High Style in H-town, Tonight at the Downtown Library
I know I’ve mentioned this before, but hell, I happen to think it’s very cool, so I think it’s worth re-mentioning. Local musician and all-round cool guy Jason Smith, who plays bass/keys in sweet, flat-out rock band Alkari, also happens to be an architecture nerd, focusing on a particular local H-town architect named William R. Jenkins who built a bunch of (some-still-extant) houses down in the Westbury area.
Jason just finished an actual book on the guy, to boot, entitled High Style in the Suburbs: The Early Modern Houses of William R. Jenkins, published by the Houston Mod group, and tonight marks the official (I think?) launch of the book with a presentation and discussion tonight (Thurs., August 20th) at 6PM at the Downtown Houston Public Library (500 McKinney). The library presentation will be followed by a book signing/reception thing at Architecture Center Houston (315 Capitol), around 7PM. Both “parts” of the evening are free, as far as I know.
I’ve gotten to take a look at the book, btw, and while I’m not the architecture guru Jason is, I was/am mightily impressed. It’s been a bona-fide labor of love for him, and that shows. Makes me want to drive around and check out all of the remaining houses profiled in the book, seriously. If this sounds like your thing, get on over to downtown, eh?
Thanks a lot for the press on this! If anyone wants the book, they are $20 at Houstonmod.org. You just need to email the organization and paypal to get it. They are small books for $20, but they cost nearly that much to self-publish. Otherwise, you can meet us at various events to buy it.
If you had told me 5 years ago that I'd be signing autographs at Bayou Place, I would have assumed I was playing bass at Verizon Wireless. Funny how life works.