BENEFITING PRESERVATION HOUSTON
SATURDAY & SUNDAY, MAY 2 & 3
Photo by Carl Mayfield
Remodel & Expansion of a Boulevard Oaks Historic District Home Miller Dahlstrand DeJean Architects mddarchitects.com
Texas Fine Home Builders texasfinehomes.net
Thanks to Our Sponsors GEORGIAN SPONSORS:
CRAFTSMAN SPONSORS:
Alicia Blaszak Howe & Steve Howe Gabriel Architects Molly McIntyre-Hair & Tom Hair Anne Whitlock & Michael Skelly NEOCLASSICAL SPONSORS:
Deborah Keyser & James Stafford Courtney & Fred Steves QUEEN ANNE SPONSORS:
2015 Good Brick Tour Dates and Times All of the tour locations will be open from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 2 and 3. Tickets offer admission to all tour locations on both tour dates. Begin your tour at any location and proceed in any order you choose.
Tickets Special $25 advance purchase price: Buy your ticket online at goodbricktour.eventbrite.com through Thursday, April 30, at the special advance purchase price and check in at any tour location on May 2 and 3.
At the door: Tickets will be available for $30 per person at any tour location on May 2 and 3. Single-site admission: One-time admission to a single tour location will be available for $10 at any tour site on both days of the tour.
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Welcome Dear Friends, Since 1979, Preservation Houston has recognized excellence in historic preservation with the Good Brick Awards. In that time, many of you have told us you wanted a firsthand look inside these award-winning projects – now you have the chance. After last year’s success, we are pleased to present the second annual Good Brick Tour featuring an impressive selection of restored, rehabilitated and renovated buildings. Preservation Houston is happy to acknowledge the owners of these exceptional historic properties for restoring their buildings to high standards and graciously opening their homes and businesses to our visitors. We also want to thank our hard-working volunteers, led by dedicated co-chairs Kate McCormick and Deborah Keyser and honorary chairs Penny Jones and Bill Stubbs, as well as the enthusiastic committee chairs and Preservation Houston board
members who helped make the 2015 Good Brick Tour possible. We are grateful to our event sponsors for their generous support, which furthers Preservation Houston’s education and outreach programs while celebrating our shared history in progress. We especially appreciate having Houston House & Home return as our print partner. Most of all, we would like to thank you, our members and guests, for attending the 2015 Good Brick Tour and for your interest and involvement in Preservation Houston. While we firmly believe that highlighting award-winning projects will help foster a preservation ethic for Houston, you are ultimately our best advocates. After the tour, tell your friends about what you’ve seen; nominate projects for Good Brick Awards; discuss the importance of local landmarks and historic districts; and let our elected officials know you care about preserving Houston’s history.
If you are not a member, please join Preservation Houston to stay connected with all that’s happening to protect our great city’s architecture, culture and heritage by visiting preservationhouston.org or calling 713-510-3990. With our warmest regards,
Jane-Page Crump Board President
Stephanie Ann Jones Executive Director
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The newly constructed garage apartment is seen above on the left. Extreme care was used to find and use reclaimed brick to match the original. A large courtyard filled the front yard (below), but the current owners had it removed.
Boulevard Oaks Tudor Revival A Salute to a Pioneering Woman Builder; Historic Katharine Mott Home Majestically Restored, Open for Touring By Susan Fox • Photography by Carl Mayfield
When recently talking about his good fortune to be part of the restoration of a Katharine Mott house – and the homeowners’ initial consideration to phase-in renovation work – architect Reagan Miller shares a truth about restoration projects. “When you start pulling the yarn out of a sweater, you need to see it through,” says Miller, a principal of Miller, Dahlstrand DeJean Architects (MDD). Steve Howe bought the home in 1996. But it was not until the end of 2008 that Howe and wife Alicia Blaszak Howe gave the green light for MDD to completely restore the 1928 Tudor Revival-style home located in the Boulevard Oaks Historic District, which has been included on the National Register of Historic Places. The extensive project took two years to complete. The refurbished home, located at 1635 South Boulevard, is on the Good Brick Tour, scheduled May 2 & 3.
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The living room; limestone was added to the fireplace surround and mantel to evoke a classic feel. Furnishings by CBG Interiors.
