Sabine Street Cottages

Two residences create an enclave on a previously vacant lot in Houston’s Old Sixth Ward. A relocated and renovated 1870’s Gothic Revival home is located along the street front, and a small new home is located in the back. While the homes are organized together as a communal master plan, each has the flexibility to be used as a separate residence with private access.

The renovated structure was purchased at auction, in a state of disrepair, and moved from its then home in the downtown police station parking lot, where it was used primarily as a storage shed, to this property. The building was originally constructed in 1872 by Gottlieb Eisele, a local carpenter and contractor, as his residence. The Gottlieb Eisele house was carefully renovated to its original exterior appearance based on a surviving photo of the original structure. The interior was opened up and reconfigured to allow the building to function as a home again.

The new one-story residence in the back of the property is configured around a new tree-lined autocourt and a rear lawn shaded by a 200-year-old Live Oak. As a response to the scale of neighborhood structures, the home is broken down into three small wings, each under a traditional metal gable roof: a small work studio, a living-dining-kitchen area, and a bedroom wing. Spaces within are vaulted and open towards the front and back courtyards. The new residence is built with autoclaved-aerated-concrete-block (AAC), providing an efficient and durable structure that will provide a comfortable environment in the hot-humid Houston climate.

While the homes were originally conceived 140 years apart from one another, they now coexist to create an environment that honors the scale and the history of this historic neighborhood in the shadow of downtown.

More information on the Gottlieb Eisele House, from Swamplot.