Historic places

Houston's newest historic district: Germantown is recognized as an area worthpreserving

211 E. Woodland
Photo courtesy of Houston Planning & Development Department
The Germantown Historic District is a small wedge of land bordered by HoustonAvenue to the west, I-45 to the north and east and Woodland Park to the south.
Map courtesy of Houston Planning & Development Department
The home at 101 Parkview, pictured, is just one of the historically-significantstructures in the area.
Photo courtesy of Houston Planning & Development Department
Of the 71 structures in Germantown Historic District, 83 percent were built morethan 50 years ago. Pictured is the home at 129 Payne.
Photo courtesy of Houston Planning & Development Department

The Houston enclave known as Germantown has seen a number of changes, from its beginnings as an immigrant farming community in the late 1800s to, most recently, a distinction as a City of Houston Historic District, a measure approved by the Houston City Council on Wednesday.

Bounded by Houston Avenue to the west, I-45 to the north and east and Woodland Park to the south, the Grota Homestead Neighborhood comprises the remaining Germantown, which was originally bordered by North Main to the east before the construction of the interstate highway in the 1960s.

That division brought on years of decline, but a recent revitalization effort on the part of residents has helped to re-emphasized the area's historic importance.

The heavily-residential district is made up of 71 structures — and 83 percent of them are more than half a century old.

The heavily-residential district is made up of 71 structures, a mix of bungalows and homes with Craftsman, American Four Square, Queen Anne and Colonial Revival architectural details — and 83 percent of them are more than half a century old.

The City of Houston's approval leads the neighborhood to the next step in historical designation: Listing as a locally-significant historic district in the National Register of Historic Places, which will help protect the area and its significant buildings from the Texas Department of Transportation's proposed widening of the I-45 corridor.

"Property owners in the newly designated Germantown Historic District can now breathe a sigh of relief that their historic homes are now protected and the architectural character of their neighborhood will be maintained," said Wendy Parker, chairman of the Germantown Historic District, in a statement.

"We are preserving Houston's history and know this designation will benefit the District and City for years to come."

unspecified

the feel of cotton

Designer-loved Houston company makes custom bed sheets affordable

Photo by Michael Hunter

The Diamond Pique Collection boasts clean lines and a luxurious, sophisticated texture.

Cool, crisp, freshly-pressed white cotton sheets have secured themselves into the zeitgeist — it’s how the sensation of luxury actually feels, especially when retiring from Houston’s summer heat. Now, three local ladies with deep designer roots have joined forces to bring their attainable luxury bedding line, Look Linen Co., to market. Available online and through exclusive pop-ups, Look Linen Co. offers personalized products with personalized service.

Sylvia Longoria Dorsey and daughter Elizabeth Dorsey Fertitta joined forces with longtime friend and designer Lizzie Kappler to create a linen line that filled a gaping hole in the bedding market: local, affordable, personalizable bedding with reasonable lead times. Look Linen Co. has quickly become a designer darling due to their classic styles and stately embroidery — luckily, it’s available to everyone.

“It’s so complicated when you’re going through custom channels,” Kappler tells CultureMap. “Lead times are long and really expensive. We really wanted to bring luxury linens to the market that feel very custom and that are accessible and feel personal, but also attainable to our customer.”

With a generous 12 luxe embroidery color options, customization is key. “We spent a long time curating the color selections just based on what sold best from both of our [design] backgrounds,” says Kappler.

View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Look Linen Co. (@looklinenco)

All Look Linen Co. products are made of 100 percent long staple cotton, imported from Europe. Monogramming is done locally and completely in-house, which allows for their quick, two week (or less) turnaround time. Three classic styles — Banded, Scalloped, and Diamond Pique — are available, as well as a new floral addition, the Lucky Collection. The soft, delicate clover pattern found in Lucky is perfect for clients who prefer to mix-and-match their linens — especially pillows.

One of the several things setting Look Linen Co. apart from other boutique lines is their Dorm Shop. Fertitta notes that dorm room and sorority house bedding has become a booming market.

“These girls love to decorate their dorms,” she says. To cater to that market, Look Linen Co. offers extra-long twin bedding and a specialized, oversized pillow affectionately called “The Biggie” that can double as a headboard in a pinch. All customizable, of course.

The runaway hit product from Look Linen Co is the wildly popular, hourglass-shaped pillow called “The Boobie Pillow.” Designed to assist ladies of a certain age keep delicate décolletage skin from creasing, it also found another life as a post-surgery neck and shoulder pillow, amazing travel pillow, and so much more.

“We started hearing people were using them at MD Anderson: ‘I couldn’t make it through without this pillow,’ or ‘my husband used it after open heart surgery,’ etc. It has really taken on a life of its own,” says Fertitta. “It’s no longer what we intended it to be, but it’s so great, and a best seller. It makes a great gift, it’s almost like a lovey!”

For anyone curious which collection and embroidery color has been most popular, the answer is the Scallop Collection in Baby Blue, a classic choice. “Everyone loves a scallop,” says Kaplan — we tend to agree.

Photo by Michael Hunter

The Diamond Pique Collection boasts clean lines and a luxurious, sophisticated texture.

home-design