John F. Staub

Who was John F. Staub?

John Fanz Staub was a residential architect who designed numerous traditionally-styled homes and mansions, mostly in Houston, Texas, from the 1920s to 1960s. Originally from Tennessee, Staub received a masters degree in architecture from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1916. Staub was noted for his ability to combine selected elements from historical styles into unique creations that expressed the architect's own sensibilities and the demands of his commissions. His houses are prized for their attention to detail and the thoughtful consideration placed to site location. Staub's homes are generally large, though most eschew ostentation and instead reveal the architect's preference for understated elegance. Staub designed many homes in the prestigious Houston neighborhood of River Oaks. His most famous work is Bayou Bend, a mansion built in 1927 for oil heiress Ima Hogg. Miss Hogg donated the estate and its collection of antique decorative arts to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston in 1966.