How’d that Granddaddy of all aqua-toned beach houses in Lafitte’s Cove stand up to Hurricane Ike? Joni Webb — who after Verandah magazine is perhaps the home’s greatest fan — shows off some recent pics of the once-grand weekend showcase on her blog, Cote de Texas:

It is here, today, almost a year after Ike, still languishing empty and neglected – a sort of sad, upscale Grey Gardens of Galveston. I’m not sure why it hasn’t been repaired – it all seems like minor, superficial damage, certainly nothing on a par with the slaughter of the Live Oaks going on uptown. But, still, the house has been left to the elements – something that on the beach should always be avoided. Maintenance is a must in the salt air. A loyal Cote de Texas reader happened upon the Aqua House and took new pictures for me.

The home, decorated in all its much-copied aqua glory by Houston designer Babs Watkins, was sold by a later owner shortly before the hurricane hit last year. And then?

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Maybe we should call this, how the luckiest few had to deal with Ike. No, it’s not heartbreakingly sad like the Live Oak trees, or Bolivar Peninsula. And no, no one will cry over this story or should for that matter. . . . this is just a story of an excess that most of us will never have nor would even want. But still, it might be of interest to some of you: what happens when a wonderfully designed house is no more?

The infinity-edge pool, once the inspiration for the home’s aqua linens, ceilings, and wood floors:

The screened porch:

An outdoor lantern, originally green:

• Another Ike Tale: The Grey Gardens of Galveston [Cote de Texas]
• The Aqua Beach House That Launched a Thousand Aqua Beach Houses [Swamplot]

Photos: Cote de Texas