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City Council creates 3 new historic districts

June 29, 2011
Historic Districts

On June 29, Houston City Council designated three new City of Houston historic districts: Glenbrook Valley, Heights South and Woodland Heights. A majority of homeowners in each of these neighborhoods signed and submitted petitions requesting the district designations.

Glenbrook Valley becomes the only City of Houston historic district outside of Loop 610. The southeast Houston neighborhood is on the west side of the Gulf Freeway and contains an extensive collection of Mid-Century Modern homes, including distinctive houses built for the 1956 Parade of Homes.

Heights South Historic District is south of 11th Street and east of Yale Street in Houston Heights. Woodland Heights Historic District is on the north and south sides of Bayland Street on the west side of Houston Avenue. Historic houses in these two new districts date primarily from the first decades of the 20th century and include a variety of traditional styles.

Congratulations to the homeowners who worked so diligently so that their neighborhoods could share the benefits and protections of historic district designation.

Thanks to Mayor Annise Parker, District H Council Member Ed Gonzalez and District I Council Member James Rodriguez, whose Council districts include the new historic districts, and all of the City Council members who voted to accept the homeowners’ requests and designated the three new districts.

Thanks also to the members of Greater Houston Preservation Alliance as well as the members of Houston Mod, the Historic Districts Coalition and local members of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Preservation Texas who contacted their Council members in support of the new historic districts.

City Council votes

Glenbrook Valley Historic District

FOR: Mayor Annise Parker, District A Brenda Stardig, District D Wanda Adams, District E Mike Sullivan, District F Al Hoang, District H Ed Gonzales, District I James Rodriguez, At Large 1 Stephen Costello, At Large 2 Sue Lovell, At Large 3 Melissa Noriega

AGAINST: District C Anne Clutterbuck, District G Oliver Pennington, At Large 4 Brad Bradford, At Large 5 Jolanda Jones.

Heights South Historic District

FOR: Parker, Stardig, Adams, Hoang, Gonzales, Rodriguez, Costello, Lovell, Noriega

AGAINST: Clutterbuck, Sullivan, Pennington, Bradford, Jones

Woodland Heights Historic District

FOR: Parker, Stardig, Adams, Hoang, Gonzales, Rodriguez, Costello, Lovell, Noriega

AGAINST: Clutterbuck, Sullivan, Pennington, Bradford, Jones

District B Council Member Jarvis Johnson was absent.

From left, Woodland Heights Historic District, Glenbrook Valley Historic District, Heights South Historic District. Photos by Jim Parsons, Robert Searcy and David Bush.

The Astrodome matters, and so does your vote

June 1, 2011
Astrodome
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The AstrodomeHow many buildings have been the site of a Mickey Mantle home run, welcomed the Gemini astronauts and hosted a concert by Judy Garland with The Supremes all during their opening year? Just one that we know of: Houston’s Astrodome.

Let everyone know that you think the Astrodome matters by voting today in the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 2011 This Place Matters Community Challenge.

Click here to vote for the Dome. You must have an e-mail address to vote and only one vote per e-mail address will be counted. Voting continues through 5 p.m. Thursday, June 30, so forward this message to friends, family and colleagues, and encourage them to vote for the Dome.

Greater Houston Preservation Alliance and Houston Mod nominated the iconic stadium to demonstrate the level of community support for preserving “The Eighth Wonder of the World.” The Dome was selected as one of 100 historic sites to compete in the nationwide challenge.

When you vote, you’ll also be supporting historic preservation in Houston. Organizations that rally the most individual supporters will be in the running for a $25,000 award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, with support from Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company and National Trust Insurance Services.

The Astrodome matters, and your vote matters. Please vote now.

Photo by Ed Schipul. Used with permission.

Free program will highlight sustainability in preservation

May 5, 2011
Events

Architect, planner and historian Barbara Campagna, FAIA, LEED AP, will discuss “Sustainability & Preservation: The Perfect Match” during a free public program at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 10, at the University of St. Thomas’ Jones Hall, 3910 Yoakum Boulevard. Her presentation will focus on the important links between historic preservation and sustainability.

Campagna is the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s liaison with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). She has been assisting in the effort to incorporate preservation into the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) rating system.

The program is free and open to the public. Reservations are not required. Paid parking is available in the Moran Center Parking Garage on West Alabama at Graustark.

The program is being presented by GHPA, USGBC-Texas Gulf Coast Chapter, AIA Houston and Houston Mod with additional support from the Association for Preservation Technology International-Texas Chapter and Preservation Texas.

‘Hill Country Deco’ set for fall release

January 11, 2010
GHPA

TCU Press of Fort Worth is publishing Hill Country Deco: Modernistic Architecture of Central Texas, a new book written and photographed by GHPA staff members Jim Parsons and David Bush.

The book will feature original and historic photographs of more than 100 Art Deco and Art Moderne buildings in San Antonio, Austin and surrounding communities, including the 1938 Herbert Bohn house in Austin (pictured). Mark Wolfe, executive director of Texas Historical Commission, contributed the foreword. Hill Country Deco will be released in October to coincide with the National Trust for Historic Preservation‘s 2010 conference in Austin.

Hill Country Deco was funded in part by a grant from the Fondren Endowed Preservation Services Fund for Texas of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The new book is a companion volume to GHPA’s Houston Deco, which was released in 2008.

Houston Deco is the basis for tours of downtown’s modernistic architecture that Bush and Parsons will conduct during Texas Historical Commission’s 2010 Preservation Conference, April 22 to 24 in Houston. The conference brochure and online registration will be available in February on the THC Web site.

Photo by David Bush

GHPA named National Trust Local Partner for Houston

August 30, 2009
National Trust
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In recognition of GHPA’s ongoing efforts to create a preservation ethic for the city, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has designated Greater Houston Preservation Alliance as the National Trust Local Partner for Houston.

National Trust Local Partner logo“The National Trust’s Partners represent the best of the state and local preservation movement. Thanks to partners like GHPA, the distinct cultural heritage of our nation’s communities is being protected for future generations,” Trust President Richard Moe said. “In being named a National Trust Partner, GHPA has demonstrated its solid commitment to strengthening local preservation efforts and its success in building a local constituency for preservation.”

The National Trust Statewide and Local Partnerships program was created in 1993 to promote collaborations between local, state and national organizations to build the preservation movement efficiently and effectively. To achieve these goals, the Trust offers its Partners grant support, organizational development assistance, and specialized workshops and training.

“GHPA is proud to be the National Trust’s designated Local Partner in Houston,” said Executive Director Ramona Davis. “While GHPA has had a long association with the Trust, this moves our collaboration to a new level and makes our affiliation official.”

In addition to GHPA, National Trust Local Partners in Texas are Abilene Preservation League, Galveston Historical Foundation, Historic Fort Worth, Historic Mesquite, Historic Tyler, Preservation Dallas and San Antonio Conservation Society. The Trust’s Statewide Partner in Texas is Preservation Texas.