A showcase of extraordinary new and historic homes and gardens go on tour at the 2008 Historic Houston Heights | Home + Garden Tour, "Fresh Perspectives,” Saturday and Sunday, April 5 & 6. Don't miss this opportunity to tour six outstanding homes in one of Houston's most historic and unique neighborhoods.

Homes on tour include a two-story Victorian celebrating its 100th year, a 1920s bungalow renovated with sustainable materials including bamboo cabinets, a 1930s bungalow designed for entertaining by its architect owner, a 1925 bungalow whose new addition is designed around two shady sycamores, a Greek Revival built in 1994 and modeled after a home in the New Orleans Garden District, and a recently constructed home showcasing the owners' eclectic and colorful art collection.

Get set to enjoy other delights in the Houston Heights, including the antique markets, art galleries, eclectic boutiques, restaurants, cafes and shops along 19th Street and in the surrounding area. And take a look at the Third Annual HHA Youth Art Show, featuring works by area students, at the Heights Fire Station.

TOUR DATES: Saturday and Sunday, April 5 & 6, Noon to 6:00 p.m.

TICKET PRICES: $17 for advance tickets, available at Another Place in Time, The Artful Corner, Buchanan's Native Plants, Eclectic Home, Harolds in the Heights, Jubilee, and Karen Derr & Associates. $20 for day of tour tickets. Ticket includes all six homes and luxury bus shuttles. $5 for individual homes.

Parking is available at the Heights Fire Station @ Yale and 12th Street, where the shuttles can be boarded.

THE CANDLELIGHT DINNER & AUCTION is Friday, April 4 at SPJST Lodge, 1435 Beall, 8:00 – 11:00 p.m., preceded by a private tour of the homes (no shuttles on Friday evening.) Individual tickets are $100 and $1,000 for reserved table of ten. Seating is limited to 450, and advanced purchase is required. Emcee John Blass will lead the live auction which includes the event's cover art, a brilliant watercolor by local artist Yu Cha Pak, and a collaborative piece by artists John Palmer and Chris Silkwood. Silent auction offerings include luxurious spa packages, local art work, antiques, fine wine, fun travel packages and more! For this year's festivities, wear your "Spring Bling” best!

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO PURCHASE tickets for the Tour and the Candlelight Dinner & Auction, go online at www.houstonheights.org or you may call 713-861-4002, extension 3.

FEATURED HOMES:
Vandewalker Home – 2035 Rutland
Newberry Home – 705 East 19th
Standridge Home – 1509 Oxford
Dawson Home – 1021 Harvard
Thayer-Gayle Home – 533 Cortlandt
Schooley Home – 807 Rutland

SPONSORS
Platinum: Allied Waste; San Jacinto Stone Co.
Diamond: Memorial Hermann NW
Silver: BullsEye Storage; CenterPoint Energy.; Coldwell Banker United; Design and Inspiration.
Bronze: Amegy Bank; Beaver's; Eclectic Home; Grogan Building Supply Co.; Harolds in the Heights; Jubilee; Monica Pope's t'afia; PrimeWay Federal Credit Union

PROCEEDS from the Home Tour and Candlelight Dinner & Auction benefit a number of Houston Heights Association properties and endeavors including maintenance of the Houston Heights City Hall & Fire Station, an historic building, meeting place, and events venue; reforestation and maintenance of the beautiful Heights Boulevard esplanade—from gazebos, benches, and jogging trails, to flowers, trees, and mulch; upkeep of Marmion Park—the original location of the Cooley mansion—one of the first houses built in Houston Heights—with the award-winning Kaiser Pavilion, designed to emulate the Cooley home's unique turret; upkeep of Donovan Park—aka "The Heights Playground"—designed and built by the community in 1996; the Education Committee—a group of community members seeking to enhance and enrich public education in the greater Heights area; the Urban Forestry Committee dedicated to protecting and preserving the ever-vanishing presence of trees and greenspace; and a wide variety of other community improvement projects. www.houstonheights.org.

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ATTACHED PHOTO:
This Greek Revival home at 1509 Oxford, modeled after a State Street residence in the New Orleans Garden District, is one of six outstanding homes, historic and new, that go on tour at the 2008 Historic Houston Heights | Home + Garden Tour, Saturday & Sunday, April 5-6, noon - 6p.m. For more information and to purchase tickets, go online at www.houstonheights.org or call 713-861-4002, ext. 3.

Photo credit: John Henry Childs
For photos of other homes on tour, contact Susan Love Fitts, 936-597-8825, susanlovefitts@consolidated.net.

MORE ABOUT THE HOMES ON TOUR:

Vandewalker Home
"Rejuvenated Centenarian”
2035 Rutland Street

Celebrating its centennial, the "Lamar Home” was originally built in 1908 for $3,250 by American Home Builders Co. When the Vandewalker's purchased the home in 1992, they were only the third owners of this Victorian two-story square floor plan. They gave it the loving facelift it desperately needed by modernizing the living essentials (the house had been vacant for seven years) and extending the size of the home via the kitchen and the addition of two porches. This home is rich with history and Heights nostalgia.

The historic nature of this Colonial Revival with its wraparound front porch is reflected inside with needlepoint pillows, antique European furniture, art, chandeliers, and stained glass pieces. A 1934 Kohler bathtub with sledding was refinished and nearly all of the wood floors are original.

The homeowners themselves created and tend to an eclectic garden with antique roses, 70+ year old trees, a fountain and winding walkways made of bricks that are original to the home. Their backyard sanctuary provides peace and tranquility from the busy "downtown Heights”.

This delightfully renovated treasure is on the National Register of Historic Places (1983), the State of Texas Historical Register (1983), and it has been designated as a City of Houston Historic Landmark since 1998.

