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Developer (and Swamplot advertiser) Carol Isaak Barden says to give her latest project another week or 10 days before it’s ready — the paint isn’t quite dry yet. But all the peppers, candles, and watermelons are certainly in place for these fancy photos she sent us.
Barden calls the home, which is available for sale in a non-MLS kinda way, the “Tree House.” The architects are Erick Ragni and Scott Strasser. The 4,150-sq.-ft. home (3,500 if you don’t count the oversized garage) is on a 50×100-ft. lot at 1608 Indiana, across the street from HISD’s Wilson Montessori School.
What’s so tree-ish about it?
Here are your clues: It’ll be “downtown” in a 1928 “warehouse,” and have twice the floor space of the current Walter’s at 1425 Washington Ave. It will have free parking and will be “removed from residential areas.” Beyond that, owner Pam Robinson isn’t saying — until TABC approves the new location: “The venue has shows booked deep into the fall. There will be no cancellations. As soon as the new space — which Robinson hopes to announce in the next week or two — is ready, Walter’s shows will move there.” [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
What’s going on today in the dynamic world of building removal? Read our report! The magic is all in the subtraction . . .
A lot of you had a lot to say about this week’s mystery property. But only one of you is walking away with that shiny new Rice Design Alliance membership!
There were 2 guesses each for South Houston, the Memorial Villages, Pasadena, Clear Lake, and Deer Park. The rest of your guesses? Bunker Hill, Piney Point Village, “far out Memorial,” “the area around Bellfort and Broadway,” Oak Ridge North, Meyerland, “the New Caney/Roman Forest/Porter area,” Humble, Porter, New Caney, Katy, Glenbrook Valley, “Northwest between Hollister and Sam Houston Tollway,” “just outside Beltway 8 around Briar Forest,” Fondren Southwest, “outside the North Belt,” “any subdivision,” Alvin, Alief, T.C. Jester or Ella Blvd. near 610, “southwest side,” “very close to Blue Ridge Mountain,” “somewhere southeast,” “somewhere off 2920, between 249 north and I-45 north,” “somewhere across Hempstead from Delmar Stadium near Freed Park,” “somewhere south of Hell,” Park Glen, Meadowcreek, Quail Valley, Oak Forest, Maplewood South, Sugar Land, Pearland, Northampton in Spring, “the Inwood area,” Oakbrook West, Friendswood, Baytown, LaPorte, Sharpstown, Northwest Houston, Candlelight Plaza, Shepherd Park Terrace, “the older parts of Champions,” “off Wilcrest below Lakewood,” and Huntwick.
The winner of a one-year individual membership in the RDA is JC, for this brilliant entry:
Why would you put a cooktop underneath a kitchen window? Even if it’s a downdraft cooktop, I’d feel more comfortable with the traditional kitchen sink underneath that window. Plus, the tile floors look somewhat newer, possibly replacing linoleum or carpet in some parts. What was dead on was movocelot’s guess that the makeshift home theater was the converted garage. With the amount of paneling still intact in the living room, I’m going to guess the house was built in the 70s, and judging by the kitchen cabinets and countertops, I’m going to go against my better judgement and say 1977.
You can notice details of upgrades here and there, mostly noticed by the mirror and sink/counter in the hall bath, which looks to be the same material underneath the bottle of McCormick vodka…
This house has the look of one that would be outside of the beltway. However, I’m going to take a guess here and say this one is in the Inwood area.
Congratulations, JC! This week’s runner-up, miss_msry, aimed just a little too far to the west.
The real prize this round, though, is Claire de Lune — who not only wrote in to suggest this listing in the first place, but came back to concoct this cock-and-bull story to try and throw y’all off:
There are so many places this could be, its hard to choose just one. But it strongly resembles a lot of the homes I saw when I lived in the Clear Lake area. Probably built in the 60s, and redecorated by the second wife (who had theatrical aspirations) in the mid 80s, judging from the abundance of floral crap and faux greenery. The toys belong to the visiting step-grandchildren. That sunken tub probably hasn’t been used in years.
I’m going to place this in Oakbrook West, or possibly the older sections of Friendswood. Whoever lives there is retired, has been in that house a LONG time, and takes “home theater” just a little too seriously. Anyone who would do that with what seems to be a renovated garage has WAY too much time on their hands. Good luck selling this litte gem!
