Brays Oaks, formerly known as Fondren Southwest, is an area in

Southwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The Brays Oaks Management District, also known as the Harris County Improvement District #5, governs the Brays Oaks area as well as other surrounding areas, such as Westbury. The City of Houston also defines the Brays Oaks Super Neighborhood, with separate boundaries.

History

The area now known as Brays Oaks was originally the ranch property of

Walter Fondren Walter William Fondren III (April 29, 1936 – January 28, 2010) was an all-conference football player and conservation activist. He played halfback, quarterback and punter for the Texas Longhorns from 1955 to 1957 and was the first starting q ...

, an oil businessperson.History & Demographics
." Brays Oaks Management District. Retrieved on October 23, 2011. In the late 1970s and early 1980s many apartments opened in an area then known as Fondren Southwest. The community was mostly

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

and

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

. The newly established apartments attracted young, White professionals who were leaving Stella Link and other declining areas. The area economy benefited from the increase in population, and many expensive restaurants and strip malls opened in Fondren Southwest.Malislow, Craig. "Moving On." ''

Houston Press The ''Houston Press'' is an online newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in the Midtown area. It was also a weekly print newspaper until November 2017. The publication is supported entirely by advertising ...

''. October 17, 2002
1
Retrieved on August 12, 2009. At one time many members of the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

and other sports teams resided in the Northfield subdivision, which was among the outermost parts of the city in 1974, in Fondren Southwest.Rodriguez, Lori.
A HALF-EMPTY, HALF-FULL WORLD/They want a neighborhood that they all can live with/Common ground is rare for Fondren Southwest
" ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With it ...

''. Sunday May 25, 1997. A1. Retrieved on December 30, 2011. Available from the

Houston Public Library Houston Public Library is the public library system serving Houston, Texas, United States. History Houston Lyceum and the Carnegie Library The Houston Public Library system traces its founding to the creation of the second Houston Lyceum in 18 ...

website, accessible with a library card number and PIN. In the mid-1980s the oil-based economy collapsed. Property values decreased and apartment complexes began to decline. The young professionals left the apartments. The expensive restaurants left the area, since the young professionals left. The owners of the apartments lowered rent rates and offered "free move-in" specials. Many poor

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

and

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

families moved into units originally designated for singles and couples. Apartment complexes failed and received foreclosure. Many apartments had changed of ownership around every two years; the out of state owners were more interested in maximizing profits and less interested in the maintenance of the complexes. In the late 1980s the White population decreased and the Black and Hispanic populations increased.Malislow, Craig. "Moving On." ''

''. October 17, 2002
2
Retrieved on August 12, 2009. By the mid-1990s property values in the area began to increase and several middle class minorities moved into Fondren Southwest. Around the 2000s

Orthodox Jewish Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on M ...

congregations moved to Fondren Southwest. In 2005 Houston City Council Member Mark Goldberg and Jim Myers, head of the nonprofit group Southwest Houston 2000 Inc., lobbied the state government, asking the state to create what was originally called the Fondren Ranch Management District.Colley, Jenna.
Fondren lobbies for management district
" ''

Houston Business Journal American City Business Journals, Inc. (ACBJ) is an American newspaper publisher based in Charlotte, North Carolina. ACBJ publishes The Business Journals, which contains local business news for 44 markets in the United States, Hemmings Motor News ...

''. Friday March 18, 2005. Retrieved on August 10, 2009. In June 2005 the 79th Texas Legislature created the Brays Oaks Management District in the area.

KTRK-TV KTRK-TV (channel 13) is a television station in Houston, Texas, United States, airing programming from the ABC network. Owned and operated by the network's ABC Owned Television Stations division, the station maintains studios on Bissonnet Street ...

described the name change as a rebranding for the community. In 2005 residents of an area at the intersection of

Beltway 8 Beltway 8 (BW8), the Sam Houston Parkway, along with the Sam Houston Tollway, is an beltway around the city of Houston, Texas, United States, lying entirely within Harris County. Beltway 8, a state highway maintained by the Texas ...

and West Bellfort Road protested against the construction of a proposed trash transfer station. The area sits on a landfill previously used by the cities of Bellaire and

West University Place West University Place, often called West University or West U for short, is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area and southwestern Harris County. At the 2020 U.S. census, the population of the city was 14,955. ...

