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This week, we look at a renovation in Woodland Heights, the December housing market and the latest from Revive Development. The Do Over 1B · Realty Real Talk 2B • Revive project at 16th and Durham 3B
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Saturday, January 23, 2016 • Page 1B
What’s all the ‘Raven’ about By KIm Hogstrom For The Leader Tuesday, Jan. 19, marked the opening of one of the most interesting, new watering holes in The Leader’s readership area – The Raven Tower. What’s so interesting about another bar, you ask? Have you ever noticed that strange, teal-blue, square structure perched on a long pole-like shaft soaring four stories into the sky over North Main Street? Well, that’s The Raven Tower. The new pub is located at 2915 N. Main and North St., and was originally used as a metal manufacturing warehouse. In the late 1970s, the man who owned the business wanted to live on the same property where he worked, so he built himself a 600-squarefoot, rockin’ bachelor pad on a shaft above the warehouse, with a sexy, 360-degree view of the city. There is an elevator inside the supporting shaft, and a staircase with 62 stairs, for those so inclined. “The ground floor used to house the manufacturing, but we have redesigned it into the main bar and a large patio,” said Johnny So, managing partner of The Raven Tower. “We will hold meetings, and
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By Cynthia Lescalleet For The Leader Unless you’re the cat temporarily walled in who later hid in the ceiling during renovations, the project in Woodland Heights “went smoothly,” reports homeowner Megan Mastal. She had purchased the century-old home in 2001 because its previously renovated single-story floor plan held long-term promise and a practicality that would enable her to remain in residence until “leaving feet first” far, far in the future. That’s not exactly what came to pass. Mastal realized the home’s 1,800-sq.-ft. floor plan, while generous for a kid-free lifestyle, just wasn’t going to keep pace as the close-in neighborhood attracts newcomers and developer interest. “I wanted my old house to continue to stand,” she explains. She “upsized” as “a defensive move.” Another factor was accommodating frequent guests from out of town or family members whose medical needs sometimes require long visits. ‘Relo’ then ‘Reno’ A neighborhood resident since 1993, Mastal is a proponent of historic preservation. She has been involved in neighborhood and city efforts to strengthen deed restrictions and maintain minimum lot sizes. She tries to persuade builders “that more square footage isn’t necessarily better square footage.” “It’s a shame that you have to add square footage to keep a home from being torn down for lot value,” she explains in a follow-up account. “My goal was to do it in a way that is harmonious with original architecture. Renovation and adding (on) is more expensive than tearing down and building new.” When she bought her porch-front property 15 years ago, Mastal thought it “very functional and open, with an historic feel.” Plus, there was room for a pool in back of the 7,000-sq.-ft. property. Neighborhood lore pegs the domicile a Sears “kit home” from 1915 or so, built in brick for an emerging middle class. Updates early on included
private parties in the tower, but the majority of the bar is downstairs. The patio is about 2,000 square feet, and looks out on Little White Oak Bayou and a beautiful green field. It’s going to be a wonderful place to sit and relax with friends.” According to So, The Raven Tower will be serving seven days a week, offering a full bar with affordable beverages, and a casual, comfortable vibe. “We are making sure that it is a reflection of the community; that it is unpretentious, a place where people can meet their friends for drinks in shorts and flip-flops if they want to,” So said. The owners plan to add food service in the summer. Until then, La Macro, a taco truck renowned for its Mexican fare, will spend time on the property serving Raven customers. So and his team are pleased that they could breathe new life into an old, Houston icon. “We are proud that we were able to save the buildings and revitalize them instead of tearing them down,” So said. “They are a part of the area’s appeal and history. We have received a lot of positive feed back about that.”
