Iconic 'Darth Vader House' Sells

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Iconic 'Darth Vader House' Sells

IT TOOK OVER the internet when it first listed, and now, West U's iconic "Darth Vader House" has a new owner.


The mansion at 3201 University Blvd. is an icon familiar not only to Houstonians, but to Star Wars fans around the globe. Nicknamed such for its resemblance to the villain's helmet, it hit the market in May for $4.3 million, causing quite a stir on the interwebs, seeing as the previous owner famously turned down interviews and photo ops.

Real estate aficionados and movie buffs alike enjoyed flipping through the image gallery, which revealed a counterintuitively light, open interior. A sunken portion of the living room makes a unique seating area, surrounded by curiously patterned concrete and stone flooring; other oddly shaped areas are found throughout the home, which has a distinctly '80s, yet surprisingly fresh, vibe.

Last listed for $3.1 million by Wade Knight and Nadia Carron of Martha Turner Sotheby's International Realty, the property officially sold this week. Time will tell what the new homeowners choose to keep and forego.

A next-gen artificial heart from BiVACOR has successfully been implanted in a patient at Texas Heart Institute. The patient survived more than a week, until a donor heart was found for a transplant.

THE PIONEERING CARDIOVASCULAR inventors and surgeons at The Texas Heart Institute (THI) in the Texas Medical Center have made another huge leap forward in the treatment of heart disease, officially announcing yesterday what they’re calling a “monumental advancement."

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People + Places

Rachel Gardner with her flower necklaces and, at left, Calla Lilly necklace

ON SATURDAY JULY 27, Foltz Gallery presents Endless Summer, a lively, playful exhibit of works by a multi-generational group of 28 emerging and established Texas-based artists. Taking its name from the 1974 Beach Boys double-album, which compiled the group’s early 1960s hit singles, the show is a visual “mixtape” of colorful paintings, prints, photographs, wall-based installations, ceramics and sculptures, installed lovingly throughout Foltz’s spacious and sunlit galleries. Among the works in Endless Summer are several examples of handmade “sculptural jewelry” by artist Rachel Gardner — a series of wearable wildflowers and fruits, including olives and strawberries.

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Art + Entertainment