Houston's modern architecture

[diablo234]

I thought some of you might find this article to be interesting.

Gray: How Houston is getting its groovy back
By Lisa Gray
Updated 11:35 p.m., Sunday, February 19, 2012

Los Angeles, Miami and Phoenix brag about their collections of fashionable midcentury modern buildings: goofy Googie coffee shops, sleek International Style high-rises, revived ranch-house neighborhoods and groovy office buildings. But as renewed love for the genre spreads in Houston, and buildings from that era receive the TLC and recognition they deserve, it's becoming clear that our stock of mid-century modern architecture rivals and, in many cases, beats that of other cities.

In the '50s, '60s and '70s, nobody - nobody - out-moderned Houston.

"Houston may have the best collection of midcentury architecture in the country," says Anna Mod, author of the very satisfying book Building Modern Houston "Our population was exploding during that era, so we built a lot of buildings. And the city was extremely proud of itself, of its progress and very future-loving.

"You know that speech that John Kennedy gave announcing that the United States would go to the moon? It was 1962, and he was at Rice Stadium. He started by saying, 'We meet at a college known for its knowledge, in a city known for progress, in a state known for its strength.' That line gives me chill bumps. And it was true: Houston really was known for its progress."

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[diablo234]

Some examples of midcentury modern buildings they mentioned in the article courtesy of the Chronicle.

[diskojoe]

Christopher Robertson House.

Not really mid century modern but it has many elements in common.

This is actually accross the street from MFAH. I love this house. Saw it in MetHome years ago and its even nicer in person.

[Mister Nifty]

Originally Posted by diablo234

I thought some of you might find this article to be interesting.

When I was attending University of Houston, they had snails crawling on the walls because of major flooding. Of course, that left an indelible imprint on my opinion of Houston development. But go ahead and add that university to the list of incredible modern buildings, or at least I thought so, even though the major flooding happening every seven years or so takes a major toll. And what effect might this occasional weather phenomenon have on steering overall Houston development?
And Houston does have its tragedies as well. What about the "Taj Mahol" of modern buildings that once housed H.I.S.D. along Richmond Avenue in the Greenway Plaza area? What kind of modern buildings went up in smoke when Astroworld was quickly demolished forever? What about the thousand room Shamrock hotel that once existed west of the Astrodome along with its olympic sized pool and 10 meter diving board? What is incredible about the amount of modern buildings in Houston is the amount of it that has been demolished.
I'm not saying that Houston doesn't have a lot of fascinating modern buildings, but even advertisement will come with disclaimers making even its content superior to shallow and pastel boosterism. I'm just thinking about all those living outside of the city of Houston and the state of Texas who might be seeking a more realistic viewpoint.
Remember the poor woman who drowned descending in an elevator into flood water after much torrential rainfall during the last major tropical storm? What about all that flood water that ravaged both the major icons of downtown Houston and the Texas Medical Center?
Most masterpieces will have their major shades of black and gray.

[desertpunk]

Cool thread! I found some more examples:



http://houston.culturemap.com/newsde...ern-home-tour/


http://houston.culturemap.com/newsde...ern-home-tour/


http://modern-contemporary-furniture...home-tour.html


http://content.uniquehomes.com/2011/...dern-makeover/

[Mister Nifty]

This architecture seems quite optomistic. I guess we can't afford such limitless and unbounded design as we are now being held in bondage to an age of terror preventialism.

[diablo234]

Culture Map Houston: Home tour highlights the present and past of Houston moderism

Text by Tyler Rudick
Photo courtesy of Houston Modern Home Tour Partnership

03.01.12 | 9:53 pm

Curated by former Architectural Record editor Ingrid Spencer, the Houston Modern Home Tour opens the doors to eight residential designs that highlight some of the city's most unique and intriguing examples of modernist architecture.

The self-guided driving tour runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 3. Advanced tickets are $25; $30 the day of the tour.

[diskojoe]

I love and hate almost all these at the same time. I love the look of the modern condos but hate where they shove them.