. In 2009 the district began a $250,000 master plan to increase identification of the area and to beautify esplanades. Ten boulders were placed in the district esplanades beginning on January 22, 2009. In 2011 the district expanded in size.Parks & Recreation
" Brays Oaks. Retrieved on October 23, 2011.

Cityscape

The district, entirely within the

City of Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

and Harris County, has of territory, centered on the historical Fondren Southwest area. The district is bounded by

Interstate 69 Interstate 69 (I-69) is an Interstate Highway in the United States currently consisting of 10 unconnected segments with an original continuous segment from Indianapolis, Indiana, northeast to the Canadian border in Port Huron, Michigan, at ...

U.S. Route 59 U.S. Route 59 (US 59) is a north–south United States highway (though it was signed east–west in parts of Texas). A latecomer to the U.S. numbered route system, US 59 is now a border-to-border route, part of the NAFTA Corridor Highway Sy ...

, Bissonnet Road, U.S. Route 90A/Main Street, and South Post Oak. As of 2011 it has about 73,000 residents in about 2,700 households. Several subdivisions, including Braeburn Valley West, Glenshire,SN #36
." City of Houston. Retrieved on August 17, 2009. and Westbury are in Brays Oaks.Enroll_Expansion.pdf
." Brays Oaks Management District. Retrieved on October 23, 2011. The district expanded in size in 2011. Originally, the district had about of land. It was bounded by

, Brays Bayou,

Hillcroft Avenue Hillcroft Avenue is an arterial road in western Houston, Texas, United States. The street spans and is between Beltway 8 and Westheimer Road. To the south Hillcroft has a wide boulevard, and many single family homes surround Hillcroft; some subdivi ...

, and U.S. Route 90A (South Main), including areas within the City of Houston and excluding areas within the Westbury subdivision.Home page
Brays Oaks Management District. Retrieved on August 10, 2009. "The boundaries are from Hillcroft Avenue on the east to US 59 on the west; Brays Bayou is the northern boundary and US 90A/Main Street our southern edge. The District is entirely in Houston and Harris County, Texas, as well as in the City of Houston’s Council District C. None of the District includes any of the Westbury subdivision." In 2005 what would become the original boundaries include 37 neighborhoods with about 12,000 single-family houses. It also included about 76 apartment complexes with over 15,000 units. The original Fondren Southwest area has the boundaries of South Braeswood, U.S. 90A, Hillcroft, and I-69/U.S. 59. Most apartments in Fondren Southwest have between 300 and 400 units. Lori Rodriguez of the ''

'' said that many of them "bear names evocative of more idyllic times: Sandpiper. Rainy Meadows." Originally the only residential establishments in Fondren Southwest were houses. Gessner Road was a dirt road, and the pavement along South Braeswood Boulevard ended at Fondren Road. Ruth Hurst, a resident quoted in the ''

'', said "It was like living in the middle of the city, but in the country". In 1990, of the housing facilities in Fondren Southwest community, 60% were multifamily facilities, and 40% were single family facilities. Of the housing units, 54% were occupied by renters, 31% were occupied by owners, and the remainder were vacant. In 1997 Fondren Southwest had about 60 apartment complexes. Many of the apartment complexes were not designed to house children.

Economy

As of 2005 the area that would become the original Brays Oaks district boundaries had between 200 and 300 businesses. State of Texas guidelines consider apartment complexes to be commercial businesses, so the figure includes apartment complexes.

Foodarama Foodarama, also known as Cox's Foodarama, is a supermarket chain in Texas, with its headquarters in Foodarama Store #1 in Brays Oaks, Houston. In Greater Houston, Foodarama operated ten stores.

