6648 Merry Lane

6648 Merry Lane (Resource Number 0193, Photo 16).
Houston architect Allen R. Williams, Jr. devised a plan for standardizing all-masonry houses, what he called “Century Built” houses, in the late 1940s and early 1950s. One of his houses is at 6646 Merry Lane. An early example of the Contemporary style, his standardized design consisted of using lightweight hollow concrete wall tile on a concrete slab foundation with a continuous grade beam and drilled piers. The roof (a tall shed roof over the living-dining area and a low flat roof in the kitchen, bedrooms, and bathrooms) consisted of lightweight concrete slabs, over which built up roofing was set over fiberglass insulating board. The exterior masonry walls were painted, and the interior walls were plastered. Williams also sought to accommodate the Houston climate; the houses had central heat and an attic fan but no air conditioning, so they were oriented to take advantage of sun shading and cross-ventilation. Windows consisted of metal casements. All of the houses had Roman brick-clad front chimneys with built-in planters along the front of the house. The fireplace also used the same brick cladding. The interior of the houses featured wood doors and casings; oak veneer parquet in the living room and bedrooms, asphalt tile in the kitchen, and hexagonal glazed ceramic tile in the bathrooms. (The interior of this house was not viewed.) The Century Built House used this model, and then variations of this distinguished each individual house. Despite their innovative designs, Century Built houses remained modest in price (about $11,000.00) and were comparable to other post-war developments. Koush describes Williams’s Century Built Homes as “an important example of a development of modern architecture in Houston. They are a reminder of a time when a group of architects were bold enough to attempt to reform conventional suburban building practices, and to infuse even the most modest houses with a sense of place and permanence.” Williams designed the house at 6648 Merry Lane in 1950 for Carl Stallworth. The Stallworth House was built in the same fashion as the rest of the Century Built Homes. The one-story, four-bay house is oriented toward the northeast, and is irregular in plan. The northeast façade contains the prominent front chimney with integrated wall. The attached garage projects from the northeastern façade. The house retains all of its original features, including casement windows, built-up roof, flush vertical and raked horizontal mortar joints, complex roofline, and wide overhanging eaves. A minor change to the house is the installation of a window air conditioner at the intersection of the northeast façade and the front chimney. The house has had no other visible alterations and retains its integrity. It is a contributing element of the historic district.