On October 21, 1988 The Federation of Italian-American Organizations of Greater Houston purchased, for $375,000, a property at 1101 Milford, known as Milford House, which would become the home of the Federation offices and its Italian Cultural Center. In fact, The Italian Cultural and Community Center was dedicated and opened to the public on December 11 of the same year and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The Italian Cultural Center is also a "Designated Houston Landmark".

The large scaled house bespeaks the upper middle-class aspirations with which this neighborhood, the N.P. Turner Addition, got underway after World War I and has a rich and interesting history.

The English style two-story structure was designed by architect William Ward Watkin in 1923 for the family of Houston attorney John G. Logue of Andrews, Streetman, Logue and Mobley. Watkin, a man who helped build Houston, was creator and head of the Department of Architecture at Rice Institute, and lists among his extensive projects the original Museum of Fine Arts, Houston's Public Library, known now as the Julia Ideson building, and Trinity Church.

Originally the Logue property extended from Bayard to Yoakum. In 1932 the Logues commissioned architect J.W. Northrop to build a house next door to them as a wedding gift to their daughter Katherine Logue Hooper.

During this same period homes were built across the street from the Logues for two brothers and a sister who were members of the Judge Sam Streetman family. These homes at 1110 Milford, 1112 Milford and 1117 Banks Street were designed by architect J.T. Rather who worked for and eventually became the partner of John F. Staub. The property at 1102 Milford (c. 1919) was owned by Hiram Clark. Mrs. Hiram Clark was also a daughter of Sam Streetman.

On March 27, 1933 John Logue died of a stroke. He was not yet fifty-one years of age. The following day funeral services were held at the residence. Logue's wife Kate continued to live at the residence until 1937. From 1937 until her death in the mid 1940s she lived at the Warwick Hotel.

Mrs. Logue sold her property for $25,000 to Cornelius C. Kroll, President of Southport Petroleum Corporation of Delaware, who occupied the house from 1937 until 1951. Little is known of the Krolls, but their son Norman attended Rice between 1938-40 and would often invite friends to play tennis on the property's tennis courts.

On July 3, 1951, for $65,000, ownership of the house transferred to the Woman’s Building of Houston, a corporation owned by some 286 women. Founded in 1925 by a group of Houston women prominent in civic affairs, including Mrs. H.M. Garwood, Mrs. Jesse Jones and Mrs. William P. Hobby, its aim had been to build a club for women with living quarters for members and guests, meeting rooms, kitchen, dining rooms and an auditorium that would serve as the genesis for women’s activities in Houston. Even though, in December, 1947, the women had profits of $192,000 in the bank realized from the sale of their investment property in the 5400 block of Main to Bonwit Teller for $210,000, a property they had purchased twenty-two years before for $60,000, they did not feel they had sufficient funds to build. Bitter indecision over the question to dissolve the corporation or to find a suitable existing property ended at 1101 Milford.

In January, 1951 a contract of about $40,000 was awarded to W.D. Hill Construction Company for an addition to the original house which stopped at the double glass doors in the dining room. Architect Robert Smallwood acted as consultant in the remodeling. Modifications included the loggia, the restrooms, the auditorium with the stage and backstage and the commercial kitchen. A second contract of about $20,000 was awarded for air conditioning.

On November 11, 1953 the refurbished building, with splendid antique furnishings and modern facilities, reopened as Milford House for the street on which it was located. For the next twenty or more years it operated in the same capacity as a country club, with lectures, concerts, weddings, dances and luncheons, and was considered a landmark of the cultural and social life of the city.

When, due to members’ age and lack of younger involvement, the club had to dissolve, the ladies donated their property to Rice University with the understanding that it would be used for the Shepherd School of Music.

Unfortunately, the property did not fit the needs of the School which used it for faculty meetings, professors’ studios and for occasional recitals, but never really considered it as its seat and, therefore, never invested any money in its upkeep. In the summer of 1988 Rice University and the Shepherd School for Music made public plans of building an imposing new facility on the campus and started fund-raising for that purpose. The Milford House was not put up for sale but when Rice University received an offer from the Federation, they started negotiating.

Shortly thereafter the Federation became the fifth owner of the property. Since then the screened porch has been converted into a handsome library housing c.2400 volumes English and Italian text. True to tradition, the house continues to receive interesting and distinguished guest.

In 1999 Smith Custom Builders was chosen among 4 other bidders to restore the Italian Cultural Center to its original luster.