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Month: April 2021

Deep Texas Hill Country Roots

For more than 120 years, Moore’s Home Furnishing grew from a general store, a lumber store, to its current iteration of a furniture store. Early on, with deep roots in Texas Hill Country, they instilled solid and deep belief and business philosophies, including “unwavering outstanding customer service.” It has served them well.

The current location opened in 1975, and in 1996, Bill and Rachel Johnston purchased it. Bill is the great-great-grandson of Thomas Jasper Moore, who established the first store in 1892 (in Ingram). In 2018, celebrating 126 years in business, a ribbon-cutting of the newly renovated retail store, designed by Huser Construction Company, was unveiled. In addition to updating the store’s exterior, they redesigned the entry, office area, and design center.

As part of the remodel, cable railing was specified for the stairs and the loft area. The original cable specification, by another company, made it too costly to complete. Texas Railing Systems worked with the Huser Construction to value-engineer a system that would work with their budget. “The specified system was exceedingly over budget, and we stepped in with a value-engineered system that benefited the project,” said Wayne Uecker, owner of Texas Railing Systems. 

Sleek and Modern Stainless Steel Installation

Texas Railing Systems recommended a stainless-steel framework using an inch and a half stainless steel posts, a hardwood top rail and handrails, and Ultra-tec Invisiware® 1/8-inch cable. The result is a sleek and modern update of the interior, opening up the store’s views.

“Ultra-tec’s Invisiware is our cable railing fitting preference; it is sleek and nearly invisible hardware,” said Mr. Uecker. “The hardware is easy to adjust and is our first choice go-to for cable products, and it’s incorporated into our standard fabrications.”

Texas Railing Systems is a leading architectural contemporary railing specialty company with more than one thousand projects throughout the Texas Hill Country. They have long-standing relationships in commercial, residential, and manufacturing, including their long-time supplier, Cable Art.

“We feel Ultra-tec is a superior product line for our cable business,” added Mr. Uecker.

Sanctuary For The Species

For more than 50-years, the Houston Audubon Society’s mission is to advance the conservation of birds with its bird sanctuaries, educational programs, and experiences for people of all ages. The society owns and manages 17 nature sanctuaries totaling 3,400 acres throughout the Houston-Galveston area. The freshwater ponds, forest canopy, and sub-canopy offer migrating bird species a welcome respite and a perfect place for bird watchers of the human sort. 

Out of the 17 sanctuaries, the Rookery at Smith Oaks Bird Sanctuary in High Island added an impressive “bird’s-eye” viewing experience in the spring of 2020. The $2.3 million nature tourism enhancement, funded by John P. McGovern Foundation, features a 700-foot-long elevated boardwalk with various levels, some as high as 20-feet above ground, for human species to view bird species. 

Boardwalk Design

Designed to complement the sanctuary’s natural setting, it is the first elevated walkway for the most popular birding destination in the nation. “We believe this unique experience will attract even more birders, photographers, and nature enthusiasts to the Upper Texas Coast,” said Helen Drummond, Executive Director of the Houston Audubon.

The designers, architecture firm SWA, noted that camouflage was an essential consideration in their design. “The client asked that it not ‘stand out,’ so we were careful not to disturb the birds and other wildlife,” said Natalia Beard, principal at SWA. The firm chose materials that will blend in with the surrounding vegetation. 

According to SWA, “support structures needed to be resilient to withstand the salt air…”, which made Ultra-tec cable railing and Invisiware® fixtures a perfect fit. Ultra-tec products are made of recycled materials in a state-of-the-art facility and qualify for LEED credits. Stainless-steel is composed of corrosion-resistant properties and often chosen for projects near salt-water with high humidity, such as the Houston Audubon bird sanctuary walkway.

The well thought out design and chosen material of the walkway offer a unique viewing of every day to rare bird species and an educational platform for all ages, withstanding the harsh environment for years to come.

Sources:
SWA Press Release, August 21, 2019: SWA Group Designers Treat Visitors to Bird’s-Eye View at Audubon Nature Tourism Spot in Texas
Houston Audubon Press Release, April 8, 2019: High Island Nature Tourism Enhancement Project Press Release
Houston Audubon website

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