Old is New again: The most stunning renovations & restorations in Houston

As a Garden & Gun magazine writer recently said, Houston is different from the rest of the South in that the city is always looking forward, never back.

But as the winners of the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance's Good Brick Awards prove, Houstonians can still appreciate our city's historic heritage, from thoughtful updates to historic homes to massive public works projects.

The GHPA President's Award will go to Harris County for a "massive" renovation of the 1910 downtown courthouse, bringing back many of the original architectural elements after a poorly designed 1950s renovation.

The Good Brick Awards will officially be presented at GHPA's Cornerstone Dinner on Feb. 17 at the River Oaks Country Club.

At right: Katie and Nick Johnson's Good Brick Award-winning 1928 Tudor Revival-style home in the Boulevard Oaks Historic District.

Julia Ideson Library Preservation Partners, Houston Public Library and the City of Houston will receive the Stewart Title Award for the restoration and expansion of the 1926 Julia Ideson Building. The GHPA says that the restoration, along with that of the courthouse, "will set the standard for historic preservation in Houston for years to come."

The project, completed included restoration of the Spanish Colonial Revival interior and "installation of state-of-the-art archival facilities in a new wing built to complement the architecture of the landmark building."

“All of these projects were completed in a difficult economy,” said GHPA executive director Ramona Davis. “These successful efforts demonstrate Houston’s economic viability even in bad times and preservation’s role in keeping the local economy moving.”

Right: Nancy and Walt Bratic's 1941 Georgian Revival style home by Hamilton Brown in River Oaks.

City of Houston earned a Good Brick Award for the "green adaptive reuse" of a 1924 warehouse, now the Houston Permitting Center, with design by StudioRED Architects.

Lynn and Ty Kelly's 1949 McKie and Kamrath house in River Oaks, with renovation and sympathetic addition designed by Reagan Miller, AIA, of Miller Dahlstrand Architects.

The renovation and sympathetic addition to 1961 Oak Forest Neighborhood Library, designed by Natalye Appel + Associates with Architect Works, Inc. and James Ray Architects, earned an award for the Houston Public Library.

Paula and Sam Douglass' renovation of their 1936 Georgian Revival house in River Oaks, originally designed by Birdsall P. Briscoe.