Houston Heights

Anne Sloan

• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Year: 2016
• Print ISBN: 9781467124294
• eBook ISBN: 9781439658079
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: History

Founded in 1891, Houston Heights, one of the earliest and largest planned communities in the state of Texas, weathered the national decline of urban neighborhoods and has entered an era of growth, new construction, and a denser use of its space. Located approximately three miles from downtown Houston (the fourth-largest city in the nation), Houston Heights is now prime real estate. As townhomes, condos, and large apartment complexes continue to be built, the area's "small-town feel" has become diluted. Houston Heights is struggling to maintain its walkability, residents are trying to remain connected to their neighbors, and preservationists are striving to save its history. Almost everyone who lives here appreciates the quirkiness of the neighborhood, the visual impact of art that is part of their daily lives, the ethnic diversity, and the respect that residents show toward young and the old. Three City of Houston historic districts preserve portions of the neighborhood's traditional fabric.

One

PLACES AND SPACES

This handsome redbrick monument sign, erected in 1995, welcomes visitors to Houston Heights. (Courtesy of Jim Bennett.)

Heights Boulevard, 150 feet wide, is divided by a grassy 60-foot esplanade. The northeastern founders had in mind Boston’s Commonwealth Avenue when they designed this grand entry to Houston Heights. Heights Boulevard is appropriately called the spine of the neighborhood. (Courtesy of Jim Bennett.)

An antique postcard of the boulevard conveys the country setting and park-like design laid out by Daniel Denton Cooley in 1890. Note the trolley rolling down the tracks beside the esplanade.

Law firms are now a familiar sight on the boulevard, but when Michael Moriarty purchased 404 Boulevard in 1997, they were not. Moriarty received HHA’s Community Improvement Award for Commercial Improvement in 1999 for his renovation of this 1919 Kansas-style prairie home. He enjoys the Heights because, though minutes from downtown, the neighborhood does not feel like it.

HHA purchased 700 Boulevard as a preemptive move to keep it from being used for the repair of large trucks. Installing new lighting and concrete paths, HHA created this park it named in honor of James G. Donovan. City attorney for the municipality of Houston Heights and Marcella Perry’s father, Donovan drafted the Dry Ordinance, still in effect today, which prohibits the sale of liquor in most of Houston Heights.

In 1996, HHA leaders enlisted Anne Culotta to transform Donovan Park into a railroad-themed Robert Leathers playground. The project brought 500 Heights residents together. Culotta, called “one take-charge lady” by her coworkers, is pictured wearing her regulation headgear. Behind her, the children’s hand-painted tile wall was installed by Cantu Tile Company. (Courtesy of Debbie Markey.)

Among the helpers are, from left to right, associate Municipal Court judge Joellen Snow, US congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, and Debbie Markey, chair of fundraising for the project. (Courtesy of Debbie Markey.)

In five days, this massive community effort created a magical playground where children come to enjoy Donovan Park. Contributions from Exxon, HEB, Sysco Foods, and other corporations enabled the completion of this ambitious project.

The boulevard has two gazebos, described by the Leader as “frivolous and fanciful.” Both gazebos are meant to be “reminders of the past era when life was simpler, quieter, and gentler.” The south gazebo was built in Paul Carr’s front yard by a group of Heights volunteers, who then dragged it to the boulevard on a trailer and installed it. (Courtesy of the C.A. Thorp family.)

The Clayton Lee World War II Memorial, in the 1000 block of Boulevard, was dedicated in November 1999. The Houston Chronicle titled its article about this event “Mr. Heights gets a Plaza.” Reagan High School alumni, classes of 1937–1939, led by Clayton Lee, organized the project and raised $400,000 for the construction.

Acquisition of the Lombard Lamp (East Eleventh Street and Boulevard) was Melvalene Cohen’s inspiration. A member of the Houston Municipal Arts Commission, she took note when Hamburg, Germany, gave four Lombard Bridge lamp replicas to the United States and began lobbying to obtain one for Houston Heights because of its German heritage. The lamp was installed in 1979. (Courtesy of Parsley Studio.)

Two decades later, the area was expanded and renamed the Melvalene and Carl Cohen Plaza to commemorate their dedication to the Heights community. Sadly, Carl Cohen died on March 1, 1999, and did not live to witness this tribute to him. From left to right are city councilman Felix Fraga, Harold Wiesenthal, Clayton Lee, Danny Cohen, Melvalene Cohen, Kevin Cohen, and Terry Burge, owner of the Leader, celebrating this dedication. (Courtesy of Melvalene Cohen.)

The north gazebo, in the 1200 block of the boulevard, was given by the Paul P. Pirkle Real Estate family in honor of the nation’s bicentennial. They wanted a memorial that would be used and enjoyed. It has been the site of weddings, annual visits by Santa Claus, and many other events.

Heights Library, at 1302 Boulevard, a beautiful Renaissance Revival building originally painted pale pink, was designed by architect J.M. Glover and opened in 1925. In 1979, the HHA saved the building from demolition by the City of Houston. An $850,000 expansion occurred instead, and today, it is the second largest branch of the Houston Public Library System.

This close-up of the carved open book over the arched entrance to the library reflects the fine architectural details used by Glover in designing this building.

Former HHA president Suzanne Killian’s death from cancer in 2001 was a loss for the entire Heights community. An energetic and enthusiastic Heights resident, Killian, a loving wife and mother, was also a life biologist, a geophysicist, and a successful attorney. Rev. Barbara Lewis of St. Andrew’s E...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• 1. Places and Spaces
• 2. Homes and Surrounding
• 3. Houston Heights Association Events
• 4. Doing Business
• 5. The Arts
• 6. Houston Heights Spotlight