Demographics

In 2015 the Brays Oaks Super Neighborhood, a City of Houston-defined area with different boundaries from the management district, had 64,548 people. 45% were non-Hispanic black, 33% were Hispanic or Latino, 13% were non-Hispanic White, 6% were non-Hispanic Asian, and 2% were non-Hispanic others. The per square mile population was 8.160. In 2000 the super neighborhood, then known as the Greater Fondren Southwest Super Neighborhood, had 49,436 residents. 53% were non-Hispanic black, 25% were Hispanic or Latino, 15% were non-Hispanic whites, 6% were non-Hispanic Asians, and 2% were non-Hispanic others. The number of persons per square mile was 6,250. In the late 1980s the White population in the Fondren Southwest area decreased from 74 percent to 41 percent. During the same decade the African-American population increased from 14 percent to 47 percent and the Hispanic population increased from 8 percent to 21 percent. Between the 1990 U.S. Census and the

2000 U.S. Census The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 cen ...

, Fondren Southwest finished shifting from a mostly White and Jewish community to a mostly Black community. The black population increased from 22,942 to 36,625, a 60% increase. The White population decreased from 23,994 to 13,328, a 44% decrease.Rodriguez, Lori.
THE CENSUS / Census study: White flight soars / UH analysis spots segregation trend
" ''

''. Sunday April 15, 2001. A1. Retrieved on December 30, 2011. Fondren Southwest is home to one of the centers of Orthodox Jewish life in Houston. The neighborhood is home to three Orthodox synagogues
Chabad Lubavitch Center of HoustonYoung Israel of Houston
an
Congregation Beth Rambam
The neighborhoods surrounding the synagogues have an ruvmaintained by Young Israel of Houston. There are also two Orthodox ewish Day Schoolsin the area
Torah Day School of Houston
an
Yeshivat Torat Emet
There is also an Orthodox Jewish girls' high school
Torah Girls Academy of Texas

Government and infrastructure

The Brays Oaks Towers, located at 10101 and 10103 Fondren Road at Dumfries, contain various agencies and services for the community; the management district is headquartered in Suite 301 at 10103 Fondren. The two structures, each with five stories and of space, opened in 1981 as Chancellor Atrium 1 and 2. Rockwell Management, operating as Brays Oaks Towers LP, purchased them in September 2006. After a multimillion-dollar renovation the towers re-opened in June 2007. They were the first commercial buildings to be redeveloped in the area in two decades.Hall, Christine.

" ''

''. Friday June 1, 2007. Retrieved on August 10, 2009. Most of Braes Oaks is within

Houston City Council The Houston City Council is a city council for the city of Houston in the U.S. state of Texas. Currently, there are sixteen members, 11 elected from council districts and five at-large. The members of the Council are elected every four years, w ...

District K. Portions are within districts C and J. In the 2000s all of what is now Brays Oaks was in District C. In the 1990s almost all of it was in district C, with a small portion in District F. Most of Brays Oaks is served by the

Houston Police Department The Houston Police Department (HPD) is the primary law enforcement agency serving the City of Houston, Texas, United States and some surrounding areas. With approximately 5,300 officers and 1,200 civilian support personnel it is the fifth-largest ...

's South Gessner Division (formerly Fondren Patrol Division), with headquarters at 11168 Fondren Road in Brays Oaks.Volunteer Initiatives Program - Citizens Offering Police Support
"

. Retrieved on September 23, 2008. In 1992 what is now the Fondren Patrol Division was a storefront under the jurisdiction of the Southwest Patrol Division, headquartered on Beechnut Street outside of Brays Oaks.Malislow, Craig. "Moving On." ''

''. October 17, 2002
3
Retrieved on August 12, 2009. In 1998 the Fondren Patrol division had been established.Malislow, Craig. "Moving On." ''

''. October 17, 2002
4
Retrieved on August 12, 2009. On September 13, 2010, the City of Houston held a groundbreaking for the new Fondren Police Station. The station, which will house 176 police officers and serve about 124,000 Houston residents, is scheduled to be completed by August 2011. The

approved $6.3 million for the construction of the new police station. The Fondren Patrol Division operates the Braeburn Storefront Station at 10101 Fondren, also in Brays Oaks. The storefront relocated there from a previous location. The current station opened on Wednesday October 12, 2011. A portion of Brays Oaks is served by the Southwest Patrol Division. The Westbury Storefront Station is a part of the Southwest Patrol District. The

Houston Fire Department City of Houston Fire Department (HFD) is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for the city of Houston, Texas, United States, the fourth largest city in the United States. HFD is responsible for preserving life and ...

operates Station 82 Fondren Southwest at 11250 Braesridge; it is a part of Fire District 68. Station 82 was built in 1995. It also operates Fire Station 48 Westbury, located in Fire District 59.

