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    Shelby About Town

    The $20 million Houston mansion hits the auction block, Law & Order takes over local couple's swanky apartment & tennis rocks

    Shelby Hodge
    shelby hodge
    Feb 5, 2013 | 2:34 pm

    The arrest being made at Lucinda and Javier Loya's New York City aerie this week has nothing to do with the Houston-based duo that is currently nowhere near Manhattan. Lucinda emailed on Monday that Universal Network Television is filming scenes for an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in that swank apartment.

    Lucinda wrote, "The story is based on a certain pop star hanging out in a NYC Boutique Hotel - Penthouse (my apt.) when police come to arrest her boyfriend!" Look for the Loya apartment, featuring her interior design talent, on Feb. 27.

    To make the whole thing even more exciting, one of the producers is booking an appointment with Lucinda. Stay tuned.

    And the starting bid is . . .

    The Houston Mansion, as this 25,000 square foot Memorial area abode is affectionately called, isn't going to be hanging around on MLS for long. Or that's the hope of owner Melanie Johnson, who has placed the house that once was listed (if ambitiously) for $20 million on the auction block with Premiere Estates Auction Co. Starting bid — $5.9 million. The same as the asking price when she had it on the market locally.

    You have only 14 days to get your bid in.

    Painting the town

    Artist John Ross Palmer has made his second splash in LA at the 18th annual Los Angeles Art Show, where his gallery featured the works of three graduates of his Escapist Mentoring program.

    Through John Palmer Fine Art, each of the grads — Edgar Medina, Nubia Gala-Seibert and Tra Slaughter — were able to sell their work.

    Palmer's mentorship program, founded in 2009, teaches artists how to sell on their own, self-promote and to work around the traditional art gallery system. The program is free for the young participating artists. Palmer takes on one each year.

    A grand slam

    The Houston Tennis Association was a winner with its second annual "Game, Set, Match" fundraiser headlining retired tennis champ Todd Martin. More than 375 supporters of the National Junior Tennis and Learning program filled the ballroom of the Westin Oaks Hotel for the dinner evening.

    Honorary chairs DeeDee and Wallis Marsh and chair Lara Lehmann led the fundraising charge while Bev Taylor serving as HTA and NJTL chair.

    Among tennis fans were Doug Pritchett, Harold Graham, Beverly and Dr. William Harmon, Brad Blume, Daryl and David Hall, Manfred Jachmich, Gwen and Harris County Judge Ed Emmett, Shelley and Tracy Ludwick and Toni Lawrence.

    The New York apartment of Lucinda and Javier Loya debuts on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit later this month.

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    Big Spenders

    Retro futurism meets philanthropy as Houston museum gala raises $3.6M

    Joel Luks
    Mar 12, 2026 | 10:30 am
    Houston Museum of Natural Science Gala 2026
    Photo by Daniel Ortiz
    Will Lee, Britton Daugbjerg, Ella Fertitta, and Jason Fertitta.

    Big spenders to the front, please.

    On a night when Houston’s black-tie crowd orbited the worlds of science, style, and a little retro-futurism, the Houston Museum of Natural Science’s Futurama: A Stardust Odyssey Gala 2026 felt less like a traditional fundraiser and more like an expedition through the museum’s halls.

    Chaired by Randa and Charlie Williams alongside Susanne and Joel Bartsch, the gala welcomed more than 350 guests who arrived ready to lean into the evening’s mid-century futuristic theme. Instead of a traditional program, tables were scattered throughout the museum, an intentional design that encouraged guests to roam. Blooming Gallery’s décor channeled a bright, Jetsons-inspired palette before shifting into a copper-and-marigold Mad Men mood as the evening progressed.

    Let’s talk about the Vault Auction, as it had a gravitational force all its own, delivering a treasure trove of museum-worthy marvels and luxury collectibles.

    Among the headliners was a jaw-dropping 90–troy-ounce crystallized gold specimen from the Beta Hunt Gold Mine in Western Australia, with a $850,000 starting bid. A Chanel brooch centered on a GIA-certified yellow sapphire had a starting bid of $180,000, while a dazzling pair of earrings featuring Paraiba tourmaline, Mahenge pink spinel, and diamonds was valued between $800,000 and $1.2 million. The crown jewel of the display? “Rocks in a Box,” a museum-quality curated mineral collection assembled by HMNS curators selling for $1.8 million.

    Need a ride? We got you. A 1965 Jaguar XKE Series 1 4.2 Coupe donated by Stephanie and Frank Tsuru was up for grabs.

    Gulf Coast Entertainment’s Justin and The SwingBeats Quartet filled cocktail hour with jazz standards and retro pop. Later, diners gathered in Morian Hall of Paleontology and the Morian Overlook for a multi-course meal of elevated Southern fare.

    After dinner, the celebration shifted into high gear in the Grand Entry Hall. Joystix Entertainment transformed the space into a retro arcade with glowing pinball machines, Donkey Kong cabinets, and pool tables. Flamingo showgirls by J&D Entertainment strutted through the crowd. Guests danced to live music, sipped milkshakes, nibbled late-night mini grilled cheese sandwiches, and even tried their luck at claw machines filled with gemstones and minerals.

    The affair became the most successful gala in the museum’s history, raising $3.6 million to support educational programs, exhibitions, and outreach initiatives.

    Orbiting the scene were Mary and Ron Neal, Patty and T. Mark Kelly, Caroline and Jack Williams, Nancy and David Pustka, Cynde and Chris Stravros, Mary Helen and Pete Bowden, Meg and Dick Weekley, Al Walker, Joella and Steve Mach, Monica and Fox Benton, Lisa and Mike O’Leary, and Chandos and Ike Epley, alongside many of Houston’s leading philanthropists and community supporters.

    Houston Museum of Natural Science Gala 2026

    Photo by Daniel Ortiz

    Will Lee, Britton Daugbjerg, Ella Fertitta, and Jason Fertitta.

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