1920 Woodbury St. – Houston TX (built 1930; demolished 07/2007; designer: Katharine Mott)

The 1920 Woodbury house was built in 1930 by Katharine and Harry Mott and belonged to the estate of Penn Rettig, of Rettig’s Ice Cream, until 1991. The next owner added several structures to the house, including a cave and Romanesque outdoor stage, and eventually purchased a demolition permit for the property in July, 2007, and the house was demolished. The property was sold to Moody National Bank, which plans to construct “Cambridge Tower” on the parcel of land. See also Rettig’s Drive In Restaurant.

From the Houston Architectural Guide:*

One of the largest houses constructed by Katharine and Harry Mott, this rambling manorial style house occupies an entire block front in the subdivision of Devonshire Place. The crumbling of deed restrictions led to an invasion of high density housing in the mid 1990s that has radically diminished parts of the historically significant neighborhood.

 

More about Katharine Mott houses: http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/index.php?showtopic=12358

above picture copyright 1999, Houston Architectural Guide – Stephen Fox

 

 

New development in the area