Harris Health System The Harris Health System, previously the Harris County Hospital District (HCHD), is a governmental entity with taxing authority that owns and operates three hospitals and numerous clinics throughout Harris County, Texas, United States, includin ...

(formerly Harris County Hospital District) designated Valbona Health Center (formerly People's Health Center) for ZIP codes 77031, 77035, 77071, 77074, and 77096. The nearest public hospital is

Ben Taub General Hospital Ben Taub Hospital is a public hospital located in Houston, Texas within the Texas Medical Center. Having opened in May 1963, the hospital is owned and operated by the Harris Health System and is staffed by the faculty, residents, and students fro ...

in the

Texas Medical Center The Texas Medical Center (TMC) is a medical district and neighborhood in south-central Houston, Texas, United States, immediately south of the Museum District and west of Texas State Highway 288. Over 60 medical institutions, largely concentrate ...

Crime

As of 2002 the crime in Fondren Southwest largely affected apartment complexes, with homeowner subdivisions largely unaffected. After the mid-1980s apartment complex managers lowered leasing standards and allowed known drug dealers, gang members, and individuals described by Craig Malislow of the ''

'' as "undesireables" to rent rooms. Several gangs, such as the 8900 Braeswood Bounty Hunter Bloods, the Latinos, and the Southwest Cholos, marked complexes as their territory. Innocent individuals died from stray bullets and deliberate shots from gang members. In the early 1990s residents of area subdivisions and apartment owners began to resist the increase in crime. Apartment managers began to screen tenants, add off-duty police patrols, and add additional security measures. Residential groups, police officers, and apartment managers began sharing information to prevent crime. In the 1990s Residents of the Southmeadow subdivision sued the owners of the West Fondren and Village of the Green complexes for negligence in allowing crime in the area to increase since the complex owners failed to adequately screen tenants, did not hire security guards, and did not provide proper lighting. The residents collected a multimillion-dollar settlement, bought out the apartment complexes, and had them demolished. By 1998 the Fondren Patrol Division had been established and advocates from Fondren Southwest pressured the city government to assist them in preventing crime. Because of the upgrade the division received its own anti-gang unit. In 2002 Lieutenant Greg Femin, the acting supervisor of the Fondren substation, said that the crime rates Fondren Southwest area had not improved as much as the

Greenspoint Greater Greenspoint, also referred to as the North Houston District, is a business district and a suburban neighborhood in northern Harris County, Texas, United States, located mostly within the city limits of Houston. Centered around the juncti ...

area had due to economics; many apartment complexes still had $99 move-in specials and, as stated by Craig Mallislow of the ''

'', Fondren Southwest complexes "rush to rent to virtually anyone." During that year the Fondren Southwest crime statistics showed an overall reduction from the statistics from one decade earlier. Aggravated assault, automobile theft, burglary, and robbery had increased from 2000 to 2001. By 2002 the rate of sexual offenses had never decreased from the 82 reported in 1991. In 2001 the 120 reported sexual offenses were the second-highest recorded in the category in a ten-year span. Femin said that the increases in the crime rates are due to a post-

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...

willingness to report crime instead of a true increase in crime. In 2005 the City of Houston closed a pool hall and sports bar, Breakers I, in Fondren Southwest after neighbors complained about a spillover of violence into the surrounding communities. In 2006 the Brays Oaks district and the Fondren Patrol combined efforts to stop graffiti. Brays Oaks contracted the gang abatement crew of the

East End Management District East End Houston, managed by the East End District (EED), is a district in eastern Houston, Texas, United States, located between the eastern edge of downtown to the Port of Houston and South to Hobby Airport. The District is home to Houston's e ...