What’s the real story on this place?
“Houston has a lot of high-density *potential*. Unfortunately it isn’t developing out that way. Instead, high-density developments [are] being put in low-density areas. Which makes them pockets of density without the benefits. West Ave., Regent Square, and the infamous Ashby Highrise are all examples. For urban density to work, it must reach a ‘critial mass’ of proximity, diversity of commerce, employment, and on-the-spot residences all within walking distance. Put the three developements above near each other, and near downtown, and you’d have a true move toward urbanism. Alone, none are big enough to be self-sustaining as a true urban lifestyle. Putting them in lower-density areas and residential neighborhoods dilutes the effect, greatly reduces the benefits of density, and causes a lot more strain on infrastructure this isn’t adequate for the density. If Houston want’s to become a true urban city, it won’t happen in the disjunctive manner we’re currently seeing. Our current path will only lead to those that want traditional neighborhoods upset with large-scale develpers and those that want true urbanism not getting it either.” [Dave McC, commenting on Boyd’s Wilshire Village Prayer, with Photos]
Live-music maker and fan Jeff Balke gets worked up over the rumor that Walter’s on Washington will be closing its doors after its Halloween show:
At one time, Washington Avenue was home to Rockefeller’s, The Fabulous Satellite Lounge, Club Hey Hey, the Bon Ton Room and The Vatican. Other notables including Walter’s, The Rhythm Room, Tones, Cosmo’s and others had their moments along the popular corridor. When Walter’s closes, that will be that for live music having been replaced by red velvet roped drinking spots that serve over-priced alcohol to those allowed in by bouncers.
Balke blog bonus: A blow-by-blow what-are-they-now guide to Washington Ave live-music venues gone bye-bye.
Houston Press music blog Rocks Off has this vague report: “The building has reportedly been sold and, we hear, Walter’s owner Pam Robinson is looking to relocate.”
Photo of Walter’s on Washington, 4215 Washington Ave.: Yelp user mark s.
Fifth Ward correspondents Vaughn and Terri Mueller drive by the building at 2000 Lyons St., across the railroad tracks from Hennessey Park — the future location for the Saint Arnold Brewery. And they notice the gate and a wide strip of the building open to view:
There aren’t any signs around the old HISD food service building exclaiming that Saint Arnold’s is moving in, but take a quick drive around the block and and it sure looks like a brewery inside. The expansion is still under construction but there is a large door (or unfinished wall) that is open to one of the side streets. . . . You can see some of the fermentation tanks in the corner. One of the only signs at the construction site is for the construction company “Clifford Jackson Contractors.”
Take these houses down. Then come back here tomorrow so we can give you more:
“In a century or two, Houston will be underwater.” [markd, commenting on Comment of the Day: Where the Skyscrapers Will Be Built]
Curious about advertising on Swamplot? Now’s a great time to look into it!
Just a reminder that there’s only a little more time to lock in last year’s rates. You can read more about our summer special here.
“. . . I swear to you — some plumber supply places got it going on. We needed a new water heater and some parts that go with that for the new tenant. So I headed out to find the proper supplies. There’s a couple different plumbing supply places that I’ve seen this set up at now: a long countertop with stools in front of it. People sit on the stools and chat with people on the other side of the counter about all sorts of stuff. It looks like a bar. The place I went to today had the coolest barstools too. They were old metal barstools with white vinyl seats that said ‘Rheem Water Heater’ on them. They’re all beat up and worn. The place is an old building in the warehouse district. It’s hot - there’s no A/C. A warehouse door pulled up lets an all too infrequent summer breeze blow in. The floor is old wood panel that had seen rough wear for years. The men behind the counter were older, smoking, and turn on polite charm for me, a woman, looking for some odd part. I want to hang out here, talk about the job, the work site. Things I can’t do because I have no idea about any of it. But it looks fun. I know I’m romanticizing it. But I imagine tall tales get told here: competitive stories about who found the grossest thing come out of a clogged pipe, or weird disaster jobs with insane and creative resolutions on the fly.” [Dog Food Sugar]
Oil spill on the bayou: “The spill spread from an oil storage tank in the Mont Belvieu area, leaking into Smith Gully then on to Cedar Bayou. Mont Belvieu’s Emergency Management Chief Bruce Oliphant said best estimates put the spilled oil at 200 to 300 gallons but said a reason for the leak had not been determined by Tuesday afternoon. ‘We’re not sure why it leaked,’ Oliphant said. ‘We couldn’t see where it was coming from the tank and maybe it was coming from somewhere underground.’” [Baytown Sun]
From Robert Boyd’s blog, Wha’ Happen?:
Wilshire Village is officially no more. . . .
