Glenbrook Valley is a subdivision located in

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 ...

. Glenbrook Valley was developed by Fred McManis, Jr.

History

Glenbrook Valley was developed from 1953 to 1962.

Hare and Hare Hare & Hare was a landscape architecture firm founded in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1910 by the father-and-son team of Sid J. Hare and S. Herbert Hare. A number of their works are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Notable wo ...

, architects from

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

, designed the community for Fred McManus, the developer.HISTORIC DISTRICT DESIGNATION REPORT
" (Glenbrook Valley). City of Houston. 1. Retrieved on June 23, 2011. The first section opened in 1954; the original six homes were featured in the 1954 "Parade of Homes," a program sponsored by the Greater Houston Builders Association. At one time in the neighborhood's history, it was known by Houstonians as the "Little

River Oaks River Oaks is a residential community located in the center of Houston, Texas, United States. Located within the 610 Loop and between Downtown and Uptown, the community spans .Archive Established in the 1920s by brothers Will Hogg and Michael ...

."Jansen, Steve. "War Zoned." ''

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 ...

''. Wednesday June 22, 2011
2
Retrieved on June 25, 2011. '' Better Homes and Gardens'' referred to one of the six "Parade of Homes" model houses as "the model home for all America". The ''

'' said "Glenbrook Valley was a showpiece suburb, a mod vision of the glorious

George Jetson George J. Jetson is a fictional character from the animated television series ''The Jetsons''. He is the patriarch of the Jetson family. He is the husband of Jane Jetson and the father of teenage daughter Judy and son Elroy. Fictional character ...

age to come."Best Hidden Neighborhood Glenbrook Valley
" ''

''. Retrieved on October 24, 2009. As time passed, Houston's development focused westward. The ''Houston Press'' stated that this phenomenon caused "affluent east side outposts like lenbrook Valleyto wither in obscurity for decades." The 1980s oil bust started an economic decline in the community. Many older residents left their houses, causing many of them to have a lack of maintenance.Jansen, Steve. "War Zoned." ''

''. Wednesday June 22, 2011
1
Retrieved on June 25, 2011. In 2007 Ruth Samuelson of the ''

'' said that "According to several members of the Glenbrook Valley Civic Club,

Thai Xuan Village Thai Xuan Village ( vi, Làng Thái Xuân, links=no) is a multi-family condominium complex in southeastern Houston, Texas. It is located in proximity to Hobby Airport.Samuelson, Ruth. "Thai Xuan Village." ''Houston Press''. Thursday, March 29, 2007 ...

is like a mini Vietnamese nation state smack-dab in the middle of Houston. Residents live by their own laws, and no one intervenes,"Samuelson, Ruth. "Thai Xuan Village." ''

''. Thursday, March 29, 2007
2
Retrieved on March 17, 2012. In February 2007, residents of Glenbrook Valley complained to

Mayor of Houston The following is a list of people who have served as mayor of the city of Houston in the U.S. state of Texas. Until 2015, the term of the mayor was two years. Beginning with the tenure of Bob Lanier, the city charter imposed term limits on offi ...

Bill White about the condition of the nearby

condominium complex.Samuelson, Ruth. "Thai Xuan Village." ''

''. Thursday, March 29, 2007
1
Retrieved on March 17, 2012. Robert Searcy, a realtor and a member of the Glenbrook Valley civic club, said that Thai Xuan Village was impacting the property values of Glenbrook Valley. Glenbrook Valley was, in the ''Houston Press'''s 2009 rankings, the "Best Hidden Neighborhood" of Houston. During that year, the ''Houston Press'' stated that "hip, young-ish Houstonians" began focusing on eastside neighborhoods because many westside neighborhoods had become expensive. In 2010, the ''Houston Press'' nominated Glenbrook Valley as one of Houston's Most Underrated Neighborhoods. Richard Connelly, of that publication, said "The neighborhood's webpage embraces the `60s feeling, and residents there have been resolute in preserving the history of the place."Connelly, Richard.
The Five Most Underrated Neighborhoods In Houston
" ''

