Following up on a comment made on this site recently by another reader — noting Houston’s recent but storied “tradition of adopting styles that clearly evolved in climates very different from ours” — Swamplot resident Robert W. Boyd sends in photos of a notable exception: the Bermuda Woods Apartments in Spring Branch, near Long Point and Gessner.

Boyd reports after his visit:

The townhomes are superficially like Bermuda–the pastel colors, the long vertical window shades.

Isn’t that the idea?

***

Yeah, but . . .

Intentionally or not, the designers of Bermuda Woods have reproduced some “New Urbanist” tropes. Pushing the front of the townhouses close to the street for example. Also the street parking. Andres Duany likes this because it creates a shield between pedestrian and car, making pedestrians feel safer, and by narrowing the street, slowing drivers down. Seems to work here.

The location of these apartments is at the corner of Hazelhurst and Witte. Hadden Park is also at that intersection., This is a relatively new park, but it seems successful. [Sunday]–a perfect park day–it was packed.

A view of Hadden Park from across the street:

I included the funky vehicle because parked in front of those townhomes, one could almost imagine that one was in the Heights or Montrose… Not a common sight (multiple funkiness) outside the loop, in my experience.

I think there is one other Bermudan-style development, a strip center on I-10 near Voss. And who knows what there may be in the many neighborhoods I have never really explored.

. . . it occurred to me that these townhomes are “pre-decorated” for Easter!

• Bermuda Woods [Nolan Real Estate]
• Outlines of a Bunker Hill Village Theme Retreat [Swamplot]

Photos: Robert W. Boyd