Houston names 2 homes, office building to landmarks list

Prairie style American Foursquare home on Albans Road Prairie style American Foursquare home on Albans Road Photo: Houston Archaeological And Historical Commission Photo: Houston Archaeological And Historical Commission Image 1 of / 18 Caption Close Houston names 2 homes, office building to landmarks list 1 / 18 Back to Gallery

Three new properties were added this week to Houston's roster of landmarks, including one with protected status, affording them limited protections from demolition.

Protected status was awarded to a Museum District home at 9 Shadow Lawn built by renowned Houston architect Anderson Todd in 1961. According to the city Archaeological and Historical Commission, the house "was acclaimed as a masterpiece from the time of its completion."

Protected status means the house can't be demolished without approval of the commission. Two other properties were designated as landmarks without protection. That means demolition plans must go to a public hearing, but that the owner can still proceed after a 90-day waiting period, regardless of the verdict of the hearing.

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One of those properties is another Museum District house at 1932 Albans Road, built in 1924 for an Austrian immigrant and lauded by the Historical Commission as "a good example of a Prairie style American Foursquare home," a style of home popular through the Midwest before World War I.

The other is the former main office of Southwestern Bell at 1114 Texas Avenue, built downtown in 1950 for the telegraph and telephone company. It was constructed as an addition to the company's original 1912 office. Southwestern Bell sold the building to a developer in 1998. It is slated for rehabilitation for use as a hotel.

The City Council approved the new landmarks Thursday. No proposed landmarks were denied.