I am interested in what happens next. Certainly something new will be built there, but in today’s economic environment, getting loans for development is hard. So it may sit for a while. But I will be watching and taking photos whenever I notice a change in status.
Here’s what I hope. I hope that the new development there, whatever it is, is a reasonably high density development, like the one it replaces. I hope that the new development preserves the beautiful trees on the site.
I hope the new development is people-oriented and community-oriented. I hope that it engages the street and is pedestrian-friendly. I hope that it is architecturally interesting. I hope it has no fake stucco, no faux-Tuscan features. I hope it has no turrets or oversized, penis-shaped entryways. I hope it doesn’t have big garages that face the streets.
From GunsandTacos (Jay R): So they're clearing out the lot on Westheimer and Helena (next to Hollywood). Anyone know what's going up over there? @swamplot
From newtexasarch (New Texas Arch.): #followfriday @DESIGN_VOICE @chriskrager @LouiseHarpman @scottspecht @swamplot @barcelonaloca @HCoSS @jetsongreen @ladyaia @gulfcoastgreen
From Mr_tweets (Hugo Rodriguez ): Hugo Made a Funny @swamplot http://bit.ly/2U2Go
From esmeXD (Esme Yay!): o.o RT: @swamplot Guess Where Walter’s on Washington Is Moving! http://twurl.nl/h0vs2h
From joeyguerra (joeyguerra): RT @dryvetyme: RT @swamplot: Guess Where Walter’s on Washington Is Moving! http://bit.ly/E3MHY
From dryvetyme (Adam P. Newton): RT @swamplot: Guess Where Walter’s on Washington Is Moving! http://bit.ly/E3MHY
From jeffbalke (Jeff Balke): RT @swamplot: Guess Where Walter’s on Washington Is Moving! http://bit.ly/E3MHY
From agent21 (Thomas A. B. Johnson): RT @swamplot: Walter’s Was the Only One Left: The Death of Live Music on Washington Ave http://twurl.nl/7oew4f
From HAAonline (Houston Apt Assn HAA): RT @swamplot Boyd’s Wilshire Village Prayer, with Photos http://twurl.nl/z0tw84
From CandacitaBonita (CandacitaBonita): Uh-Oh! Oil Spill... RT @swamplot: Another River Runs Through Baytown http://twurl.nl/i7zx87
Comment of the Day: What’s the Plan?
“. . . It would be nice if someone would come up with a ‘master plan’ for these areas of unrestricted land and at least ask the developers to work within that plan. I suspect if some had been a little nicer the developers of 1717 Bissonnet might have been nicer as well. They did buy the land in good faith as they say. They were not legally obligated, nor are they, to get anyone’s permission to build whatever they wanted to build beyond meeting the requirements of city code. There was also no indication on the part of the city or anyone else what was “desired” for that area. As it stands, it’s a hodgepodge of multi-family and commercial. Neither of which fits the definition of ’single-family’ which seems attached to every argument made against 1717 Bissonnet. I’m not sure you can have a perfect plan but someone needs to at least attempt some sort of plan for future development in Midtown and the Museum District and Montrose and the Heights and of course Galleria which at this point is at critical mass in terms of traffic. . . . We don’t have zoning but we do have unrestricted land. Which is the same thing when you think about it. No one thought about possibly restricting the unrestricted land until the plan for 1717 Bissonnet was announced. . . . The problem here should have been addressed a long time ago. As for urban planning, it should have happened yesterday. Hopefully tomorrow the next mayor will make some sort of ‘master plan’ a priority for these unrestricted areas and we will have something developers and neighborhoods can work with. . . .” [Matt, commenting on Comment of the Day: Missing That High-Density High Density]