This Sleek, Beaming William Floyd Mod in Memorial Bend Is Asking $798,900

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In Memorial Bend, a neighborhood known for its operatic street names and steadily dwindling collection of midcentury modern inventory, one of the homes designed by architect William Norman Floyd has landed stylishly on the market, asking $798,900. A “California contemporary” in its day, the 1956 property features banks of clerestory windows and sloping, beamed ceilings throughout open, light-filled spaces.

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Located on a 9,877-sq.-ft. corner lot just north of Boheme Ln., the home faces north, with its garage facing side street Gretel Dr. Since the garage juts past the front of the home, its back wall, finished in brick, becomes part of the approach to the slightly recessed entry area (above). A pair of glassy 5-panel doors land beneath the apex of the angled roof. Once inside, a wooden partition displaying a repeating grain pattern ends at clerestory window height and separates the foyer and its neighboring room:

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Last week’s listing says the 2,934-sq.-ft. home has a dining room, den, and study. Since the photos don’t specify which space is which, let’s call this one the front room . . .

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More glass panels lighten up a set of pocket doors, which open to the back room:

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That’s where the apparently refinished-but-original narrow-plank flooring switches to parquet:

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Another style of glass panel door enables an open view to the patio, with bricked-in grill:

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Pocket doors at the far end of the room pictured above lead to a brick-sided space with built-in shelving and windows facing the side yard:

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It’s a 4-bedroom home. This one, with access to the patio, appears to be the master bedroom:

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Its access is directly off the kitchen, visible in the background of the photo below:

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The master bathroom offers the basics: a sink and a shower:

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One of the secondary bedrooms has nifty wooden accordion doors on the double closet . . .

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which looks like this when opened:

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The second full bathroom is the one fitted with a tub:

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The home has been enlarged twice — in 1999 and 2004. Double-pane windows and LED lighting were added.

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Memorial Bend still displays several remaining homes designed by architect Floyd, whose other work could be found in about 500 Houston area homes and commercial buildings.

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For a real walk-through, try one of the afternoon open houses scheduled for this Saturday and Sunday.

It’s Spatial

7 Comment

  • Lovely to see a house such as this preserved, but its riddled with bad finish and light fixture choices.

  • The house itself is awesome. But the kitchen and bathrooms are incredibly bland for $800k.

  • Can’t say if I’ve ever before seen pocket doors with glass panes. Cool.

  • Love the exterior, but the wood floors just don’t work. Wonder what the original flooring was. Maybe terrazzo with some nice area rugs would work.

  • Cool house. The late 80’s track-home baths and kitchen are it’s only real faults.

  • I am in love, but only after gutting the kitchen and baths. That tile is hurting my eyes.

  • It’s the shiny, very average cabinets you’re objecting to. Definitely a remodel.
    Also 9-lite-marginal glass doors would not have been a MCM pocket door style – either 5-lite-horizontal, like the entry, or solid flush.
    Even with the changes, it’s still a very livable home!