HEAD DOCENTS: Kelley Burhans + Trish Schmid
FLORALS: Darlene's Flowers
PHOTOGRAPH: John Henry Childs

Newberry Home
"Outside is In”
705 East 19th

Built in the late 1930s, this gem of a bungalow has been through two renovations to grow with the homeowner's needs all while maintaining the styling of the original structure. Mr. Newberry purchased the home in 1988 and took it through its final renovation in 2005, which more than doubled the size of the home by adding a great room with a kitchen, butler's pantry, master bedroom and courtyard.

The great room's wide glass doors open to the bricked courtyard to create one space from interior to exterior. A garage with guest cottage forms the back boundary of the property.

The homeowner is the architect and designed the space for casual, elegant and elaborate entertaining--from quaint dinner parties with seating in the courtyard to casino style New Year's Eve parties. His love for the eclectic and antique is showcased in his collection of Venetian masks and marionettes and many "one of a kind” antiques from Europe and South America.

The front landscape was designed for low maintenance with beds for seasonal planting while the courtyard is encircled by a large hedge of wax myrtles creating a romantic setting where pots abound with color.

HEAD DOCENT: Bill Baldwin
FLORALS: The Empty Vase
PHOTOGRAPH: John Henry Childs

Standridge Home
"Live, Work + Play”
1509 Oxford

This brick Greek Revival home was a novel addition to the Heights when it was designed and built for the homeowners by Creole Design in 1994. While this classic piece is new, its style has a history—modeled after a State Street residence in New Orleans' Garden District.

In order to enhance the Victorian feel, the homeowners used salvage period items in the architecture of the home, including the newel post and balusters of the staircase, several doors and a period stained glass window on the second floor. The home also features a collection of oriental rugs and functional furniture art. The homeowner's passion for photography—created in the home's custom darkroom—is apparent throughout the home.

While it is the pride and joy of only one family, many have already seen the interior of the home. Due in part to high ceilings, open room arrangements, and the use of many colors in the decorating, this home has been a set for a number of commercials and photo shoots including Sears, Luby's, Discovery Toys, Randall's and Garden Ridge Pottery. But it is the third floor where the homeowners have a private area all their own. A project by Broman Design and Construction in 2005 finished out the attic, added a large office, exercise area and a cozy and impressive home theater.

HEAD DOCENTS: Anne Rodgers + Katrina Stilwell
FLORALS: Jana's Flowers
PHOTOGRAPH: John Henry Childs

Dawson Home
"Green + Simple”
1021 Harvard Street

What do you get when you use cool green building techniques in a renovated bungalow? The fabulous minimal design of the Dawson home, of course. The homeowners purchased this adorable 1920 bungalow in 2003 and expanded their own vision into the previously initiated renovation. Now a kitchen, master bedroom and bath and a garage incorporating the home's second floor have helped fill the large lot on Harvard Street.

As a surface and furniture designer, Mr. Dawson literally brings his work home with him. His passion for simplistic beauty and the environment is reflected in nearly every corner of the home. Sustainable material creations like bamboo cabinets and Richlite countertops, which are composed of paper fiber and resin, highlight the clean and natural feeling found throughout the home.

Cool zinc countertops in the bathrooms and a contemporary staircase truly reflect the homeowners' inspiration, while providing a comfortable setting for their everyday life. The minimalist outdoor landscaping maintains great backyard space for their children to enjoy as they grow.

HEAD DOCENTS: Katy Bomar + Judi Freedman
FLORALS: Central Market
PHOTOGRAPH: John Henry Childs

Thayer-Gayle Home
"Artfully Yours”
533 Cortlandt Street

Soft contemporary styling meets classic craftsman in this new construction home, designed by the homeowners and Allegro Builders in 2006. The objective was to build a graciously scaled, comfortable home to showcase the homeowners' eclectic and colorful art collection. High ceilings, large windows, and an open floor plan create a bright and generous space, while still maintaining a warm atmosphere for entertaining. The unique custom kitchen and unusual stone selections for countertops throughout the home add to the whimsical character of the space.

Timber bamboo protects the privacy of an elegant pool and spa in the backyard. A detached garage sits behind, framed for a future second floor studio.

HEAD DOCENTS: Rosina Chevalier + Ed Sabo
FLORALS: Webwood Flowers
PHOTOGRAPH: John Henry Childs

Schooley Home
"Through the Looking Glass”
807 Rutland Street

A truly modern addition was envisioned from the outset for an architect/designer couple when they bought what they termed "a fairly scary bungalow” in 1992. For the Schooleys, the preservation of the modest 1925 house was also quite a challenge. A renovation at that time was done with the eventual addition scheme in mind, although it took 13 years to commence. The new addition connects to the original bungalow via a glass-walled passage that is now the site of their spacious, light-filled dining room.

Designed around two shady sycamores and lots of outdoor living and garden spaces, the home manages to incorporate basic passive solar, natural ventilation, and sustainable design principles while respecting the original scale and fabric of the Heights. It is thus comfortable in its neighborhood, demonstrating that modern sensibilities relative to space, light, materials, and energy efficiency can become a positive, sympathetic part of an historic place.

The pool and patio in the back of the house feel secure and secluded from the rest of the world, yet a goal of dipping your toes in the water is easily achieved through several doors within the home. The wonderful rooftop terrace gives the family a birds-eye view of their home, and provides the perfect perch for watching a sunset.

HEAD DOCENT: Kerry Anne Mooney
FLORALS: Another Place in Time + Southern Floral
PHOTOGRAPH: John Henry Childs

Media contact:
Susan Love Fitts
susanlovefitts@consolidated.net
936-597-8825