, “that little neighborhood near Bellaire, inside The Loop, by the Home Depot,” Hilshire Village, The Woodlands, southeast Houston, Clear Lake, Lakeside Estates, Lakeside Forest, near the Lakeside Country Club, “Grant Rd./Spring Cypress area,” “somewhere in the Cy-Fair school district, maybe way up 290,” Lake Colony, Bellaire, “the area bordered by 249, 1960, I-45, and Spring-Cypress,” Rodeo Palms, Deer Park, League City, Huffman, Humble, Memorial, Bunker Hill, Greatwood, Kingwood, Lakes of Eldridge, Friendswood, Klein, Copperfield, “toward Crosby,” and West University.

Senorbanity wins an honorable mention for calling this home “a late 80’s or early 90’s Perry McMansion.” But . . . where?

Here’s the winning entry:

My guess that this is somewhere in the Cy-Fair school district, maybe way up 290, and built sometime in the mid to late 90’s. It’s old enough that the landscaping has grown up, but new enough that the builder’s plop-oak in the front yard hasn’t.

Also, I think I know what color the office off the master bedroom is, because my bathroom is the same color. If it’s not Northern Cascades by Benjamin Moore, then it’s the same color, but by Laura Ashley.

Claire, we’re coloring you a prize winner. Here’s what Houston. It’s Worth It. is going to send you: The original Houston. It’s Worth It. book, the new HIWI: Ike book, and HIWI’s new “Hunkered Down” stencil kit. Congratulations!

We had 3 other Cypress-area guesses from runners-up Jessica1, nativesnob, and NWH. All three very close!

Special recognition goes to James, who wrote in with the actual listing, and sent other players in the exact opposite direction with his decoy guess: down I-45 to Deer Park or League City.

So where is this place, really?

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

09/22/09 11:47am

Yes, it’s time for yet another round of Swamplot’s mystery-home guess-o-rama! And we’ve got some great prizes again this week, from Houston. It’s Worth It.

The winner will receive HIWI’s “Hunkered Down” stencil kit, the original Houston. It’s Worth It. book, and a copy of the brand-new HIWI: Ike book, full of photos and stories about that little ol’ hurricane that blew into town about a year ago.

Here’s how to win: Just guess the neighborhood this home is in! If more than one of you names the correct neighborhood, the player who provided the best explanation for the guess will get the prize.

If you already know this home, or if you find the listing, please don’t ruin the game for everyone else. Just send Swamplot a link to the listing instead — so we know what’s up — and then submit your own creative but incorrect guess. If you do this well, throwing other players off the scent, you’ll get special recognition when the winner is announced. And if nobody guesses the actual neighborhood, that winner could be you!

Let’s snoop around a bit, shall we?

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

09/17/09 6:05pm

Who won that Rice Design Alliance membership this week?

Here’s where you thought this week’s mystery mansion might be: There were 3 guesses each for West University and Bellaire. We also had Katy, Sugar Land, “Montrose west,” Montrose close to 59, Montrose “somewhere along 59 between Shepherd and the spur-ish,” “along the Beltway 8 feeder road between Briarforest and Westheimer,” Westchase, Green Tee Terrace in Pearland, “near the Med Center,” Museum District, Cinco Ranch, The Woodlands, Southgate, Steeplechase off Jones Rd., Jersey Village, “a few blocks north of 610 North near St. Pius School and Church,” “Morningside area,” the Heights, the northern Heights, Woodland Heights, near Willowbrook Mall, Sharpstown, the Astrodome area, University Park in Clear Lake, Southampton, and Lindale Park.

Any more guesses? Here was the winning entry:

A few blocks north of 610 North near St. Pius School and Church. I’m stating the obvious when I note that this is a 2 or more story building. I see stairs in one photo. I see even a possible 3rd floor. yup, this one looks standardized. I think this is in an older neighborhood than most guessers. the builder probably took some plans from an old job out in kingwood, bought a lot “in town” and broke ground in 1992. nirvana was playing on the worker boom boxes over all of the hammering and sawing and stuff.

Okay, height and the Nirvana bit are way off, and let’s make that a few superblocks north of 610 North. Still, good enough for a win. Congratulations, JPSivco! You’re the RDA’s newest member!

Wanna see the rest of this place?

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

09/15/09 3:32pm

How will you make out in this week’s Neighborhood Guessing Game? Well, if you win, you’ll get a free one-year individual membership in the Rice Design Alliance. (Note: the RDA’s fall lecture series, Getting High: Towers in Architecture, starts this Wednesday night!)

All you need to do to win is guess the location of the pictured home! If more than one of you guesses the right neighborhood, the prize will go to the player who included the best explanation.

Do you already know this property? Did you find its listing? Then please don’t ruin the guessing for everyone else! Instead, send Swamplot a link to the listing (so we’ll know what you’re up to), then submit an incorrect guess. Make it sound real convincing and you’ll get special recognition when the winner is announced. And if nobody guesses the actual neighborhood, you could win this week’s prize!