. Martin Chavez, the head of the gang abatement crew, said that La Primera and Sureños,

Mexican-American Mexican Americans ( es, mexicano-estadounidenses, , or ) are Americans of full or partial Mexican heritage. In 2019, Mexican Americans comprised 11.3% of the US population and 61.5% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexica ...

gangs, tagged sites to promote their messages. During the same year, the Houstone Tango Blast surfaced in the Fondren Southwest area. In 2007 ten

Texas Southern University Texas Southern University (Texas Southern or TSU) is a public historically black university in Houston, Texas. The university is one of the largest and most comprehensive historically black college or universities in the USA with nearly 10,000 ...

students did a study on the Fondren Southwest area. They concluded that an excess supply of apartment complex units was the main cause of crime, a lack of pride in the community, and unsupervised children. They also concluded that the oversupply was the reason why many apartment units were of a low quality, poorly maintained, and/or vacant.

Education

Primary and secondary schools

The

Houston Independent School District The Houston Independent School District (HISD) is the largest public school system in Texas, and the eighth-largest in the United States. Houston ISD serves as a community school district for most of the city of Houston and several nearby and ...

serves most of Brays Oaks.Brays Oaks District
." Brays Oaks. Retrieved on October 23, 2011. Elementary schools within the Brays Oaks management district include Anderson, Bell, Elrod, Foerster, Gross, McNamara, Milne,Milne Elementary Attendance Zone
." ''

''. Retrieved on August 10, 2009. Parker, Tinsley, and Valley West. Bonham Elementary School in

Sharpstown Sharpstown is a master-planned community in the Southwest Management District (formerly Greater Sharpstown), Southwest Houston, Texas.School Histories: the Stories Behind the Names
."

. Retrieved on August 11, 2009. FondrenMSHouston

Two middle schools in Brays Oaks, Fondren Middle School and Welch Middle School, serve sections of Brays Oaks. Other HISD middle schools serving sections of Brays Oaks include Meyerland Performing and Visual Arts Middle School (formerly Johnston Middle School) in

Meyerland Meyerland is a community in southwest Houston, Texas, outside of the 610 Loop and inside Beltway 8. The neighborhood is named after the Meyer family, who bought and owned 6,000 acres (24 km²) of land in southwest Houston. Meyerland is th ...

and Sugar Grove Middle School in Sharpstown. Persons in portions assigned to Meyerland Middle are eligible for

Pin Oak Middle School A pin is a device used for fastening objects or material together. Pin or PIN may also refer to: Computers and technology * Personal identification number (PIN), to access a secured system ** PIN pad, a PIN entry device * PIN, a former Dutch ...

.Pin Oak Middle School
" ''The Southwest District''. ''Houston Independent School District''. Areas south of West Bellfort Street and east of Fondren Road are zoned to Westbury High School in Brays Oaks, while most other areas are zoned to

Sharpstown High School Sharpstown High School is a secondary school at 7504 Bissonnet Street in Greater Sharpstown, Houston, Texas, United States with a zip code of 77074. It serves grades 9 through 12 and is a part of the Houston Independent School District. The sc ...

. A small portion is zoned to Bellaire High School. A small portion is within the

Alief Independent School District Alief Independent School District is a school district that is based in southwest Houston, Texas, United States. Alief ISD, which covers of land, covers a small portion of southwest Houston and parts of unincorporated Harris County. In Housto ...

. Residents are zoned to Best Elementary School, Klentzman Intermediate School, and Olle Middle School. High school attendance is chosen by a computer lottery, which can result in the student going to

Alief Elsik High School Alief Elsik High School is a high school in the Alief region of Houston, Texas, United States. Elsik is divided into two campuses: the main campus (12601 High Star in Houston, zip code 77072), and the Alief Elsik Ninth Grade Center (located at ...

Alief Hastings High School Alief Hastings High School is a public high school in the Alief area of Houston, Texas, United States. Originally Alief Junior-Senior High School, which became Alief Middle School, housed all of the secondary students in the district. The schoo ...

Alief Taylor High School Alief Taylor High School is a public high school in the Alief Independent School District. It is located in an unincorporated area in the Alief community of Harris County, near Houston. Opened in 2001, Alief Taylor is the newest high school in ...

