Good Brick Awards

Honoring the best in local preservation

Preservation Houston has presented the Good Brick Awards since 1979 to recognize outstanding contributions to the preservation, restoration and enhancement of Houston's architectural and cultural heritage.

• See a list of past Good Brick Award recipients

What the Good Brick Awards recognize

The Good Brick Awards are rooted in the preservation of physical space, but we present awards that recognize the full range of work that makes preservation possible, including:

• Restoration, rehabilitation or adaptive reuse of a historic building or site

• New construction or additions that enhance an existing historic context

• Craftspeople and design professionals whose work supports preservation

• Property owners who are exceptional stewards of historic places

• Preservation-related programs, planning efforts and publications

• Outstanding service or leadership in the preservation field

Nominate a project for a Good Brick Award

Anyone may submit a Good Brick Award nomination. Nominating yourself will not affect your chance of receiving an award. Building and physical site projects must be located in Harris County; other nomination types should have a clear connection to Houston or Harris County.

Nominations for the 2028 Good Brick Awards will open around Memorial Day, 2027.

Meet the 2027 Good Brick Award winners

Preservation Houston’s 2027 Good Brick Awards showcase the range of preservation work across the city, from the revival of a neighborhood market vacant for decades and the opening of a bayou warehouse to the public to the restoration of a historic hospital and the adaptation of five homes for modern living. This year’s 12 honorees show how preservation connects Houston’s past with its present, keeping distinctive places in use and the stories they hold alive.

Join us to celebrate the 2027 award recipients at The Cornerstone Dinner on March 4, 2027. Learn more →

Buffalo Bayou Partnership
for the rehabilitation of The Warehouse at Turkey Bend (1937) in the East End

The Warehouse at Turkey Bend was built as part of a barge terminal complex on Buffalo Bayou and reflects the East End’s industrial and maritime history. Buffalo Bayou Partnership transformed the long-neglected building for public use while preserving its wood roof, steel structure, historic brick, surviving graffiti and a tunnel connecting the warehouse to the bayou waterfront. This is Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s fourth Good Brick Award.

Claire Chauvin and Patrick Phipps
for the rehabilitation of the Susan and Robert F. Floyd House (1940) in Lindale Park

Claire Chauvin and Patrick Phipps rehabilitated their distinctive brick bungalow while addressing foundation and moisture problems and adapting the house for contemporary living. The five-year project preserved the home’s historic character while improving its interior spaces, strengthening its connection to the garden and adding detached studios for the owners, both artists. This is the first Good Brick Award for a project in the Lindale Park neighborhood.

David Cisneros / Romulus Development Partners, LLC
for the restoration of the Eastwood Community Market Building (1922) in Eastwood

The Eastwood Community Market Building opened in 1922 as an Italian grocery and meat market. It later served the neighborhood for decades as Monterrey Supermarket before standing vacant for more than 20 years. David Cisneros and Romulus Development Partners restored the deteriorated building for new use while preserving features such as original stucco, interior shiplap, wood floors and historic signage.

Harris County Precinct One
for the restoration of Riverside Hospital (1926) in the Third Ward

Opened as the Houston Negro Hospital in 1926, Riverside Hospital was established to provide hospital care for Houston’s African American community and is an important landmark in the city’s medical and cultural history. Harris County Precinct One restored the building’s historic character, including its screened porches, stucco exterior, central stair and terrazzo flooring, while adapting the building for continued use. This is Harris County’s sixth Good Brick Award for historic restoration.

Houston Astros
for the rehabilitation of historic windows at Union Station (1911) Downtown

Union Station opened in 1911 as Houston’s principal passenger rail terminal and was incorporated into the development of the adjacent baseball stadium (now Daikin Park) in the late 1990s. The Houston Astros rehabilitated all of the terminal building’s 163 exterior windows, replicating historic window configurations while repairing surrounding masonry and other historic building fabric.

Menil Foundation
for the rehabilitation of the Richard T. Fleming House (c. 1921) in Montrose

This classic bungalow is part of the “residential necklace” of houses and apartments that preserves the neighborhood scale surrounding the Menil Collection. The Menil Foundation stabilized the house’s unusual concealed concrete structural system, restored original wood windows and doors, reopened the front porch and added new space at the rear without overwhelming the historic house. This is the Menil Foundation’s second Good Brick Award.

Katrina Moorhead and Benjy Mason
for the rehabilitation of their vernacular cottage (c. 1908) in the Houston Heights West Historic District

The rehabilitation of this Houston Heights cottage shows how a historic house can accommodate modern family life while preserving its character. Original siding, trim and windows were retained, along with the house’s distinctive flared roof form. New living space at the rear replaced a series of later additions and complements the historic house’s scale and character. Reworked attic spaces in the original house and addition provide bedrooms, a bathroom and a playroom, making fuller use of the home’s footprint.

Catherine and Bruce McDonald
for the rehabilitation of their Craftsman bungalow (1911) in the Woodland Heights Historic District

This 1911 Woodland Heights bungalow had been altered by a series of additions, including a two-story former porte-cochere at the rear. Catherine and Bruce McDonald rehabilitated the house largely within its existing footprint, preserving original features and carefully reworking later additions using windows, doors, millwork and other details informed by the historic house.

Scarlet Capital
for the rehabilitation of the Purse Building (1927) in the Warehouse District

The Purse Building has accommodated a succession of industrial and creative uses during nearly a century in Houston’s Warehouse District since its construction as a commercial warehouse. Scarlet Capital rehabilitated the long-vacant building for new use while retaining its exposed brick, original steel-framed windows, concrete floors and structural framework. This is Scarlet Capital’s second Good Brick Award.

Ryan Writt and Rod Jahromi
for the rehabilitation of the John R. Cheek House (1913) in the Woodland Heights Historic District

This side-gabled Craftsman house was built in Woodland Heights in 1913 for John R. Cheek and retains much of its original architectural fabric. Ryan Writt and Rod Jahromi repaired original siding, trim, porch columns and double-hung windows, restored historic wood floors and placed new living space at the rear so the original house remains the dominant form from the street.

The Martha Peterson Award
Friends of the Houston History Research Center
for the documentary film The Julia Ideson Building — Celebrating 100 Years

The annual Martha Peterson Award is named in memory of a longtime Preservation Houston volunteer. It recognizes projects with a strong community component that bring people together through preservation.

The Friends of the Houston History Research Center produced The Julia Ideson Building — Celebrating 100 Years to mark the landmark downtown library building’s centennial. The film explores the history of Houston Public Library, the life of librarian Julia Ideson and the design and restoration of the building that bears her name. Using archival material and interviews with people involved in its preservation, the film documents the effort to restore and expand the building for continued use as the home of the Houston History Research Center. This is the Friends’ second Good Brick Award.