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66 the slope of the trusses. Moss employed various juxtaposed materials including the inventive use of a vertical terrazzo finish on the exterior sides of the trusses. My friend, the late architect and professor Burdette Keeland, once told me that when he was an architecture student at the University of Houston, "We watched with astonishment as the terrazzo wall was being applied and finished vertically." To my knowledge, it is the only example in Houston — or quite possibly anywhere — of terrazzo used this way. The angles of this unique apartment building's trusses are reflected in the angles of the corner windows with no mullions using butt-jointed glass. Instead, the glass sits on a continuous cantilevered shelf with vertical butt-jointed glass below the shelf. Above the angled glass on top of the horizontal shelf is a reverse angled clear-glass clerestory. The glass of Penguin Arms' six units are divided by coursed ashlar natural limestone walls and, together with the windows, are set under the angled eaves finished with soffits of corrugated cementitious panels. This angled form was to become a recurring motif in all of Moss' future work. There is a feeling of light-filled openness at Penguin Arms due to the expanse of floor-to-ceiling glass with open corners at the exterior walls. Another distinguishing feature is the interior stonework throughout the units; matching the exterior, it also bears protruding shelves of the same stone. Within the apartments, the floors are hardwood except for the baths, which are ceramic tile of either pink or green, a color palette in vogue during the Populuxe era. The kitchen and baths of each unit are located inboard of the exterior angled glass windows. There are no exterior windows in the walls of the kitchens or baths; instead, a continuous band of translucent obscure glass, extending above the door to the ceiling, allows for light and privacy. Penguin Arms was purchased in 2012 by Dan Linscomb and his wife Pam Kuhl-Linscomb, owners of the sprawling home retail emporium Kuhl-Linscomb, from a creative and strong elderly lady, Eileene Chamberlain, who has since passed away. "We had admired the building's unique architecture for years, said Pam, "and when it came up for sale by surprise, we knew immediately that letting it sit on the market could allow potentially less preservation-minded owners to see to its demise, so we bought it the first day in an effort to save the Penguin." The Linscombs own several of the surrounding mid-20th-century structures, which are now part of their retail showroom complex. The buildings have been meticulously preserved, which maintains the neighborhood street scale and character. Plans for the Penguin Arms call for preserving the exterior as close to original as possible, while restoring the interior architectural elements but eliminating more recent unimportant additions. After restoration, the building will become an additional retail space and will also be used for charitable, neighborhood, and cultural events. Via email, Dan tells me, "This will allow many more Houstonians the opportunity to experience the architecture of the Penguin Arms and hopefully create an interest in other extant mid-century buildings in Houston." DECIPHERING DELAFOSSE HOUSE Another early building by Moss is the Floyd DeLafosse Jr. House, circa 1957- 1958, in San Leon, Texas. The client was a classmate and pal from Texas A&M days, and Arthur served as groomsman for his wedding to Jeanette Hooper on January 14, 1950, in Houston. A few years later, the DeLafosses commissioned Moss to design a house for their young family; the location was remote from the city, but prime in being near the water — an open lot located one house from the intersection of 5th Street and East Bay Shore Drive and two houses from Galveston Bay. Remarkably, after Ike and Harvey, the DeLafosse House still stands. Neighbors still refer to the house as The Spaceship, but it is more an abstract form than an alien vessel. The L-shape plan has two levels facing onto 5th Street and the backyard garden courtyard, and one level facing the backyard garden courtyard and the adjacent property. The two-level element has split-level bedrooms with high privacy windows in the lower wall and sliding glass doors facing the garden courtyard. The upper- level wall/roof is sloped away from the street and originally had square windows that were closed and roofed over because of chronic rainwater leaks. Large glass windows and doors with balconies at either end are the only windows at the upper level. Moss' unorthodox floor plan was a far cry from cookie-cutter suburbia of the era. The adjacent one-level element features floor-to-ceiling sliding glass Arthur Moss' DeLafosse House, San Leon, Texas, circa 1957-1958 The architect, third from right, served as usher in the wedding of brother Philemon Moss and Anastasia (Stacey) Tsamisis, New York City, May 12, 1957. Bride-to-be at her family home in Queens, Long Island, with father, Harry Tsamisis, and attendants. COURTESY THE MOSS FAMILY ARCHIVES, HOUSTON (continued on page 68) (continued from page 64)