Saving Houston’s Historic Buildings Gets a Boost

Since its founding in 1978 as the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance, what today is now known as Preservation Houston, has worked to maintain the architectural history of the city. In fact in 1995, the non-profit was behind passage of the city’s first historic preservation ordinance and has worked to strengthen that ordinance through three mayoral administrations.

Almost from the beginning, the organization has been acknowledging those in the city who have worked toward preserving Houston’s early architectural integrity via the Good Brick Awards, which are presented each year at Preservation Houston’s Good Brick Awards dinner.

Recently that evening at River Oaks Country Club recognized more than a dozen essentially disparate projects and individuals for their contributions to the preservation of the city’s often endangered early architecture. Bob Eury, president of Central Houston Inc. for more than 30 years, received the President’s Award for his contributions in the revitalization of downtown Houston. Presenting the award, Preservation Houston president Deborah Keyser referred to Eury as “the real heartbeat of downtown Houston.”

With preservation and adaptive re-use as common characteristics the award recipients  ranged from transformation of a former Gulf service station into a coffee shop to the repurposing of the former Waddell’s Furniture Warehouse into the Sampson Lofts in the East End. Restoration of homes in Audubon Place and the Heights and redevelopment an Art Deco commercial building (circa 1930) in the Heights into a bicycle shop.

The full spectrum of architectural awards and be found in the accompanying photos.

Also receiving honors were architect Ben Koush and Houston Mod for the book “Constructing Houston’s Future: The Architecture of Arthur Evan Jones & Lloyd Morgan Jones, “documenting the work on the now-defunct architecture firm. Delaney Harris-Finch, Anna Mod and Architecture Center Houston were honored for their exhibit and catalog “Houston: Uncommon Modern documenting modern-era architecture throughout Houston.”