PH Watch List: Sixth Church of Christ, Scientist

Sixth Church of Christ, Scientist, the oldest African-American Christian Science congregation in Texas, constructed its modernistic building in 1941 across from Emancipation Park in the heart of the Third Ward. The group was organized in 1914 and acquired the property at 2202 Elgin Avenue in 1940; Houston architect Henry D. Frankfurt designed the building with clean, modern lines and a distinctive octagonal lantern atop the sanctuary.

PH offers to fund documentation of important Fort Bend County site

Preservation Houston’s Board of Directors has voted to fund a project to document the Arcola plantation sugar house, or purgery, in Fort Bend County. Site owner Johnson Development is considering the proposal. Pending the developer's approval, a team from Texas A&M University’s Center for Heritage Conservation will conduct the work in February.

About the West Mansion demolition

By now, you've likely seen the news that the James & Jessie West Mansion on Clear Lake has been demolished. The house was completed in 1930, was designed by Joseph Finger and for many years housed the Lunar Science Institute (later the Lunar and Planetary Institute). Its architectural and historical significance was never in doubt, so how could it be torn down?

PH Watch List: Rossonian Cleaners

The Rossonian Cleaners building is part of the historic streetscape of what was once a major retail artery leading from Midtown to neighborhoods farther south. The original section of the building was completed in 1928 for Rossonian Cleaners and Tailors. Although a later addition to the south side of the building has been altered, the 1928 structure retains almost all its original architectural features.