Here are the photos:

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

09/11/09 11:49pm

Did we really need that extra day to come up with a winner? Well, not exactly. Your extra-day guesses for this week’s game weren’t much closer. But let’s work with what we’ve got!

First, here’s where you thought this week’s mystery homestead might have been: Champion Forest, the Northgate Country Club area, Old Town Humble, Minnetex, Jersey Village (2 guesses), “off south Gessner near Bellaire,” “on the east side of town south of Highway 90 just outside the Beltway,” “a barely incorporated area of Humble,” the FM 1960 corridor, Stafford, Zip Code 77024, Atlanta, Kingwood, Spring Branch (2), Spring Shadows, Eastwood, “east of Downtown,” Midtown, South Houston, near Fuqua, “between 290 and 45, 610 and Little York,” Friendswood (2), Mission Bend, Timbergrove Manor, “the Heights/near North Side around Airline,” Heritage Park in League City, Pearland, Southwyck in Pearland, Ponderosa Forest, Olde Oaks, Memorial Northwest, Dickinson, League City, Santa Fe, “off Stella Link,” “the swath between 45 North and 59 North, within train horn distance of the Hardy Toll Rd.,” Aldine Bender, Aldine Mail Rd., “off Post Oak South, east of the Meyerland area and south of 610,” “all of the areas not chosen between Katy, Highway 90, Ft. Bend Tollway/Beltway 8, and I-10,” “the Crosby/Highlands area,” the Energy Corridor, Thornwood, LaPorte, Seabrook, “from 225 to the Kemah bridge on the bay side of 146,” Shoreacres near the Houston Yacht club, “an unincorporated semi-rural subdivision in the wild woods of Metro Conroe,” Atascocita, Brazosport, Fondren Southwest, “Lakewood/Grant and Jones/Eldridge area,” Santa Fe, the Bear Creek area, Baytown, Bellaire, West Columbia, Spring, Tomball, Magnolia, Galveston, Cypresswood, Enchanted Oaks, outside Alvin, Tiki Island, San Leon, Lake Jackson, the Houston Ship Channel, “off 59 near Lake Houston,” and Sugar Land.

That’s a lot of running around town!

The winner of this week’s (and, in fact, last week’s) prize — the new HIWI: Ike book, the original HIWI book, and that “Hunkered Down” stencil kit from Houston. It’s Worth It. — is marmer, for this:

What a strange place! I agree it looks like a manufactured home, but it’s just too big and there are too many details in the bedrooms to really convince me. I agree it’s quasi-industrial, too. Has anyone guessed the sketchier part of the Heights/near North Side? Kind of around Airline?

Not exactly a correct guess. But can we focus in on just those last two words — and ignore the rest . . . ?

Congratulations, marmer!

Our two runners-up are Jessica1 — who wisely chose to stretch an earlier guess north of Little York, but veered too far west to Jersey Village — and Harold Mandell, who set up camp on the wrong side of I-45.

Let’s take a look at this place, shall we?

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

09/10/09 11:33pm

We’ve been itching to give away 2 — yeah, count ’em: two — Houston. It’s Worth It. books now . . . for 2 weeks! The new HIWI: Ike book and the original HIWI book. And that HIWI brand “Hunkered Down” stencil kit. Really, one of you should win these great prizes.

But you’re going to have to do a better job of guessing to get it.

That’s right: None of your guesses have been close enough. Maybe if we extend the game one more day . . . until Friday? Will one of you get it then?

Sure hope so. Go add your guesses to the original post. If you’ve already guessed, go ahead and guess again.

And focus on this — just part of what you could win:

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

09/08/09 4:06pm

Y’all ready for another go at this?

When last we left the Neighborhood Guessing Game, we had 3 prizes from Houston. It’s Worth It. But nobody won them. How about this time?

Here’s what you’ll win from Houston. It’s Worth It. . . . if you win: A copy of the new HIWI: Ike book; a copy of the original Houston. It’s Worth It. book; plus a brand-new, ready-for-the-next-‘cane, HIWI-brand “Hunkered Down” stencil kit.

Yes, all this can be yours . . . if you can guess what neighborhood the pictured home is in. If more than one of you guesses correctly, the prizes will go to the player who provided the best explanation for the guess.

If you aren’t guessing — that is, if you already know this property or if you find the property by corralling a herd of Googling monkeys to search for you (or employ any other method that isn’t actually guessing) — please don’t spit out the answer and ruin the fun for everyone else. Instead, send Swamplot an email with a link to the listing (so we know the monkeys are working for you). Then make an incorrect guess, but explain it in a way that’s convincing enough to throw the other players off. If you do this well, you’ll get special recognition when the winner is announced. And if no one guesses the actual neighborhood, that winner could be you!

How about a quick look through those photos, then?

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY