Wow, here is the latest notable time capsule house to come my way. It’s a gorgeous 1957 ranch house in Houston, listed by agent Robert Searcy, who gave me permission to use all of these great photos by TK Images Real Estate Photography. Thanks, also, to Yasmine, who tipped me off about this house — keep those tips coming, amazing readers!!! The photos were also just loaded on the MLS, so this time capsule loveliness is hot hot hot. Here’s how Robert describes this special home in the listing:
One of Glenbrook’s most important signature homes, custom-built in 1957 for local lumber barons Joseph & Sadie Butera Montalbano. An amazing mid-century modern swankienda with lots of wow factor. Centered around a giant ROUND rotunda sunken living area with domed ceiling & round double-sided flagstone fireplace in the center. Tons of gorgeous architectural details. Flagstone walls, zoomy vintage light fixtures, ultra-swank baths, sunken tub & poured terrazzo.
In a followup email, he also told me:
Montalbano lumber is still in business. The Buteras had deli’s and grocery stores in town as well, so both names are known in Houston. According to their son Phillip, the house was designed by J.D. Dansby and cost $10,000 for the lot and $63,000 in additional construction costs at the time. The original owners kept it up until about 10 years ago, when it was sold privately to a neighbor. This is the first time it has been offered publicly for sale.
The tax rolls list it at 4,664 sq. ft. on one level. It has lots of great features like the liberal use of flagstone both in and out, a built in prayer shrine, which was a common feature in the custom Glenbrook Valley homes of the period since this was a heavily Italian-Catholic neighborhood originally. 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, inside utility, original turquoise counters in the kitchen, aquamarine tile in the master bath, waterfall cabinets with the original Lucite hardware in the hall bath. Poured terrazzo, of course the round rotunda living area with the domed ceiling and see through fireplace.
Glenbrook Valley was named a protected historic district last year. It is the largest locally designated post WWII historic district that we know of. 1250+ homes. It is Houston’s largest historic district of any kind.
“Swankienda”? I would say so. Swankienda. There. Continue for 23 more photos –>
First, I’ll give you a sneak peek at the spotlighted spaces. Above: A view to how the round living room works. That’s the entrance at about 11 o’clock. Front window at 9 o’clock, second seating area at 3 o’clock. Look at those feature divider walls — these are amazing, they all seem to be a little bit different…And, as Robert mentioned, that’s a double-sided flagstone fireplace in the center of the space. Another feature to note: The dropped ceiling above the entry way, to add intimacy and divide the space – nice.
One of two shots that we have of the kitchen. Terrazzo floors. You know I adore the wallpaper. You know I am praying that the new buyers don’t change anything. Oh, they can change out the appliance — nix the white, let’s get some vintage Caloric color (or some such) back in there, please. Pretty please.
Now here is where my jaw really drops: The blue bathroom (above) is one of the most beautiful bathrooms I have ever seen. That appears to be a sunken tub — tiled in. Yes, you can make your own tub with tile, you do not need a prefabricated bathtub. I also want to point out how the wallpaper is almost tone-on-tone with the tile. Fantastic!
Above: The blue bathroom appears to be adjacent to a dressing room with another sink. This must be the master suite.
Above: More of the dressing area. Notice the carrara marble countertops (you can replicate carrara in laminate quite easily and affordably today – I have identified three sources), and of course, that screen is just lovely. that screen. Remember, you can replicate this look today with Crestview’s wall panels.
Above: A circle tour of the living room. I already gave you the o’clocks. Just walk through with me now.
Above: We’ve made a circle (sort of) and are back at the front door.
Above: Go back to this space…see the dining room at 12 o’clock?…
Above: Here’s the dining room….
… And here’s some more.
Above: Surely, the kitchen must be adjacent.
Above: I’ll repeat the shot I featured in the sneak peek, so you don’t have to scroll back… We need to guess the coffee service pattern… Can anyone identify it from so far away? I love how, even though this was a high-falutin’ architect-designed house, it is still full of kitschy features: Blue and yellow flower power wallpaper, for example. See? See? We LOVE our ornamentation!
Above: Eat-in kitchen area, with wood paneling.
A den down the hall?
Above: A family bath? Notice, it’s classic Mamie Pink tile back there in the toilet and bathing area, even though the wood vanity, stone wall, and countertop are all quite swanky. I’d love to get a closer look at the wallpaper in way back — metallic maybe? This family had it goin’ on!
Above: A bedroom… I’m thinking that none, or little, of the furniture in this house is from the original. That the house was empty and this furniture is staging to get prospective buyers in the mid mod mad mood. Wouldn’t we love to see photos of the house when it was first decorated.
Above: The master bedroom. INotice, the walls have wood trim on them — painted out. And that upholstered window cornice: Divine.
Ta da.
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Links:
- 1957 ranch house time capsule house in Houston, listing agent is Robert Searcy – but link seems to be broken, house sold? – so click here to ->contact Robert Searcy direct
- Thanks again to Robert and to TK Images Real Estate Photography for permission to feature these photos here on Retro Renovation.
All material including text and photos published on this site are copyright RetroRenovation.com
Written permission required to reproduce any material in any form.
Love it! I posted this on RR a few days ago when I first saw it. Tried to convince hubby that we need to buy it, but he didn’t go for it
THANK YOU, Yasmine. I was in such a rush to get this up, I was JUST NOW going through my emails so that I could add a thank you to the tipster. THANK YOU!!!! The reason I did not post it sooner — was that these new photos were in the works, Robert told me. xoxoxo!
W. O. W. this is in my neighborhood! I may have to “be in the market” an take a personal looksie! Leaves my circa 1965, 34 unit apartment building with a lot to be desired
Wow! I love, love, love the bathroom, h*** [h-word edited out by pam] the white appliances, and think the dining room / living room railing is quite the thing. I’d really love to see this decked out in marvelous furnishings.
And now I’m mad at my parents for removing the turquoise counters in their home in the late ’70s.
Beautiful! completely and totally amazing! It makes me wish I lived in Houston, and had the money to buy this place and fix it up right. I agree that its staged, some of the furniture looks vintage, but the leather sofa, the bedspread, picture and a couple of the occasional tables are all IKEA.
That house is off the charts! And can I get a whoot! whoot! for the stone part in the bathroom? Ah-mazing, this place. If there is any justice in the universe, the new owner will love every bit of it and not change a thing.
This house is amazing. I love, love, love the bathroom. Robert Searcy is also the best agent in Houston for mid-century moderns (I worked with him twice when I lived there).
OMG how fabulous!!! The new owners won’t change a thing because the new owner will be me! **sigh** Just kidding. I wish.
Gasp! I don’t know what to say, other than thank you for sharing these pictures! It’s wonderful to see houses that have been so lovingly preserved and that have so much character and life in them. I echo the sentiment that the home deserves to have a new owner that really appreciates all it has to offer AS IS. Here’s to hoping one of your readers can snap it up!
Years ago we looked at a ranch house that had that curvature to it. At the time I kept thinking how difficult it would be to decorate. lol Not as difficult as the round house we toured, but that’s another story.
Gorgeous place. And look at the size of those bathrooms! I can only dream of something like that. Drool.
I just noticed that it’s part of a historic district. More ranch style homes need to be considered historic enough to save (and list). I think that day is coming, but there are still a lot of people out there who consider ranch homes tear downs, with a few minor exceptions.
Me again. I’m so sorry……lol The list price is absolutely freakin’ believable to me – $299,900? Maybe in TX that’s considered high, but in Oregon that price would now be considered a definite steal, especially for that amount of square footage!!
I can’t believe the price. Yep, that’s about what a garage costs here in San Diego. Hmmm….
Well, blush, I started at the bottom but said the same thing, Peter. The price really does look like someone missed the 1 in front of what’s published.
Same here in Northern Virginia. That’s the price of a 2BR condo around here.
And what a gorgeous home!
No, that’s not high for Texas. $299k for that house is a bargain by Texas standards. Put that same house in many areas of Dallas and you could easily double the asking price.
My jaw is on the floor! Any house with a turquoise kitchen is enough to win me over anyway, but the round living room? Tons of wood and stone accents?? Mod screens??? I die. Also? I hereby officially steal “swankienda” as my own new favorite word. I plan to make everyone around me nauseous with my over-use of it.
I used one of the inflation calculator sites to figure that a price of $73,000 in 1957 would be $597,729.72, in 2012. Interesting this house has not kept up with inflation. This is unusual for real estate. Seems like a bargain price to me.
Doesn’t seem to work that way…the original owner of my house spent $140,000 in 1957 to build the house. About $1.1 million in today’s dollars. I was “lucky” enough to purchase it in 1998 for $218,000. Funny thing is, the second owners purchased it in 1972 for $200,000.
It’s cool, but if I was to buy it, the FIRST to go would be those blocks radiating from the central fireplace.
Many of the rooms are so large, the scale of the furniture should be MUCH bigger! And that kitchen is way cool. But cooler still is that master bath! WOW, what a great kitchen to enter in the morning, and in which to decompress at night!
Omigosh! And it’s just $299,900???!!! Here in CA, that is more than a bargain. (Hmmm…I wonder if can get hubby to move us to TX…)
SWOON!!! Seriously…., I’d give both arms to have a house like that. For me, in Texas, 300k is a lot of money, and out of my budget (dang it!) That being said, I was even a little surprised that it’s listed as low. There’s lots of MCM lovers in the state, I hope one of them finds it!
OMG! This is so gorgeous! I can’t believe I WAS JUST IN HOUSTON and maybe could have seen it if I’d known….I think the price is amazing for such a property. I hope someone who loves it the way it is will buy it. It is such a showplace and so unique!
I am 100% certain the pattern on the coffee set is vernon kilns blue heaven. I have the same set but in the tickled pink version
Gah! I was coming here to post this. I’m pretty certain that this is Vernon Kilns too, but the pattern name is “Heavenly Days”, and, like you said, matches the Tickled Pink pattern
Beautiful home! Houston is full of MCM time capsule treasures, though we’ve lost far too many to the wrecking ball.
Whoops! Heavenly Days not Blue Heaven that’s what I meant thanks
I have the listing on this one. The current lady of the house is an avid mid-century china collector. There is that blue set, and a pink set, plus what looks like every serving and dish type of Franciscan Starburst in there. And that is just what they haven’t moved out of the house to their ranch yet, although I think she got it all out now. She has a ton of drool-worthy china that had already been moved out. As for the furniture and staging, they moved most of the stuff out already, especially their better pieces, but the dining sets were left, some things in the master and a few shelves and odds and ends they hadn’t moved out that I pushed and pulled and placed for the best effect. The curving blue sofa and Oriental mirror in the living room are actually original to the house and belonged to the Montalbanos. Yes, I hit Ikea for a couple of things to finish out the bedroom just to try to make it look a little more finished and brought in the green chair in the living room and a couple of ottomans. The scale of that rotunda room is actually a lot more awesome in person. As for the next owner, In Glenbrook Valley you don’t pick a house, it picks you, so I am hoping this one makes the right choice. I think it will.
What is the address? Has it been sold?
Sandra, here is Robert Searcy’s blog, give him a call: http://blogs.har.com/robertsearcy
what a house! it’s exciting to see those “hometown” names, too – i never knew the two were related, how funny.
Lady Brett that is just the tip of the iceberg. The old Italian families in Glenbrook Valley were very intertwined. The Son and daughter-in-law still live down the street. The daughter-in-law is a Mandola, of the well-known local restaurant family, and her mother still lives in Glenbrook also. Of course one of the better known Mandolas opened up the Carrabbas restaurants with another relative Johnny Carrabbas, that they are all related to as well.
OK, that wallpaper in the kitchen is AWESOME!! This is such a cool house!!
Wonderful home and so well-maintained! Glenbrook Valley is a treasure trove of fabulosity (is that a word?) full of active people who are interested and appreciate what they’ve got. Love love LOVE this neighborhood! Luckily, Glenbrook Valley is a huge area and, because of its size, somewhat insulated from the demographic and socio-economic shifts that have adversely affected this part of Houston. Notice the burglar bars on the windows? In finer parts of town, this house would cost a heck of a lot more and, sadly, probably be scraped for something new. This is probably the reason the wonderful homes in GV exist today. Coolness factor of this showplace is off the charts!!!
I’m in love with the living room couch. Sigh. But, is that a fabric shade in the family bath that matches the wallpaper?
That fireplace! That sunken tub! LOVE!!!
I’m so excited to find this website. My husband, a retired builder is not as nutty about Mid-century as I am but he knows I LOVE LOVE it. This house is of course wonderful and the next time I’m in Houston I will be trolling the streets of this neighborhood. I’d like to point out a home in little ole’ Wichita Falls TX. It’s located at 109 Pembroke Lane. It reminds me some of the house featured above. Smaller but sooooo fabulous. I think it might be worth checking out for a future feature home on this website. Look at it from the satellite view on googlemaps.com. I’ve visited in the home a couple of times and might be able to describe it a little-not enough to do it justice. The owners have been there for years-maybe the only owners. They love to show off the home. Curved walls, round fireplace, many many of the original elements of the home.
Welcome, Suz!!
As an architect and MCM fanatic, I just wish these (and all) time capsule articles had floor plan drawings to show the relationship of the spaces. I know that realtors and most owners typically don’t have plans, but I would love to see drawings for all these incredible homes. I can dream though.
Praying nothing is ever changed in this home. Simply Amazing!!!!!
$299,000?!? What’s WRONG with it? Is it a murder house or something?
LOVE this place…the pink bathroom with the stone wall is AWESOME! I am loving the light fixtures in there too…hmmmm…how can I work that look into my master bath remodel….
Also LOVE the turquoise counters in the kitchen!!!!
Be still my heart and I’m only a little bitter that my house cost more but probably isn’t as nice as their garage…..sob….
I’m amazed it wasn’t snapped up within hours of hitting the market.
All that fabulousness and at the price of a tract home around here – I love it.
I love texas – warm and wonderful. Except for my ex – who really does lives in Texas – like the song:)
I have Blue Heaven and the coffee pot is Blue, but the cups do look like it. I was going to guess North star.
Love love love this house.
My favorite aspects: the gloriously happy kitchen wallpaper, the lacy window treatment in the round room’s picture window, and the approach to the dining area from the round room (I’d probably swoon over any house that deserves the phrase “the approach to the dining area”).
Dislikes: The iron bars on the front door and windows give me the willies. There must be a less grim way to deter crime.
I would have thought that “round sunken living room” would guarantee I’d love it, but the central screen wall makes it seem like the room is ashamed of being round and open. (Also, I half expect to see high chairs stored behind the screen, like at a restaurant.)
I dote on all the kitschy period detail, and that leads me to suggest that the stager replace the Audrey Hepburn print. Everything else looks so authentic, but then the Audrey image looks ironic and “off.” (I’m imagining a film’s naive young assistant, tasked with providing ’50s detail, who comes up with Mamie Eisenhower wearing a poodle skirt.) You don’t have to INVOKE the ’60s when you have so much genuine ’60s happening everywhere you look.
Robert, thank you for listing and recognizing all the great details in this house! Pam, thanks for posting it.
Swankienda is my new favorite word too!