. YES Prep Bray Oaks, a state charter school provider, operates 6-12 grade. It opened in 2009. Other charter schools include The Varnett Public School Southwest Campus, Meyerpark Elementary, Girls and Boys Prep, and La Amistad Academy.

History of schools

Westbury High School opened in 1961. Elrod opened in 1964. Fondren Middle School opened in 1966; afterwards the Fondren family donated land for an access road into the school. Foerster opened in 1967. Sharpstown Junior–Senior High School opened in 1968; the following year the school split into

Sharpstown Middle School Sharpstown International School is a middle and night school in Houston, Texas, located in Section 2 of Sharpstown Country Club Estates. The school serves grades 6 through 12 and is part of the Houston Independent School District. As of 2012 it i ...

, in the existing campus, and

, on a new campus. Bell opened in 1978. Welch opened in 1979. Welch's campus was built for about 1,133 students. In the 1980s area schools became overcrowded as more students moved in. Enrollments in area schools increased when several adults-only apartments began allowing children to live in them. For instance, Elrod's enrollment had increased steadily from 1983 onwards. In 1986 Elrod served

Maplewood South Maplewood may refer to: ;Cities, towns, etc. * Maplewood, Indiana * Maplewood, Minnesota * Maplewood, Missouri * Maplewood, New Jersey ** Maplewood (NJT station), a New Jersey Transit station in Maplewood, New Jersey * Maplewood, Albany County, ...

and ten apartment complexes; none of the complexes existed when Elrod was originally built. In 1986 the Elrod administration expected to receive 800 students for the upcoming school year; 974 appeared on the first day of school. In 1988 Gordon re-opened to take overflow students for Elrod and one other school. Milne opened in 1991. In August 1996 Valley West opened in ten classrooms in the Sugar Grove Elementary School campus. HISD purchased a former

Food Lion Food Lion is an American regional grocery store chain headquartered in Salisbury, North Carolina, that operates over 1100 supermarkets in 10 states of the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern United States (Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, North ...

building in what is now Brays Oaks and began remodeling it. Valley West moved into the former grocery store in July 1997. Halpin was dedicated during that year. In 1996 Welch had 1,700 students, making it over capacity. There were also issues with the sewage system in the temporary building area as well as roof leaks and water issues from condensation. Argyle Elementary School, occupying a former skating rink opened in a shopping center in 1999; it expanded by taking spaces formerly held by church offices, a dollar store, and a fitness equipment store. In fall 2001 Gross opened in the campus formerly occupied by I. Weiner Jewish Secondary School, now

The Emery/Weiner School The Emery/Weiner School (EWS) is a co-educational, independent Jewish day school in Houston, Texas, United States,Stanton, Robert.'Death Valley' coming back to life" ''Houston Chronicle''. Thursday July 19, 2001. Retrieved on January 7, 2012. se ...

. Gross was named after real estate developer Jenard M. Gross, who owned and operated over 14,000 apartment units in various U.S. states. Argyle closed in May 2005. Sugar Grove in Sharpstown received a grade 5-6 attendance boundary in 2009. When the management district expanded in 2011, Anderson Elementary School, McNamara Elementary School, Parker Elementary School, Westbury High School, Meyerpark Elementary, and Varnet Charter became a part of the management district. Gordon Elementary School in the City of Bellaire served as a relief school for Elrod and Milne in Fondren Southwest/Brays Oaks and two elementary schools in

Gulfton Gulfton is a community in Southwest Houston, Texas, United States that includes a group of apartment complexes that primarily house refugee and immigrant populations. It is located between the 610 Loop and Beltway 8, west of the City of Bellaire ...

. until it was converted into a Mandarin immersion school in 2012.

Tertiary education

Houston Community College Houston Community College (HCC), also known as Houston Community College System (HCCS) is a public community college system that operates community colleges in Houston, Missouri City, Greater Katy, and Stafford in Texas. It is notable for active ...

(HCC) operates the Brays Oaks Campus, a part of the Southwest College. Groundbreaking was scheduled for May 26, 2015.

Public libraries

operates the Morris Frank HPL Express Library in the Brays Oaks Towers.Morris Frank Library a HPL Express Location
."