More Developing The group that developed The Raven Tower, called WOIH Partners, LLC, is also developing an exciting new establishment right next door. Opening in early Summer 2016, White Oak Music Hall is under construction from the ground up. The hall will sit on more than 5 acres at the same intersection of N. Main St. and North St. as The Raven Tower, a mile north of downtown Houston. White Oak Music Hall will feature three live music performance spaces – the 1,000-seat “Music Hall,” the 200-seat “Stage at White Oak,” and the 2,000-person capacity, “Lawn at White Oak.” The hall is slated to host hundreds of events each year from all music genres – country, rock, indie, electronic, classical, and stand-up comedy. The entire effort will be housed in a custom-built, multi-level facility with 15,000 square feet of interior space and an additional 3,000 square feet in exterior balconies. The open-air Lawn at White Oak Music Hall will feature 17,000 square feet of outdoor viewing space, an outdoor stage, and boasts of the downtown Houston skyline as the backdrop.
Contributed photo This warehouse turned bachelor pad is now ready to make its mark as a bar. Johnny So, managing partner of The Raven Tower, said that while the bar will be downstairs they will hold meetings and private parties in the tower. The Raven Tower also has the added benefit of being close to the upcoming White Oak Music Hall. Photo by Christina Martinez The Matthew Logan Vasquez band performing at the Raven Tower grand opening.
By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com
Going up for the long term stained oak flooring – though only to four rooms. Subsequent projects include a ‘50s redo with an enclosed back service porch and expanded kitchen; a ‘70s-added master suite; and a ‘90s overhaul by a builder. Mastal, meanwhile, has handled sporadic updates, such as built-ins, additional lighting, a master bathroom redo and kitchen renovations. Her kitchen plan anticipated a cohesive continuation, now under way, so she amassed extra building materials for use. While not located in the neighborhood’s historic district, the home’s buildout was intended to meet the guidelines, she says. For example, its clad in an artisan version of HardiPlank: “It’s more pricey but looks much more like wood.” Mastal also insisted on using brick on a street-facing bump-out to better tie in with the first level. In hindsight, she admits the architect was correct; the façade would have been as cohesive without the effort, which required finding similar old brick, cutting it down and adding a steel beam to support the added weight. Kismet catch-alls Work upstairs netted few surprises, she says, but the first level’s refresh has uncovered several. In replacing the irreparable oak flooring, for example, workers located sections of 1920-vintage San Antonio Express News, used as early insulation, and discovered how unexposed flooring beneath carpet rugs had never been stained. Repurposing the former laundry room, meanwhile, revealed that its earlier transformation from service porch lacked a supporting beam. That explained the sagging ceiling where roof joists changed direction, she says. That recaptured laundry space has expanded her kitchen, enabling an island with seating and more cabinetry. Bead board and glass finishes echo an original builtin hutch in the adjacent dining room, which lost width to the new staircase. Craftsmen also cleverly converted a pair of French doors into pocket doors. See Do Over P. 7B
Perhaps you’ve seen the sign at 4828 N. Shepherd advertising 9 + acres for lease. The parcel has been available for about six months and Cresa’s David Price said that the land belongs to two different parties. One has the northern 5.5 acres and the other has the southern 3.5 acres. The land can be divided. Price said he’s heard from people who want the rear portion of both tracts and some who are interested in the frontage only. There have been a couple of companies who have inquired about the two large warehouses (13,000 square feet and 10,000 square feet) to the rear of the 3.5 acre tract. “Some people need that kind of space,” said Price. The northern portion of the land was formerly the site for Jones Oil, which according to a press release by J.A.M. Distributing Company was acquired by J.A.M., in 2014 who moved operations elsewhere. That 5.5 acres comes with an environmental study that will be made available to the buyer, once the site is under contract. Price said the acreage is not under any restrictions, and that all serious offers will be given due consideration. Interested? E-mail dprice@cresa.com.
Contributed photo Phase II renovations of a re-re-renovated century-old home in Woodland Heights captured a former laundry area to expand the kitchen.
For Lease - 5015 Autumn Forest 2-2-2 • $1,650 month
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713-412-6682
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