The price is great….here in Silicon Valley (like Peter’s comment about San Diego), $300k will buy you a shack on a lot, or a garage in a nicer neighborhood.
Absolutely Stunning!! So close but yet so far..if only I could get my hubby to go for mid century awesomeness!!
With 20% down for 30 years, the payments might be $1200 for the morgage at the current crazy low rates but I don’t know what Houston taxes or insurance would add to the cost. That’s a crazy low amount for such a perfect house like this one.
Lovely! I wouldn’t change a thing!
Oh contraire! To a few posters here, I TOTALLY ‘get’ the room divider in the living room and I LOVE IT. It’s one of my favorite things about the house. If you imagine it with the original furniture that must’ve fill those spaces I’ll bet there was quite the ‘conversation’ areas designated by room layout. Also, imagine a bar on one side and the entertaining section on the other. I think it must’ve been grand when fully furnished. Just imagine the parties that went on in that room!
Also to die for is that one bathroom with the dark wood and stone wall. And, not to forget the truly lovely kitchen. <3
That house is so delicious that I want to devour it. Seriously…It’s good that I live nowhere near it or else I might just have to go in and lick the countertops. And the fire place. And perhaps bite right in to those screens. Yummy.
wow oh wow oh wow. The colors, the stone, the tile, that bathroom. The price. My favorite really is the fireplace in the middle of the circle room. Someone had their thinking caps on when they put that together. Wonder if it was owner architect collaboration? Cool idea.
I can’t claim devising the term “swankienda.” Best I know, it was the late Maxine Messinger, Houston’s society columnist for four decades that at least made the term popular, if she didn’t invent it. It stood for swank hacienda, of course. http://www.doubletongued.org/index.php/dictionary/swankienda/
I am so grateful that Pam features these time capsule houses even though I use up a box of tissues wiping drool each time.
I grew up in a house with a deep sunken in living room, so I adore the concept. The turquoise kitchen, the bathrooms, oh and let’s not forget the dressing room, are all stunning.
I’m the only one, though, that is itching to rip out all that carpet and replace it with hardwood?
Thanks for post, Pam.
Eww! I just drooled on my computer. What a house! The construction details. Such imagination! I think my little ranch would fit inside the living room and cost as much. Amazing how when you get away from the coasts, the price of a house drops. This place is a steal! Loved the wood and stone bath – now that’s a true “man cave”.
Corporate HQ of the company I work for is in Houston…I’m in Dallas in my own little mini 1957 time capsule, but that house totally blows mine away. And Houston real estate is dirt cheap, y’all. Dirt. Cheap. Vintage homes in nice neighborhoods in Dallas are expensive. I had to go to the suburbs to find my retro dream house.
….I mentioned the corporate HQ of my company because now I want them to TRANSFER me…so I can BUY THAT HOUSE!
My guess is Taylor Smith & Taylor Pebbleford cups with a Boutonierre coffee pot – my mom had some!
I got into an argument with the real estate agent who sold my grandparents home in Dallas a few years ago. She said she kept having to drop the price because no one wanted a modern home.
oh I love this house and I love guessing games, could the coffee service be Mikasa Cera Stone blue?
Sooooo, I had breakfast with the photos of this dream house and I officially hate the hovel I live in. OK, I still have enough of a grasp on reality to know it’s not REALLY a hovel but still……
What a perfectly exquisite house.
I love the kitchen wallpaper, the turquoise counters and the storybook scallop trim. Cool house…reminds me of homes I’ve been in in my childhood, well not round, but sunken living room big center fireplace & paneling.
A sunken tub is on my list! This is truly a swankienda, and that is truly my new favorite word! Thanks for sharing, Pam.
This is very late to observe….but I keep coming back to this house and its picture to notice more things about it
Did anyone else notice the fab leaded diamond window in the dining room? Plus all the other assortment of metal window grilles on the outside of other windows?
And what is the room off the living room with the columns….it looks like it has a full stone wall (yum!)?