''. Friday August 13, 2010. Retrieved on November 3, 2012. In 2008 members of the Glenbrook Valley Civic Club and Searcy began a campaign to make Glenbrook Valley a municipally-designated historic district. It would be the first designated historic neighborhood in the state of Texas consisting of post-

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

structures. Volunteers asked residents to sign a petition approving or not approving the designation; According to Marlene Gafrick, the director of the Planning and Development Department of the City of Houston, 54% of Glenbrook Valley residents signed the petition; a 51% approval was necessary to approve the historic district designation. Accusations of foul play among the pro-historic district and anti-historic district sides caused political turmoil within the community. In June 2011 the

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 ...

designated Glenbrook Valley as the city's first historic neighborhood outside of the

610 Loop Interstate 610 (I-610) is a freeway that forms a loop around the inner city sector of the city of Houston, Texas. I-610, colloquially known as The Loop, Loop 610, The Inner Loop, or just 610, traditionally marks the border between the i ...

Cityscape

Glenbrook Valley has 1,256 houses in thirteen sections. It is located on the south side of the Sims Bayou. The neighborhood has four quadrants, divided by the intersection of Bellfort Avenue and Broadway Boulevard.

William P. Hobby Airport William P. Hobby Airport (colloquially referred to as Hobby Airport, Houston Hobby, or simply Hobby) is an international airport in Houston, Texas, located from downtown Houston. Hobby is Houston's oldest commercial airport, and was its primar ...

, the Sims Bayou,

Telephone Road Telephone Road is a street in eastern and southeastern Houston, Texas, United States. The road extends from South Lockwood Street to the City of Pearland. A portion of Telephone Road is also designated as Texas State Highway 35. Telephone Road was ...

, and

Interstate 45 Interstate 45 (I-45) is a major Interstate Highway located entirely within the US state of Texas. While most Interstate routes which have numbers ending in "5" are cross-country north–south routes, I-45 is comparatively short, with the ...

(Gulf Freeway) roughly form the community's boundaries. The ''

'' stated in 2009 that "it reminds us of a much more stylish

Sharpstown Sharpstown is a master-planned community in the Southwest Management District (formerly Greater Sharpstown), Southwest Houston, Texas.Mad Men ''Mad Men'' is an American period drama television series created by Matthew Weiner and produced by Lionsgate Television. It ran on the cable network AMC from July 19, 2007, to May 17, 2015, lasting for seven seasons and 92 episodes. Its fict ...

character proud set on lots practically the size of small farms." Ruth Samuelson of the ''Houston Press'' said "The quiet, winding streets behind Broadway are lined with mid-century modern houses and neatly trimmed lawns." Glenbrook Valley consists of many post-

houses. Because an economic decline beginning with the 1980s oil bust had affected Glenbrook Valley and because the community continued to have certain deed restrictions, by 2011 developers of newer houses did not operate in Glenbrook Valley. Steve Jansen of the ''Houston Press'' said during that year "Though some unique homes were remodeled beyond original recognition, a passerby won't see

McMansion In suburban communities, McMansion is a pejorative term for a large "mass-produced" dwelling marketed to the upper middle class mainly in the United States. Virginia Savage McAlester, who also gave a first description of the common features w ...

s and loftzillas. Instead, home shoppers can find a spacious dwelling (which may need $20,000 in upgrades) and a sizable chunk of land for as low as $190,000." ($ in current money, upgrades would be $ in current money) Robert Searcy, a realtor quoted in a 2011 ''

'' article, said that Glenbrook Valley was "an area that sits almost untouched, like a time capsule." Searcy added that many people looking for houses in

Greater Houston Greater Houston, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land, is the fifth-most populous metropolitan statistical area in the United States, encompassing nine counties along the Gulf Co ...

have a "southeast side vertigo" and tend to move to

Oak Forest An oak forest is a plant community with a tree canopy dominated by oaks (''Quercus spp.''). In terms of canopy closure, oak forests contain the most closed canopy, compared to oak savannas and oak woodlands. Examples * Southern dry-mesic oak f ...

and Westbury instead of Glenbrook Valley, so Searcy called Glenbrook Valley a " diamond in the rough". Steve Jansen of ''

'' said in 2011 that most Houstonians are not familiar with Glenbrook Valley. He added that Glenbrook Valley is "smack-dab in the middle of urban blight." John Nova Lomax of the ''Houston Press'' said in a 2008 article that Morley Street "is fairly typical of this part of

Garden Villas Garden Villas is a subdivision in Houston, Texas, United States. Garden Villas is north of Hobby Airport on the banks of Sims Bayou. - Section ThisWeek, Page 1 () The lots range from one-half acre to over . Most homes in the subdivision were b ...

