River Oaks House With Mid-century Modern Cred and a Lavish History Hits the Market With a $2.45 Million Asking Price

It’s an interesting Houston home for interesting times. Built in 1976 after Mid-century Modern had outlived its prestige (only to be revived with design reverence in this century) and before housing booms that resulted in lesser quality construction, this abode at 2504 Inwood in River Oaks is certainly unique.

Au courant for the era, the 6,192 square-foot dwelling is built around a vast two-story atrium anchored by two massive 20-foot tall ficus trees. Central to the open plan is a spectacular floating staircase with brass railings and a second floor landing that overlooks the the atrium.

The convenience of lavish entertaining was key to the design as the couple who built the home hosted many charitable functions over the decades. Among the beneficiaries of their largesse were the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the Houston Ballet Guild, and the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation’s Women of Distinction events.

Another distinctive design element of the era is the island kitchen. In this case, there are two islands, one featuring a six-burner Dacor gas range, double ovens and a warming drawer. The entire house offers an indoor/outdoor experience with views from the kitchen alone that include a garden, a lagoon style pool and waterfalls.

The wealth of greenery and tropical plannings stems from the lady of the house’s penchant for beautiful gardens. No surprise then that she was a garden designer for Teas Nursery and previously owned a plant store in Washington D.C. and supplied the original ficus trees for the Kennedy Center.

Innovative in design at the time, the home includes utility areas upstairs and down, a second floor kitchenette and a private office plus a 3,000 bottle wine room. Updating has included addition of a Vuelift Hydrolic elevator and remodeled master bath to include a steam shower, double sinks, two water closets and seated vanity. Add a generator, mosquito system and two EV charging stations to the updates.

The home with three bedrooms, three full baths and two half baths is listed with Ed Wolff of Beth Wolff Realtors with an asking price of $2.45 million.