4505 N. Roseneath Drive, Houston, TX 77021
Houston Mod invites you to join us Sunday, July 25, 2021 for a Mod of the Month open house event from 2 – 4 PM.
Please help us find a new preservation-minded owner for this outstanding vintage modern home located in Riverside Terrace, about five miles southeast of downtown Houston.
Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event
4505 N. Roseneath Drive, Riverside Terrace, Section 15, Houston, TX 77021
HAR Link | Google Map
Boldly contrasting horizontal and vertical elements make the P. R. Daniel house, 4505 North Roseneath Drive, one of the most memorable in the Riverside Terrace area. Henry MacGregor developed Riverside Terrace starting in 1924 on picturesque rolling terrain along the banks of Braes Bayou between Hermann and MacGregor Parks.
Architect Bailey Swenson designed the Daniel house in 1949 and construction began in early 1950. Situated on a half-acre plus site. Swenson is known for his uniquely inventive combination of organic and international styles of architecture. Even though one story spreading houses were desired in the 1950s, the neighborhood deed restrictions required houses to have two stories so the mother-in-law pop-up room was created. The house is composed of stone, brick and redwood and features an impressive array of built-in furnishings and a large abstract mural by prominent artist Jacques de la Marre who worked with Swenson on several projects.
Bailey Allen Swenson (1907-1979) was from Houston and graduated from Rice University in 1932 with a BA in Architecture. He married Kathryn Thomas in 1949. She operated the first art gallery in Houston and he had an architectural office both at their live/work home at 3106 Brazos Street. Swenson designed KSOX (1950) in Harlingen and KNUZ TV 39 (1953) which became KTRK 13 and later KUHT 8 located at 4513 Cullen Boulevard in Houston. He designed the Western Skies Motel (1952, demolished) at 2806 Old Spanish Trail described as opulent, luxurious and Houston’s swankiest motel. Two of his earlier residential designs, 2330 Dryden Road (1936, demolished) and 2506 Riverside Drive (1936) had art deco styling. The heaviest concentration of his known work is more modern and located in the Riverside Terrace area including: 3934 Roseneath Drive (1949, especially fantastic), 4619 N. Roseneath Drive (1953), 3315 N. MacGregor Way (1948, demolished), 3126 S. MacGregor Way (1952), 3448 S. MacGregor Way (1952), 3819 S. MacGregor Way (1954, demolished, built for motel developer Leon Green), 3403 Charleston Street (1954), 3417 Charleston Street (1950) and 4216 Fernwood Drive (1948, endangered). In Galveston, Swenson designed 4402 Caduceus Place which is similar to the July Mod of the Month. For his church, St. Matthew Lutheran, he designed the parish hall (1942) located at 5315 Main Street.
The AIA Houston Architectural Guide by Stephen Fox has more information about this area. Take the Riverside Terrace and Environs Architectural Tour by Stephen Fox for Cite Magazine here.