– a mix of Sharpstownesque

ranch house Ranch (also known as American ranch, California ranch, rambler, or rancher) is a domestic architectural style that originated in the United States. The ranch-style house is noted for its long, close-to-the-ground profile, and wide open layout. ...

s and corrugated tin light industrial workshops." The section is in the Glenbrook Valley area.

Demographics

As of 2011 many residents of Glenbrook Valley are

African Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

Hispanic Americans Hispanic and Latino Americans ( es, Estadounidenses hispanos y latinos; pt, Estadunidenses hispânicos e latinos) are Americans of Spaniards, Spanish and/or Latin Americans, Latin American ancestry. More broadly, these demographics include a ...

, and

Vietnamese Americans Vietnamese Americans ( vi, Người Mỹ gốc Việt, lit=Viet-origin American people) are Americans of Vietnamese ancestry. They make up about half of all overseas Vietnamese and are the fourth-largest Asian American ethnic group after Chines ...

. Many members of the latter two groups, as of 2011, have limited English fluency. City of Houston demographic data recent as of June 2011 stated that the median household income of Glenbrook Valley was $37,860. During the "

Space Age The Space Age is a period encompassing the activities related to the Space Race, space exploration, space technology, and the cultural developments influenced by these events, beginning with the Sputnik_1#Launch_and_mission, launch of Sputnik 1 ...

" many

Italian American Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, ...

s moved to Glenbrook Valley.

Government and infrastructure

Glenbrook Valley is in

District I.

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 ...

Fire Stations 36 (Hobby Airport) and 29 (Old Galveston Road) are in the area. The

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 the

Martin Luther King Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

Health Center in southeast Houston for the ZIP code 77061. The designated public hospital is Ben Taub General Hospital 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 ...

Education

Primary and secondary schools

Glenbrook Valley is zoned to schools in 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 ...

.HISTORIC DISTRICT DESIGNATION REPORT
" (Glenbrook Valley) (). City of Houston. 28. Retrieved on June 23, 2011. Bellfort Early Childhood Center serves the community. Most residents are zoned to Lewis Elementary School. Some residents are zoned to Cornelius Elementary School, and some residents are zoned to Park Place Elementary School. All residents are zoned to Ortiz Middle School and Chávez High School. Prior to the opening of Ortiz, which was built in 2002, Glenbrook Valley was zoned to Stevenson Middle School. Stevenson opened in January 1994.School Histories: the Stories Behind the Names
." ''

''. Retrieved on September 24, 2008. Prior to the opening of Chávez, Glenbrook Valley was zoned to

Milby High School Charles H. Milby High School is a public secondary school at 1601 Broadway in the East End, Houston, Texas, United States.Map

. Chávez opened in 2000. Bellfort Academy, purchased by HISD in 1996, was originally a medical building. As an HISD facility it began as an alternative school. In 1998 it was configured into a zoned 4-5 school, to take grades 4-5 from Lewis elementary school. The school district announced that Bellfort would be consolidated into Lewis Elementary so that all grades attend the same campus; the consolidated school was expected to open in Spring 2011.Informed Source-August 15, 2008
." ''

''. August 15, 2008. Accessed September 12, 2008. Bellfort became a PreK-K center.

Public libraries

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 ...

operates the Park Place Regional Library near Glenbrook Valley.

Parks and recreation

Dow Park is located in Glenbrook Valley. It includes a trail system, a multipurpose baseball field, three full court tennis courts, and a playground.Our Parks A-F
." City of Houston. Retrieved on November 3, 2012.

References

External links

Glenbrook Valley Civic Club

Glenbrook Valley

Historic District Designation Report
- City of Houston *
Wright, Neutra and ... Al Beadle?
" ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'', December 23, 2005 {{coord missing, Texas Neighborhoods in Houston