10 spring \I i a a i I ( i < e s 7

Where the '50s Were Fabulous

A D R I V I N G T O U R OF M E M O R I A L B E N D

MEMORIAL BEND is home to one of Houston's largest con- 503 iLECTRA centration of 1950s modern houses. In 1955, builders Howard IMS/William N.Floyd Edmunds and Robert Puig poid $3,000 on acre for a 200-acre Two other examples of this post-and- / plot of land off of Memorial Diive. Due to o lack of funds, they heam house are found m Memorial Bend, enlisted the help of three investors to form the Memorial Bend hut this architect-owned home is the best Development Company. One investor wos William Norman preserved ol the three. Fhe facade fea Floyd, an architect whose wort helped define the residential tnres windows and exposed look ol Houston from the 1940s until the late 1960s. Floyd beams supporting a canrilevcred . designed moie than 500 houses and commercial buildings in the Wing walls extend beyond the home to Houston oreo, several of which me located in Memoiiol Bend. provide added privacy. The interior once Other architects — including William R. Jenkins, Harwood 311 ElECTRA featured a skylighted garden room and 12923 HANSEL laylor, ond David Brooks — also placed iheii maik on Memorial 1958/William N. Floyd Shoji screens to separate common areas. 1956/WilliamN. Floyd Bend. (During the early years of their coieers, Jenkins ond Taylor Kill Oudill, founder ol Ciudill Kowiett Next to this house is one of the entrances This low-pitched-roof house received a both worked for Floyd os draftsmen.) fhe investors' commit- Scott, chose this William N, Floyd- ro the F.dirh I., Moore Nature Sanctuary. special award of merit in the I9SK best ment to moking Memorial Bend unique enabled Ihese architects designed house as his lirsr 1 louston resi- Model Homes contest held by the to provide the subdivision with a character and style aot found dence. Floyd was one of Caudill's college National Association of I lomebuilders. in olhei postwar Houston-area neighborhoods classmates, though they never saw each Slightly different versions of the plan cm Memorial Bend's good design attracted notable architects other alter their studies. The hnck facade he found throughout Memorial bend, aad local celebrities ta the neighborhood. Earie 5. Alexander, Jr., stresses privacy and features a carilevered including 12942 Hansel and 129|'> moved into the neighborhood when he was just a draftsman; he overhang that shields the home's entry. Figaro. Articles and photographs of the eventually became a partnei ia the firm Pierce, Goodwin, The rear of the house includes floor-to- house later appeared in Ameru\t» Builder Alexander aad Linville. Caudal, Rowlett aad Scott fouoders such ceiling windows that offer views of and House &• Hume. us Brll Coudill, Wallie Scott, Choiles E. lowrence, and Tom Kurnmel Creftk. It is said that Caudill Bullock moved into Ihe neighborhood in the late 1950s follow- added the large houlder on the front ing the firm's relocation to Houston. The neighborhood was also lawn during his stay in Memorial Bend. home to Harold Oberg of Jenkins, Hoff, Obeig and Soxe; Gunler Koelter of Koeltei, Ibarp and (owed; and Gilbert Thwealt of 330 ElECTRA 12923 BuHFRFir Wellon Becker & Associates. I9.SH/William N.Floyd 1956/William N. Floyd During the neighborhood's early years, several This house appeared in home plan maga- With this house, Floyd's main goal was Memorial Bend homes were featured in magazines such as zines such as Netr Homes (luide (Fall to provide the owners wilh privacy, l'ven American Builder, House & Home, Practical Builder, BetterI960 ) hut is the only known example of today, il is very difficult to tell what lies Homes & Cordons, and Mouse Beautilii. Floyd's designs, often the design in ihe" I louston area. Floyd behind the facade of this butterfly-roof repeated throughout the neighborhood with changes ia the remarked that this was his favorite design house — located, appropriately, on facades, received recognition from the national press aad the in Memorial Bend, particularly because Butterfly. National Association ol Home Buildeis. Though many tradi- of its three distinctive barrel vaults. 12902 TRAVIATA tional houses ate olsa located in Memorial Bead, Hat, law- 1959/William N. Floyd pitched, oad butleifly loofs, clerestory windows and Ihe post- 'Fhe long, sleek facade of this post-atld- war spirit define this west Memorial neighborhood*. Today, a bcam house tries in vain to keep at bay evi- drive through the neighborhood shows why early advertise- dence ol the nearby Sain I louston tollway. ments proudly cloimed, "Memorial Bend: Home of Prize Winning Contemporaries... more good Contemporaries than any other subdivision in Houston."

More information on Memoiiol 8end's historic houses can be loundatusers.evl.net/-michoeSi/bend/bend.litm.

12942 HANSEL 334 ELECTRA 1958/William N. Floyd I9.su/William N. Floyd "'Fhe C.'ontemporama," as it was adver- Also featured in Living Now, this low- tised in 1958, is a variation of Floyd's pitched-roofed house features a hexago- award-winning design at 12921 Hansel nal master bedroom, The interior was and 129 IK Figaro. 12923 TRAVIATA redesigned with a unique and whimsical 1956/Williain N, Floyd touch by the current owners using their I'Ui /;..(/ Builder labeled this home the own remodeling company. The garage is "Cloutemporary Texan" in its October a later addition. 1959 issue. Fhe striking design of this house features dihedral roof planes and post-and-heam construction with Jcrcsiun windows. Fhe side and rear ol the house wrap around a courtyard. Fhe security gares are a later addition. fire < 7 | i o o 3 I s p f f n j I I