. Retrieved on August 10, 2009. The branch relocated there from a standalone location. The branch is located in a section within one half of the first floor of 10103 Fondren Road.SOUTHWEST HOUSTON / Frank library to move, reopen in the fall
"''

''. June 19, 2008. Accessed July 12, 2008. The original Frank Neighborhood Library opened in 1983. In 2005 about 2.5 million dollars in funds were approved to overhaul the branch. Shortly afterwards library officials found that the location was within a Harris County floodplain. Wendy Hegar, the assistant director for planning and facilities at the Houston Public Library, said that in order to keep using the original location, the library system would have had to spend millions of dollars to raise the floor of the facility by or to build a concrete

flood wall A flood wall (or floodwall) is a primarily vertical artificial barrier designed to temporarily contain the waters of a river or other waterway which may rise to unusual levels during seasonal or extreme weather events. Flood walls are mainly u ...

. Jim Myers, the community services director of the Brays Oaks District, said that the building would have had to have been raised by in order for the library system to keep using it. Instead the city decided to relocate into the Brays Oaks Towers, spending around $3.9 million. Sandra Fernandez, a spokesperson for Houston Public Library, said that the estimated cost to build a new standalone library branch was 6 to 7 million dollars. The $2.5 million originally earmarked for the standalone Frank library was moved to a different project. The City of Houston entered into a 10-year lease to occupy space in the Brays Oaks Towers.Wooten, Casey. "Vacant retail, office spaces subject to ‘adaptive re-use’." ''

''. Friday June 5, 2009
2
Retrieved on March 10, 2010. By December 2009 the former Frank library facility was for sale. OldFrankLibraryHoustonTX

HPL Express Frank was scheduled to have around half of the 90,000 items in the standalone Frank Neighborhood Library. The standalone Frank library had about 105,000 visitors in the fiscal year 2007. In the Brays Oaks Towers location, contractors rebuilt the space to prepare the housing of a library branch, adding a separate air conditioning system, additional electrical infrastructure, additional toilets, and a redesign of the layout of the space. Etan Mirwis, president of Houston-based property management company Rockwell Management Corp, which owns the Brays Oaks Towers complex, said that he saw the addition of the library branch as a potential for his complex, as he believed several businesses considering whether to move into the complex would view the presence of the library as a benefit. HPL will replace HPL Frank with a new library, which will also replace the George B. Meyer Branch, at 5505 Belrose on a plot of land in Westbury.

Parks and recreation

The district gained more parks when it expanded in 2011. Marian Park and Community Center is located on South Gessner Road. The community center includes a fitness center, an indoor gymnasium, meeting rooms, and a volleyball court. The park includes an outdoor basketball pavilion, a 0.25 mile hike and bicycle trail, a playground, and a lighted sports field.
." City of Houston. Retrieved on August 21, 2009. Other municipal parks include Braeburn Glen Park, Chimney Rock Park, Hagar Park, Haviland Park, Glenshire Park, Willow Waterhole, and Westbury Park. In addition, the Westbury Civi Club operates the Westbury Community Garden. In regards to Fondren Southwest, Lori Rodriguez said in 1997, "Green space is at a premium; free recreational facilities, almost nil. Hundreds of latch-key children of single, working mothers wander the streets with nothing to do; nowhere to go."

District logo

The logo adopted by the district includes an oak tree with several branches, water, and a yellow sun. The tree represents strength. Its branches represent the partners of the Brays Oaks community. The tree roots represent what the district says is the commitment to the community from its partners. The water represents the Brays Bayou. The sun represents what the district calls the "community’s commitment to its revitalization."

Notable residents

Notable residents of Fondren Southwest: *

José Cruz José Cruz Dilan (born August 8, 1947) nicknamed Cheo, is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball player, coach and baseball front office executive. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from 1970 to 1988, most prominently a ...

(Northfield subdivision) *

Rudy Tomjanovich Rudolph Tomjanovich Jr. (born November 24, 1948) is an American former professional basketball player and coach who is a consultant for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). His professional playing career, whic ...

(Northfield subdivision) * Don Wilson (Northfield subdivision) *Willie Frazier (Northfield subdivision)

References

External links

Brays Oaks
{{Houston, Texas Neighborhoods in Houston