See here:
http://retrorenovatio.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/midcentury-modern-house-1957-houston-9.jpg
Robert S, do you know if the sunken tub still works after all these years? I have a MUCH more modest version of the tub. In fact, it’s a much more modest version of this house–kind of a swankcasa as opposed to a swankienda, although a pretty darn big house in its own right!
Anyway, after many years, the grout has failed a bit, and the tub leaks. We tried touching up/regrouting in places, but the tiles are placed so close together that it hasn’t worked perfectly. Do you know if the current owners ever had/resolved this issue?
(FWIW, I believe that tile, as well as the tile in the other bath shown, is American Olean.)
The owners didn’t say anything about it leaking or anything. Houses here are built on slabs with no basements, so I would expect it is a sunken spot built in to the slab that was tiled, so I don’t think there would be anyplace for it to leak to, if that makes sense.
We did get an accepted offer on the house.
Thanks for the info, I will keep looking for a solution to my particular problem. That is so great about the offer–your good eye and work helped someone see the place for the swankienda it is!
Having grown up and lived most of my life in Houston, I was stunned to see the word “swankienda” in your article. It was (supposedly/credited to) Houston’s premiere gossip columnist Maxine Messenger in the 60′s – if you lived in River Oaks or Memorial, you lived in a swankienda.
Now I have to go back and look at the pictures of the house.
I think I passed out, and now just woke up! I’m speechless for once….
The Bathroom?……absolutely amazing!
The house was outstanding, BUT your history of the ownership is inaccurate. Montalbano Lumber Co. (owned by Joe & Sadie Montalbano) did indeed build this house, as well as, many houses for Houston Italians in that era. However, the owners (Phillip’s parents) were Joe & Lorraine Montalbano. There is a very understandable reason for this error. There were at least 8 “Joe” Montalbano in Houston at that time. My dad was one of them
Thanks Tony Montalbano
Love it! I grew up in a swankienda (though not quite this lavish) in Houston. My stepfather was a well-known sculptor and hosted many cocktail parties in the huge living room — so many glamorous people lounging on Swedish modern furnishings. My sister & I were put to work carrying trays of canapes, refreshing drinks, and fetching the little tabletop lighters for people during the parties. Life today seems so dull compared to the swinging sixties!!!
stunning indeed
How much was this house? It is just fabulous!!
I gasped when I saw the blue bathroom! Absolutely wonderful.
Welcome back Pam! A great treat to start the work week. And way to go, a bright and bold come back after a break!
I am really appreciating the flexibility of my MCM pieces, as I’m looking to move to an apratment in Chicago. I have two sectionals on from 1961 the other from the 50s, each that can separate into 3 pieces. Also my MCM dining table has the option of dropping down one or both sides.
If I don’t have room for all the sectional pieces in the combo living dining space, I can put part of it in the bedroom. MCM is genius design and qualtiy.
I’m auctioning many of my MCM and Hollywood Regency pieces on Sunday to make way for my upgrades. When I get everythig together I’ll send you photos.
Thanks,
for the news letter!
Joyce
I’m so glad I found this blog — thank you for sharing the pictures! I’m writing a novel (aren’t we all?) set in the 1960s in Houston, about an astronaut and his family. I stumbled upon your site looking for something entirely different so I feel lucky to see something so specific to my piece. What an amazing house! Thanks!
Welcome, Stephanie, yes, what an amazing house. Moreover, did you see the SPUTNIK house in the same neighborhood? –> http://retrorenovation.com/2012/07/25/1957-sputnik-house-midcentury-modern-time-capsulehouse-in-houstons-glenbrook-neighborhood/
I would never be able to have a place this nice. My wife and kids are dirtbags and it would drive me nuts. This place deserves, clean, anal retentive owners. Or at this point, care-takers.
Hubba hubba. This house is the dreamiest!
I would move just so I could live in this home job permitting. And for once I would not touch a thing. What a magnificent home!