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Isabella Court Apartments At 3907-3917 Main St.


liammclaren

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They're great apartments, each one different I think. They have multiple levels & teepee shaped stucco fireplaces. I don't think they were ever that expensive, but always had dozens of people on a waiting list. I doubt that has changed.

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Yes, they are absolutely gorgeous! I snuck in there one time and looked around and was absolutely fascinated, they are pretty incredible. They are apartments that all surround this sort of inner courtyard area, I can't describe them because I have never seen anything like them. Very Spanish/Italian/Old World and gloriously kept that way, managing to escape any attempts to modernize, yet they have been brought into modern times easily. I used to desperately want to live there. It is hard to get in, at least it was when I was looking! Good luck!!

Edited by Parrothead
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  • 3 months later...
Thanks for all the replies, I don't suppose anyone has any pictures do they?

I've been inside a couple of the units. They are not ADA compliant, so any updates the owner has made trough the years are very minimal, so except for paint and trim, they are pretty original. The coutyard and glass topped atrium is unusual, very Mediterianean looking. The Haroltz 2 company ownes and manages it. Their offices are on the side street. (No covered parking....)

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  • 2 weeks later...

They definitely rent to men. I know two that lived there over the years and their apartments were amazing. Nothing like it in Houston.

I also toured the ground floor retail spaces two years ago for a place to put my furniture showroom. They are quite neat as well but the apartments are unbeatable!

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  • 2 years later...

Don't know if it was mentioned already, but FYI there was an article (w/ pics) about Isabella Court in the Sunday, January 25, 2009 Houston Chronicle, in G section, titled A Midtown Monument - Courtly Days and Nights.

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You would think that a developer would replicate this sort of design, especially given the occupancy rate for 80 years. I've always seen this place from the outside, but had no idea it was so charming inside.

I wonder what the rent is like...and I'm sure Houston's typical developer would scoff at the craftmanship and say it's too expensive to reasonably replicate.

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I like the picture of the inside walkway, shows how they have left it in a somewhat original state, didn't slap a new coat of paint on it. Reminds me of some of the bldgs in the French Quarter of New Orleans.

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I remember when there used to be a really good little sheet music shop and a leather craft shop at Isabella Court. Seems like there was at least one antiques place there too. But the train killed the retail, I'm guessing, and parking is kinda hard, and the hood was a little sketchy ten years ago. Shame, because they were nice places to shop, and convenient to Rice.

I wonder what the rent is like...and I'm sure Houston's typical developer would scoff at the craftmanship and say it's too expensive to reasonably replicate.

I think one of the articles mentioned it and it was something like $880 for the one bedroom units and $1225 for the only two bedroom unit. I'm just guessing, but I bet you could get bigger, safer, and newer with good parking for that or less in several places around town.

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I remember when there used to be a really good little sheet music shop and a leather craft shop at Isabella Court.

The music shop was Wadler and Kaplan, the only place in town that sold classical sheet music. All the classical instrument musicians bought their sheet music there. If it wasn't in stock you could special order and get it in a few days.

The Penders Music Company bought it in 2000, and it became Penders-Wadler-Kaplan. I don't think it's there anymore. It's been a while since I've been to the mid-town area.

Edited by FilioScotia
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they moved just inside the west loop off of i10 in that biz park.

Correct. For a while, I think, there was actually Penders Music next door to or beside the Wadler-Kaplan shop. If I recall correctly they specialized in church and choral music while W-K specialized in instrumental music. Later they moved to the Port West industrial park on I-10 just east of 610. That, of course, made them very inconvenient for the Rice, UH, and UST music majors. I think Penders is gone now. There's AMC Music on Feagan at Durham, beside that most people buy online now.

Edited by marmer
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Correct. For a while, I think, there was actually Penders Music next door to or beside the Wadler-Kaplan shop. If I recall correctly they specialized in church and choral music while W-K specialized in instrumental music. Later they moved to the Port West industrial park on I-10 just east of 610. That, of course, made them very inconvenient for the Rice, UH, and UST music majors. I think Penders is gone now. There's AMC Music on Feagan at Durham, beside that most people buy online now.

I was a piano major at UH in the 90s, and went to Wadler-Kaplan all the time. Good store, good selection, had a lot of obscure music. Well, some of the time. I was disappointed when the moved to that business park because it's a total pain to get to. Cheaper though I'm sure. Now it's called Dowling music, I have no idea why. Same location though, and same staff, for the most part.

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  • 1 year later...

I was a piano major at UH in the 90s, and went to Wadler-Kaplan all the time. Good store, good selection, had a lot of obscure music. Well, some of the time. I was disappointed when the moved to that business park because it's a total pain to get to. Cheaper though I'm sure. Now it's called Dowling music, I have no idea why. Same location though, and same staff, for the most part.

Dowling Music was started by local pianist Richard Dowling who decided that the area needed a retail classical music store. He may have hired some of the old W-K staff (that would have been a smart and classy thing to do) but it is in a strip center on 59, not in either of the former Penders locations.

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I've always heard that they had a waiting list. I guess with the economy and all, one unit will sit vacant for a short while.

I wish there were more complexes with character like the Isabella. It should be used as a model for future Midtown development.

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