A Timbergrove Original

In a community of primarily mid-century, one-story ranch homes, a split level gem nestled in the 6000 block of Kury stands out above the rest.  In early 1960 Anne and Clark Hessemer set out to build the perfect home for their young and growing family.  A home where they could relax, entertain and treat their children to all the spoils that the tall trees of Timbergrove Manor had to offer.Anne was a draftsman and worked on every detail of the house right down to the furniture with the help of a local architecture firm.  Three children, a local business established and many years of memories were had in the home. Fast forward 55 years and the time came for Ms. Hessemer to be closer to her children in the outlying Houston suburbs.  Ms. Hessemer's only wishes were that her home go to a family and not be torn down.  In today's Houston real estate market that could've been a tough sell.  Thankfully the Riley family was quickly outgrowing their Holly Park home and drove by on just the right day.  With a sleeping baby in the car Traci Riley decided to snake the streets of Timbergrove rather than drive straight home and risk interrupting the days peace.  While driving around she stumbled upon Kury and a FSBO sign. "I remember being so excited and immediately dialing the number on the sign only to get an answering machine.  I left a message and figured nothing would come of it.”  Later the same day Traci and Anne's son, Keith were able to connect and meet at the home. "It was like a time capsule.  Just an amazing home in perfect shape and so well planned.  Keith was tremendous and his fond memories that he shared gave me such a connection with the house.  The only issue was that my husband, was in meetings until 9 PM and leaving for Japan the next morning.  Fortunately we were on the same page in the home department and even sight unseen for him, this house was way to fun to pass up and the rest is history." The Rileys have made minor updates to the home's interior but the exterior, outside of the paint color, remains completely unchanged.  Mrs. Riley shared that her favorite story on the house is the screen shielding the front entry.  The legend is that Mr. Hessemer and his sons were driving around town one afternoon when they made a stop at the bank.  The maintenance workers at the bank were removing a metal screen and had put it out as trash.  Mr. Hessemer confirmed with the workers that the screen was trash and asked if he could take it off their hands.  With lots of ingenuity Mr. Hessemer and his sons loaded the screen into the trunk of their truck and made their way back to Kury Lane.  The screen still stands today as a striking example of mid-century architecture and a wonderful shield for the bikes, scooters and strollers of the houses newest stewards.