851 W. 43rd Street, Houston, TX 77018
Houston Mod invites you to join us this Sunday, April 2, 2023
for a Mod of the Month open house event from 2 – 4 PM.
Please join us for a rare opportunity to tour this delightful vintage modern house located in Garden Oaks, about 8 miles northeast of downtown Houston. Parking is available in the driveway and close-by on Alba Road and Lamonte Lane.
Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event.
851 W. 43rd Street, Houston, TX 77018
HAR Link | Google Map
Architect Allen Williams’ design for this distinctive house was completely modern in appearance and approach. His Century-Built Homes, proving themselves to likely be suitable to last for centuries, employed modernistic design and an unusual all masonry construction. Three of the houses are known to exist. This was likely the first to be constructed. A similar house, also by Allen Williams, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is a recorded Texas Historic Landmark and is a designated City of Houston Protected Landmark.
The Garden Oaks setting is picturesque with large, wooded lots and rambling curved streets without curbs and gutters. Edward L. Crain developed the neighborhood beginning in 1937. Architects Wilson and Morris designed some of the early houses and the elementary school. Edward Crain’s nephew, architect B. W. Crain, joined the Wilson and Morris firm in 1953.
Allen R. Williams (1916-1978) was from Abilene, Texas. He was a B-26 Marauder bomber pilot in World War II. His architectural education was both in the Beaux Arts style and modern, graduating in 1946 from the University of Texas School of Architecture. His greatest career inspiration came from architect Harold Calhoun. The architecture he studied while in France, Germany and particularly Maastricht, Holland was influential in establishing his style. In Houston, he briefly worked with Staub, Rather & Howze and partnered with Mack G. Reed before establishing his own firm, working alone and with his wife for the rest of his career. He designed hundreds of projects, both residential and commercial, a number of them for developers Roy Harris and W. E. Keep. A concentration of his work is located in the areas of Ripple Creek, Tynewood, Lamar Weslayan and Meyerland. Thesalone Williams (1919-2020) was his wife and an interior designer. She served until recently as a Master Mod, Houston Mod’s advisory board. Visit HoustonMod.org to learn about other designs by Allen R. Williams.