2014 Good Brick Tour

In 1932, Jesse and Edith Moore built their dream home on the banks of Rummel Creek, 17 miles west of downtown Houston: a cabin of pine logs harvested from the surrounding forest. Eighty years later, the Moores' patch of wooded paradise remained intact in the midst of urban sprawl, but time and weather had taken their toll on the little cabin.

A unique restoration plan was needed to keep the structure safe for future generations, and thanks to some hand-cut cypress logs, a few polyester straps and lots of careful planning, the cabin — now at the heart of the Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary — is as good as new.

See the restored cabin during Preservation Houston's 2014 Good Brick Tour on May 3 and 4 — the first time we've offered the chance to get a close look at a selection of current and recent Good Brick Award-winning preservation projects. Trained docents, architects, contractors and property owners will be on hand to talk about the work that went into restoring sites that include the log cabin, a 1920s bungalow and an Art Deco printing plant.

Good Brick Tour locations will be open from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 3 and 4; a tour ticket ($25 in advance or $30 at the door) includes admission to all locations on both days of the tour. A $50 Patron-level ticket also includes an invitation to an exclusive kickoff party at the NuSmile Building, a 2014 Good Brick Award winner, the evening of Friday, May 2. (The NuSmile Building will only be open for that event.)

A flyer with a map of tour locations is available for download.

Pictured: Edith L. Moore Log Cabin under construction, 1932. Photo courtesy of Kerry Goelzer Associates.