Katharine Mott was one of the first female builders in Houston. Her homes convey both an architectural distinctiveness and timeliness, according to Miller. Mott homes are recognized for their picturesque manorial styles, asymmetrical floor plans, tapestry brick and casement windows. The majesty of the house is what originally caught Howe’s eye during his morning runs down the boulevard. When it went on the market, he made a successful bid to buy it. When he and Blaszak met – and eventually married – she, too, became just as smitten with the house. “We wanted to honor its history,” says Blaszak Howe. Howe adds that Miller and the MDD team “made sure we stayed true to the original English Tudor design. We decided the only way to do it was to do a complete renovation.” “The original layout was very awkward for tody’s living,” says Miller. “We had to redistribute the rooms. We relocated the kitchen and dining rooms and better defined the public and private spaces. “The entire roof was repaired, and the main entrance, front door, staircase, windows and wood floors all were refurbished,” says Miller. MDD first researched the home, which back in the day was called “The Edgemont,” and found an advertisement announcing the home. Inviting all to tour with “no obligation to buy,” the properly worded advertisement also offered an enticing photo that later helped with the renovation. Miller and his team discovered, thanks to the newspaper photo, the gabled dormers and arched windows that were part of 40 house& home | 2015 Good Brick Tour | www.preservationhouston.org
the house at the time, were not original. They were returned to their original configuration. They also discovered hard-to-find steel windows from a California company called Torrance Windows. Their intent was to restore as much of the original Mott detailing as possible, even when it meant doing time-consuming sleuthing for materials. “We are like detectives, finding the clues on how to restore the integrity of historic homes,” says Miller. A kitchen and breakfast addition was completed in the late 1980s, but it was isolated from the main house. Additionally, it also had suffered extensive water damage. The residence had no family room – a need for today’s families – and, inherent to older homes, minimal closets and bathrooms. A new addition, designed and overseen by MDA, now includes a family room and a mudroom on the first floor. Two bedrooms, bathrooms and a laundry room are on the second level. A new two-story garage with quarters also was built. “A house tells you what it should be at some point, and then you’re just along for the ride,” adds Miller.
RESOURCES MDD ARCHITECTS 713-520-7180
FITTINGS & FIXTURES 713-808-9069
TEXAS FINE HOMES 713-802-2534
CINCO POOLS 281-579-1234
CBG INTERIORS 713-927-0037
The master bathroom was remodeled to feature classic carrara marble on the countertops and bath surround.
The kitchen was relocated to serve the family’s needs. Pendant lighting over the island are from Restoration Hardware.
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42 house& home | 2015 Good Brick Tour | www.preservationhouston.org
1. Fire Station No. 6 2013 Good Brick Award 1702 Washington Avenue, Sixth Ward 77007 When Fire Station No. 6 opened in 1903, it was a state-of-the-art facility, but time and technology passed it by. When Tom Hair purchased the late Victorian building, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but floors were missing, there were holes in the roof and the interior was covered in graffiti. Carlin/White Associates designed the project that transformed the dark, dilapidated structure into the bright, comfortable home of Axiom communications group. From the outset, Hair sought to preserve the historic fabric or replace missing materials with appropriate salvage. When this was not feasible, he had 27 mahogany-framed windows built to match the originals. A functional brass fire pole was also installed, contributing to the creative atmosphere in the firm’s offices. During the tour, visitors will see photomurals of the firefighters and equipment assigned to the station in the early 1900s along with Hair’s colorful collection of 1920s motivational posters. Preservation Houston presented Tom Hair with a 2013 Good Brick Award for his comprehensive restoration of Fire Station No. 6. Photos by Pete Lacker.
2. National Cash Register Building 2011 Good Brick Award 515 Caroline Street, Downtown 77002 Deborah Keyser and James Stafford received a 2011 Good Brick Award for their renovation and repurposing of the National Cash Register Building, a designated City of Houston Landmark. The small building is a hidden gem among larger downtown structures. Designed by celebrated architect Joseph Finger in the Italian Renaissance Revival style, the finely detailed building was completed in 1929, and served as the National Cash Register Company’s sales office and showroom until 1943. Restoring the building’s original appearance required removing later signage and recreating an intricate marble mosaic frieze using historic photographs as a guide. Inside, acoustical tile and fluorescent tubing were taken out, the high ceilings were re-opened and period light fixtures were installed. The couple’s offices, complete with antique cash register, occupy the refurbished ground floor. In what had been a cold, bare storage area on the second story, Cass-Shively Architects designed a warm, inviting apartment that welcomes tour visitors who want to sample exemplary downtown living. The final stop will be the intimate roof garden created by Newberry Campa Architects to provide a quiet urban retreat. Photo above by Jim Parsons. Photos below by Melanie Millar and Michael Morrow.