B Y M I C H A E L B R I C H F O R D

12931 TRAVIATA 12831 TOSCA 458 FAUST 1959/William F. W o r t h a m 1956 1955/William N. Floyd Worrham, k n o w n for his design of This small traditional house was once the When architect F.arlc S. Alexander, Jr. West In i n Souarc, d e i g n e d only one residence of architect Gunter Koetter. was shown the advertisement lor ibis house in the Bend. The owners w o r k e d Koetter was a co-founder of Koetter, house, he c o m m e n t e d that it was too tar closely w i t h W o r t h a m to incorporate Tharp and C o w c l l , .u\ architectural firm from t o w n as n o t h i n g was past old C a m p design features such as w i n g walls adja- known for numerous buildings in the 1 ludson, a Boy Scout camp, Alexander's cent to the entry, Phillippinc mahogany I louston area. The l i n n helped shape the wife must have been very persuasive; the throughout the house, and recessed light- look of the M e m o r i a l area in the 1950s family was one of the first to move into ing visible f r o m the street. and 1960s as it designed ncarbv l IK- neighborhood. Alexander, then a 315 ISOLDE Memorial Drive United Methodist draftsman, eventually become a partner 12919 FIGARO 1964 Church, M e m o r i a l Drive Lutheran in the firm Pierce, G o o d w i n , Alexander 1959/William N. Floyd This is one ot the newer houses in Church, T a l l o w o o d Baptist C h u r c h , and tsl l.inville and served as te president ot Charles E. Lawrence, the second of the Memorial Bend. The owners played a sig- Memorial I ligh School. Koetter also the H o u s t o n A i A . four founders of C a u d i l l R o w l c tt Scott to nificant role in the look of this house as served as president ot the I louston A1A move into M e m o r i a l Bend, lived in this they incorporated design features of other and later merged his f i r m w i t h 12835 MEMORIAL DRIVE understated m o d e r n house. Lloyd's clean contemporary houses f r o m the 1950s and Lockwood, A n d r e ws & N e w n a i n . 1957/William R. Jenkins design features exposed posts on the 1960s. A striking white concrete-block William R. Jenkins designed several brick facade and a side-facing entrance. screen w i t h black posts supports the houses in M e m o r i a l Bend, including llus (Tom Bullock lived at 12814 Figaro house's carport. The interior includes a house for 1 l o w a r d \ \ . b.diiiunds, one of hefore selling lus house to tellow CRS sunken living r o o m , original terra/./.o the neighborhood's developers. L.dmunds founder Wallie Scott. T h a t F l o y d - floors, modernist furniture, and countless f had Jenkins add several " m o d e r n " m u c h designed house was later demolished to lloor-to-ccilmg w i n d o w s overlookin g a es In I he bouse, such as a black-aild-gold make way tor the Sam I louston Tollwny.) ravine lot. Vermont marble fireplace and an all-steel kitchen. I In house's exterioi has been 307 ISOLDE " tarnished by the modification of the origi- Early 1960s nal built-up roof. Prior to striking it rich in the energ) industry, Bob M c N a i r , owner of the I louston Texans N i l . franchise, was the 12807TOSCA original o w n e r of this traditional house. 1958 lis not certain whether Lloyd or W i l l i a m 303 ISOLDE R. Jenkins designed this house, w h i c h has l959/Brooks& Brooks characteristics of both their designs. An David George Brooks designed this eye-catching butterfly roof w i t h broad secluded house for M u r r a y d e l / , a w e l l - and clerestory w i n d o w s makes the 12923 FIGARO known 1 louston photographer. On the house a standout. 1959/William N . F l o y d front of the house, Brooks m i x e d floor- One can't help hut admire the wa> Lloyd to-ceiling w i n d o w s w i t h clerestory w i n - designed this house to take advantage "I dows. The rear of the house makes use o f 12647 MEMORIAL DRIVE irs wide peninsula-shaped lot. The f r o nt tall w i n d o w s and sliding glass doors in Cult Stales Machinery Laundry C o m p a n y screen wall hides an impressive series >>l each bedroom to provide plenty ot natu- I 9 6 1 / D o n ]. Tomaseo &: Associates floor-to-ceiling w i n d o w s in the vaulted ral light and views of a large ravine lot. This b u i l d i n g once housed Interurban living r IK Save for one ranch-style Pharmacy, one of the original tenants of house, every house built on the 12800 410GRETEL the Floyd-designed M e m o r i a l Bend and 12900 blocks of Figaro was designed 1959/William N. Lloyd Shopping Park. The pharmacy appeared by Lloyd. A provides a different take on a in the October 1961 issue ot Arti & house plan found t h r o u g h o ut the neigh- Architecture, but was later incorporated borhood. Lloyd built several low-pitched into a b u i l d i n g now occupied by the Gult versions of rhis house, w h i c h was appar- 402 MlGHOH States Machinery Laundry Company. The ently one nl his m o n popul.u house 1956 exterior arched w a l k w a y still provide a plans. Examples include 331 Klectra, 4 0 6 The only house in M e m o r i a l Bend c o n - glimpse into a modern take on a | 9 M N Isolde, and the larger, somewhat modified structed entirely of w o o d , this flat-rooted pli.lllll.KV. houses at 12806 Figaro and 431 Plectra. house was originally built as a sales office for the M e m o r i a l Bend Development Company, It was later occupied by the architect H a r o l d O b e r g , a partner in the firm Jenkins, 1 l o l l , O b e r g cv Saxe.