This Old House selected Glenbrook Valley — Houston's mecca for mid-century homes — as one of the nation's "Best Old House Neighborhoods" for 2013, citing the enclave for its "daring roof lines," "sweeping lawns" and "built-in Martini bars."
The home-improvement magazine, a companion to the classic PBS television series, highlighted the neighborhood as one of 10 Editors' Picks alongside noted historic communities like Chicago's Bronzeville and Asbury Park, N.J. along the Jersey Shore.
Editors call Glenbrook "a neighborhood that would have tempted Mad Men’s Don Draper had he landed a Big Oil account."
Located just north of Hobby Airport, Glenbrook Valley touts more than 1,000 homes built between 1953 and 1962, all decked out with varying degrees of mid-century modern details — from pink-tiled bathrooms to circular living rooms. This Old House editors call Glenbrook "a neighborhood that would have tempted Mad Men’s Don Draper had he landed a Big Oil account."
After weathering several decades of decline, the area has drawn a recent wave of architecture enthusiasts hoping to score an untouched piece of American design history.
In 2011, homeowners successfully lobbied to have the neighborhood declared one of the first post-World War II historic districts in Texas.
"Glenbrook features some of the Houston's best examples of modern architecture," area resident and realtor Robert Searcy tells CultureMap. "It's also one of the few neighborhoods in the city where you can still get a good deal."
With home prices ranging from just below $100,000 to $300,000, the community remains affordable even as the city's residential market explodes. As such, This Old House included Glenbrook Valley in additional "best of" categories for bargains, fixer-uppers, first-time buyers and retirees.
For a closer look at Glenbrook Valley's unique housing stock, check out this vintage 1954 mod featured on CultureMap in December.
Glenbook Valley hosts one of the city's largest clusters of mid-century homes, like this vintage mod on Lakewind Street.
