914 Isolde in Memorial Bend

This is a William Floyd designed home located in Memorial Bend on a 9,500 square foot lot, built in Houston in 1959, and completely updated and renovated by its owner in respect of its architectural history, just prior to Hurricane Harvey. This is a classic mid-century modern home, one of many that flooded when the Corps of Engineers released water into Buffalo Bayou to avoid catastrophic reservoir failure during Hurricane Harvey. Memorial Bend had never flooded prior to that. Pre-Harvey photos of the house are included below, and you can learn more about the architecture of the house at www.memorialbendarchitecture.com

With flooding due to Hurricane Harvey, many mid-century modern homes that had never been threatened with demolition became at risk. We’re happy to say that we just closed 914 Isolde, a classic example of that architecture, now being preserved and saved by its new owners who began immediate renovation after the closing. The home was included in the Book: Atomic Ranch: Design Ideas For Stylish Ranch Homes, and was previously chosen as Houston’s mid-century ‘Mod of the Month’ by Houston Mod, a non-profit 501(C)(3) organization dedicated to promoting knowledge and appreciation of the cultural legacy of mid-century modern architecture and design in Houston, and in Texas. You can learn more about them through their link under MCM Preservation on our Resources Page.

It is a tribute to the owners, who turned down offers from builders who would have torn the home down for new construction, and to the new owners who loved the home and wanted to restore it. Pre-Harvey photos are below.

Listing Photos Courtesy of Champions Real Estate Group
And Houston Modern Homes

As Houston grew to become the fourth largest city in the United States, part of its growth cycle was for older homes and commercial projects to be torn down to make way for new construction. Basically, the closer an older property was to downtown, the Energy Corridor, or any developer created destination, the more the land became worth more than what was on it.

This website, Houston-Modern-Homes.com, focuses on mid-century modern (MCM) and contemporary modern homes, and highlights the historical context of Modernist residential architecture in the Houston area. Our intent is to add value to those homes and contribute to their preservation.

Some of the classic examples of MCM architecture have been lost, while others continue to be threatened in the name of ‘progress’. It was already a struggle to preserve smaller architecturally significant homes in Houston suburbs built in the 1950s and 60s. Their lots were desirable for builders who could tear them down and build larger multi-million-dollar homes. Then Hurricane Harvey arrived, accelerating the potential demolition of some of the best examples of MCM architecture in neighborhoods that never previously flooded.

While many more MCM homes are being torn down and replaced by homes that are at least twice the size, the irony is that the features in homes that are most popular today – open floor plans and informal living areas blending indoor and outdoor living – originated with mid-century architecture. That architectural style not only had sleek and futuristic lines but was also driven by new ideas about the relationship between the home and the people who live in it.

MCM homes are characterized by a low, horizontal profile, open floor plans, large expanses of glass, and innovative design. It also reflected a new social philosophy, that the homes connect the outside environment with interior living space. And, open floor plans promoted a more casual and integrated living experience. Larger spaces could be used for a variety of uses, rather than traditional floor plans that divided living spaces into smaller areas for specific uses.

Organizations like Houston Mod and Preservation Houston work to preserve and promote awareness of these homes and highlight the resurgence of appreciation for their classic architecture. It is sad, however, to see many of its best examples in subdivisions like Memorial Bend, demolished after Hurricane Harvey, and its empty lot listed for sale and the construction of a large new home.

We are keenly interested in seeing as many Mid-Century Modern homes as possible in Houston protected from the same fate. I know we can’t save them all, but by promoting awareness and education, as well as matching homes up with the right buyers when they sell, we can try to preserve their history for as long as possible.

What You Can Do

• Find your own MCM home to restore and protect by learning its story, its architectural features, and modernize it in ways that respect its architectural history.
• Educate yourself and your neighbors about the history of your MCM home.
• Work with your local community to obtain protection for MCM homes through the establishment of historic districts or restrictive covenants.
• Work with us, if you don’t already have a realtor, as the real estate agents for your MCM home purchase or sale. We specialize in and care about the preservation of these iconic homes.

We created the Houston-Modern-Homes.com website to serve the real estate needs of both sellers and buyers of mid-century modern and contemporary modern homes, and to be a definitive source for these architectural and historically significant properties in the Houston area, as well as to be a general resource for related information on modern design, modern and mid-century modern architects, contractors, furniture, art, modern design stores, and anything else related to the design, aesthetics and lifestyle of those who love or live in those homes.

Our mission is simple: to serve owners or sellers of those homes by promoting the value and significance of their modern home, and to serve buyers or anyone else who simply loves great architecture.

Through our websites, email lists, and social media, we access the widest audience of buyers most likely to purchase your mid-century or contemporary modern home. We provide all the services of traditional real estate practices, and then we go significantly further through specialization in unique mid-century modern and contemporary modern architectural properties.

If and when you consider selling your unique and modern property, think about meeting with our Houston Modern Homes team for a discussion of our specialized marketing program for mid-century and contemporary modern homes.

In the meantime, you can find out more about us on our site at www.houston-modern-homes.com, and while you’re there, sign up on our email list for updates as modern homes go on the market, as well as information on the market for modern homes, modern design stores and architects, and other information that may be of interest to you.

I am a Houston-based Realtor and Real Estate Consultant with over 30 years of real estate experience in the Houston area. I’ve owned residential and commercial real estate development companies, and homebuilding companies, but I created this website because I specialize as a Realtor in modern and mid-century modern homes.

We stay closely in touch with that market, and share the information on this site as new modern homes go on the market, as well as information on the market for modern homes, modern and mid- century modern architects, modern design stores, and other information we think may be of interest to people who also love those homes, who are on our email list.

If you come across our site and already have a Realtor, the site is for your information and is not a solicitation if you are already represented by another real estate Broker.

But if you don’t have that relationship, this is what we do. We represent architects who want to restore, rather than tear down, mid-century modern homes, and we have a growing list of both buyers who want to own them, or own a new contemporary home, as well as sellers who want their home to go to the right buyer who will appreciate it.

There are other credentials that I have, and I would be happy to provide those. I’m a veteran, went to West Point, I was a Certified Financial Planner, and own an Internet marketing website, and other things that help me to understand your needs and how to best serve what you need. You can find that kind of information on the Houston Association of Realtors website, or on LinkedIn, and a few other websites.

But more important than that is that we spend the time necessary to work with special clients. My wife, Ann, and I work together, and we enjoy helping people to sell their special home, or find their dream home. We understand marketing, we but don’t use high pressure marketing tactics. We work with people because we like them and they like us. Isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be?