1620 River Oaks Boulevard in Houston, Texas must be the home of American royalty.  Be still my heart.  I know I have lived a sheltered life, but I thought I had been in a couple of very very nice homes.  Once I even got to go inside Mount Vernon, Ruth Hunt’s home on White Rock Lake, and I thought that was high cotton – and it was.  But, this home on the River Oaks Garden Club Azalea Trail Home and Gardens Tour was beyond anything I could imagine.

The best mistake we made all day was to think the tour began at 10:00 a.m.  It began at 11:00 a.m., and thus we were first in line.  Just looking through the gate, I could tell we were in for a special treat.  The guide mentioned:

This neo-classical English Regency home was designed by John F. Staub for Texas oilman Hugh Roy Cullen and finished in 1933.  The third owners purchased the house in 1999 and spent four years renovating the home.  The famous Steuben Crystal anthemion staircase, entry doors, and molding are Regency architectural elements of note.  The house is furnished with 18th and 19th century European furniture, original chandeliers (Baccarat Crystal- my note), marble floors and fireplaces.  With the assistance of landscape architect Johnny Steele, the new owners redesigned the grounds and gardens to fit their lifestyle.  The tapestry rose garden, camellia allee, and the sunken pool loggia are some of their favorite improvements.

Again, we could not take pictures inside the home, but trust me – you can not imagine the museum quality antiques – furniture, paintings, decorative crystal, and porcelains – that filled this mansion.  Understand, we just got to see a few rooms on the ground floor, but were they ever impressive.   President George H. Bush entertained foreign dignitaries once in this home.  I am not surprised.  If you wanted to impress someone, this would work.

This fountain was in the front driveway.

Okay, when is the last time you has someone dust your front steps?

Look closely – this is a little peek inside the house.  The entry doors are wonderful.  The Steuben Crystal staircase was one of the first things we noticed as we walked through these doors.  At this point, I was weak-kneed.

From the balcony  we could see an overview of the sunken pool loggia.  Gorgeous.

Be still my heart.  The camellia alee with the granite gravel path took my breath away.

The tapestry rose garden is wonderful.  Made me feel good – they had some of the same roses I recently planted – plus a few bazillion more.  It is like a fairyland.

What an unusual and lovely rose.

There were statues along the garden paths.

The lawn could accommodate a game of football, a croquet game, or a large garden party.  What a wonderful lawn for an Easter egg hunt.

I could live here. It is the guest house.

Loved the lemonade stand.

Or perhaps you would like to live in the tree house.

Their herb garden was much bigger than my backyard.  I liked it.  I loved it.

Oh, Sweet Mother of Pearl.  This is beautiful.

I do not know how many patios ( I am sure they have a much fancier name) they had.  All were wonderful.

We literally entered another world.

There were lemon trees, orange trees, and even a grapefruit tree.  Amazing.

We were there.  As I have mentioned before, I love living vicariously through others.

As we were leaving, we saw this view.  What a wonderful day in the neighborhood.

Blessings to you and yours,

By far, this was the most popular home on the tour.  As I said, we were glad were were early because as we left, the line was long – over a long block long.  (But, 1620 River Oaks Boulevard would have been worth the wait.)