Stunning Before and After Photos of H-Town Make Preservation Houston’s Mission Stand Out

What: Preservation Houston‘s “Cornerstone Dinner”

Where: River Oaks Country Club

PC Moment: Everyone loves “before and after” images. So it was no surprise at the audience’s gasps and chuckles as they saw dual photos of the projects that received Preservation Houston’s Good Brick Awards. Among the most interesting were pictures of the vintage soda cans and cigarette packages that littered NASA’s Apollo Mission Control before its restoration. Likewise the hatched snake eggs found in the walls of a Norhill bungalow earned its share of ughs. The 1930s craftsman bungalow was rehabilitated by Laura Carrera and Andres Utting.

Fifteen properties and two publications earned Good Brick accolades while former Mayor Annise Parker was presented with the Preservation Houston President’s Award for her outstanding contributions to historic preservation in the city. Among those receiving the prestigious award were Christ Church Cathedral for restoration of the historic sanctuary which was completed in 1893, Jerry Hooker and Jacob Sudhoff for their restoration of the C.L. Neuhaus House (1909) in Courtlandt Place, and Pejman Jamea and Oxberry Group for rehabilitating the Quality Laundry building (1936) in Montrose.

Also receiving good brick awards were South Main Baptist Church for restoration of its historic (1930) sanctuary, Phil Neisel for restoring the Benjamin Reisner House (c. 1875) in the Old Sixth Ward, Karen and Neal Dikeman for restoring two historic houses (c. 1890 and c. 1910) in the Old Sixth Ward, David Powell for restoring a Folk Victorian house (c. 1892) in the near Northside, Four Square Design Studio for rehabilitating a Folk Victorian house (c. 1900) in First Ward, Parra Design Group, Ltd. for rehabilitating the Milton & Carrie Curtis House (1953) in Fifth Ward, Radom Capital LLC for rehabilitating a midcentury modern retail center (1955) in Houston Heights, Roberts Industrial Center Inc. for restoring the former K-W-M Company headquarters (1947) in the East End, Supreme Bright Houston/Newcrest Image for the AC Hotel by Marriott in the Houston Bar Association Building (1966) in downtown, and Todd Interests for the Cambria Hotel in the historic Great Southern West Building (1927).

With KTRK channel 13 reporter Deborah Wrigley and Houston Public Media’s Michael Hagerty serving as emcees, the evening was chaired by Deborah Keyser and James Stafford. The dinner raised close to $250,000 for Preservation Houston’s neighborhood based education, advocacy and community outreach programs.

PC Seen: Preservation Houston president Jane McCormick, Guy Hagstette, Nancy Ames and Danny Ward, Dorothy and Mickey Ables, Laura Bellows and Jack Pendergrast, Lili and Benito Guerrier, Cindy and Larry Burns, Suzy and Craig Minor, Harriet and Truett Latimer, Phoebe and Bobby Tudor, and Lucia Benton.