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3. The Casita / 2015 H-E-B Award 317 Sampson Street, East End 77003 The rescue and restoration of this quaint cottage is the first step in an ambitious preservation project that involved moving and ultimately restoring six Victorian houses along with repurposing a vintage 1910 fire station. In January 2014, Anne Whitlock and Michael Skelly held a literal “parade of homes” as a half-dozen historic houses made their way through Houston’s East End. “The Casita,” the first of the buildings to be rehabilitated, will be open to visitors. Despite years of neglect, many of the home’s historic details were intact. Craftsmen hand-cut intricate Eastlake gingerbread to match the surviving sample. Inside, Janusz Design opened the main room while retaining original trim and beadboard paneling. “The Casita” will serve as a guesthouse for historic Fire Station No. 2, which the couple is restoring as their home. In February 2015, Anne Whitlock and Michael Skelly received Preservation Houston’s inaugural H-E-B Award for their project, which embodies the spirit of ingenuity and reinvention through historic preservation.
Photo by John C. Lindy
4. 1100 Milford Street 2010 Good Brick Award Museum District 77006 The Museum Area Municipal Association nominated John Gabriel for his Good Brick Award for preserving a significant neighborhood landmark and continuing the legacy of its longtime owner. This classically detailed house was built in 1919, and Virginia Tomlinson and her husband lived there through most of its history. After her husband’s death, Mrs. Tomlinson maintained her home and yard by herself until she was 99, taking particular pride in the mature oaks that contributed to the neighborhood’s charm. The house was largely untouched when Mrs. Tomlinson died at 101, and architect John Gabriel purchased the property for his firm’s offices. Neighbors were extremely grateful when Gabriel Architects renovated the house, especially since another buyer planned to demolish the historic home for a parking lot. Although he adapted the house for a new use, Gabriel preserved its residential character and restored many of the original features that can be seen today. He also improved the landscaping that was so important to Mrs. Tomlinson and earned a 2010 Good Brick Award in the process.
Photos by Jim Parsons
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46 house& home | 2015 Good Brick Tour | www.preservationhouston.org
5. 1635 South Boulevard 2015 Good Brick Award Boulevard Oaks Historic District 77006 This gracious Tudor Revival-style home was constructed in 1928, as a speculative house by Katharine Mott, one of Houston’s first woman builders. During the tour, visitors will see why Mott’s houses have earned a well-deserved reputation for classic comfort and enduring quality. When Alicia Blaszak Howe and Steve Howe set out to renovate and expand their home, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, they were committed to preserving the property’s essential character. Original fixtures were refurbished and extensive mold damage repaired. To make the house more functional, Miller Dahlstrand De Jean Architects relocated the kitchen and dining room, designed a new family room on the first floor and added two bedrooms on the second story. On the exterior, the new rear addition incorporates reclaimed tapestry brick to seamlessly blend with the herringbone pattern on the historic house. Alicia Blaszak Howe and Steve Howe received a 2015 Good Brick Award for their project’s exceptional attention to detail, which maintains the integrity of Katharine Mott’s original design. Photos by Carl Mayfield. See the inside of this home on pages 5-7 of this guide.
6. L. D. Allen House 2003 Good Brick Award 2337 Blue Bonnet Boulevard, Old Braeswood 77030 Courtney and Fred Steves received a 2003 Good Brick Award for the sensitive restoration of the most famous modernistic house in Houston. This unique residence was constructed in 1936, for Mr. & Mrs. L. D. Allen, who were inspired by the Homes of Tomorrow Exposition at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair. Houston architects Wirtz & Calhoun incorporated new building technology such as glass block and an innovative steel framing system in their design for the home, which also featured stucco-surfaced walls and tubular metal railings. The resulting house was showcased in national magazines. In 2001, when the Steves purchased the property, the house was largely unchanged, but was neglected and deteriorated. Nevertheless, the couple was enthusiastic about the home’s unique style and commissioned Glassman Shoemake Maldonado Architects to preserve its authentic character. During the renovation, original cabinetry was repaired and refinished, including an unusual moderne bookcase with builtin Zenith radio. Exceptional Art Deco furniture that has been with the home through four owners was restored and will be on display during the tour. Photos by Janice E. Ashton.
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Urban Modern Comfort New construction. Photo by Benjamin Hill Interior Designer, Mel Poet
Virginia Farmhouse New construction. Photo by Jon Golden Interior Designer, Marilyn Phillips
River Oaks Conservatory New construction addition to an existing historic home Photo by Terry Vine. Interior Designer, Kara Childress.
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