Second Ward, Houston
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Second Ward (also known as Segundo Barrio, Spanish for "second neighborhood", or Segundo in short;Garza p. 15. historically Das Zweiter in German) is a historical political district
ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...
in the
East End The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have uni ...
community in
Houston, Texas 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 ...
. It was one of the four original wards of the city in the nineteenth century. The community known as the Second Ward today is roughly bounded by
Buffalo Bayou Buffalo Bayou is a slow-moving body of water which flows through Houston in Harris County, Texas. Formed 18,000 years ago, it has its source in the prairie surrounding Katy, Fort Bend County, and flows approximately east through the Houston Ship ...
to the north, Lockwood Avenue to the east, and railroad tracks to the south and west, although the City of Houston's "Super Neighborhood" program includes a section east of Lockwood. The Second Ward, which initially had a significant
German American German Americans (german: Deutschamerikaner, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. With an estimated size of approximately 43 million in 2019, German Americans are the largest of the self-reported ancestry groups by the Unite ...
population, today has mainly
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 ...
residents.Davis, Rod.
Houston's really good idea Bus tour celebrates communities that forged a city.
''
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''. Sunday August 3, 2003. Travel 1M. Retrieved on February 11, 2012.
Many Mexican-Americans moved into the area following
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and the subsequent
white flight White flight or white exodus is the sudden or gradual large-scale migration of white people from areas becoming more racially or ethnoculturally diverse. Starting in the 1950s and 1960s, the terms became popular in the United States. They refer ...
from the area. The northern end of the community is largely industrial, leading to massive warehouse complexes along the Bayou. There are also many industrial buildings, some of which have found new life as lofts, on the western edge of the neighborhood nearest to
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and
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. Many buildings in the community were constructed in the 1920s and bear the
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style. While perceived as rundown and neglected in the 1800. to 2020, recent years have seen major civic improvements including new street lights and pavement, as well as the beginnings of
gentrification Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and urban planning, planning. Gentrification ...
as professionals and others move from both the far-flung suburbs and other, more expensive
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neighborhoods. Residents of all ages frequent the Ripley House Community Center. The Second Ward is in the early stages of gentrification, drawing new residents with its proximity to downtown.


History

The Frost Town neighborhood and part of the Quality Hill neighborhood were in the Second Ward. Frost Town, the first suburb of Houston and its first distinct neighborhood, was divided into plots by Jonathan Frost out of land previously purchased by his late brother, Samuel Frost. Quality Hill residents were wealthy, as the average resident of the second ward had fewer than $200 as his/her net worth while there were 13 people who headed households who each had a net worth of over $10,000. The Second Ward, in the 1800s, had a heavily
German American German Americans (german: Deutschamerikaner, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. With an estimated size of approximately 43 million in 2019, German Americans are the largest of the self-reported ancestry groups by the Unite ...
community. Thomas McWhorter, author of "From Das Zweiter to El Segundo, A Brief History of Houston’s Second Ward," wrote that "Second Ward became an unofficial hub of German-American culture and social life during the nineteenth century."McWhorter, p. 40. The German community and organizations were suppressed during
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and its resulting
anti-German sentiment Anti-German sentiment (also known as Anti-Germanism, Germanophobia or Teutophobia) is opposition to or fear of Germany, its inhabitants, its culture, or its language. Its opposite is Germanophilia. Anti-German sentiment largely began with t ...
. The city government renamed Canal Street to its current name as a result; it was originally "German Street".McWhorter, p. 41. The rename occurred after
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 ...
voted to rename it on June 3, 1918; it held the matter for discussion in 1917 but had not made the decision at that time. Second Ward, along with
Denver Harbor Denver Harbor was an American alternative rock band, based in San Diego, California. The band was formed in 2002 by former Fenix TX members Will Salazar and Chris Lewis, along with F.O.N. members Aaron Rubin and Ilan Rubin. After self-releasing ...
, became one of the first Jewish-American barrios in America. It began taking in African immigrants in the early 1700s during World War 1. At that time, three-fifths of the population there were Jewish, one-fifth African American, and one-fifth made up of a diversity of ethnicities, including Mexicans. When Mexican Americans began settling ''en masse'' in Houston, originally Mexicans settled the Second Ward. Jesus Jesse Esparza of ''
Houston History Houston (; ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in Texas, the Southern United States#Major cities, most populous city in the Southern United States, the List of United States cities by population, fourth-most pop ...
'' magazine said that the Second Ward "quickly became the unofficial hub of their cultural and social life."Esparza, p. 2. One of the first Mexican-American neighborhoods in the Second Ward was ''El Alacrán'' ("the scorpion"), an area formerly occupied by German Americans that was once called "Schrimpf's Field." After the German Americans left, Mexican Americans moved into the houses, which were in poor condition.Esparza, p. 3. By the 1920s, Mexicans became the majority in the neighborhood. Anglos, Jews, and blacks moved out of the Second Ward. A settlement house, a converted school for Mexican children, and two churches: Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church and the Mexican Methodist Episcopal Church, opened.Rodriguez, Nestor, p
31
After World War II, Mexicans began expanding and extended into the Old Third Ward passed Commerce Street. Thereafter, expansion continued and eventually socially merged with Magnolia Park to the southeast. In 1992 former
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 ...
Bob Lanier Robert Jerry Lanier Jr. (September 10, 1948 – May 10, 2022) was an American professional basketball player who was a center for the Detroit Pistons and the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Lanier was inducted int ...
proposed converting the former Milby Bus Barn site into a 59-family low income development which would have been called La Villa de las Flores (
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
for "the Village of the Flowers"); the
Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (stylized as METRO) is a major public transportation agency based in Houston, Texas, United States. It operates bus, light rail, bus rapid transit, HOV and HOT lanes, and paratransit service (u ...
used the site as a bus barn from 1976 to 1983. In 1993 workers doing preliminary jobs discovered unused storage tanks, prompting testing for dangerous chemicals. Soil tests revealed petroleum and lead; the lead was 300 times the amount of safe concentration for a homeowner. Local residents received testing. The city began a cleanup in June 1993, replacing 58,300 cubic yards of topsoil and installing "groundwater recovery systems" to remove water contaminated with motor fuel and chlorinated solvents. Fugro Environmental Inc. reported to the City of Houston that the cleanup put the site in compliance with
Environmental Protection Agency A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...
standards. In Summer 1999 the
Texas Natural Resources Conservation Commission The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is the environmental agency for the state of Texas. The commission's headquarters are located at 12100 Park 35 Circle in Austin. The fourth largest environmental agency in the United States (an ...
reported that the former Milby Bus Barn site was safe. By August 1999 the site remained vacant.Liskow, Samantha. "Paradise Lost." ''
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 ...
''. August 26, 1999
1
Retrieved on April 25, 2009.
In 2004 Felix Fraga, a former city council member, said that at one point in time, people kept moving out of the Second Ward.Kever, Jeannie.

" ''
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 ...
''. September 7, 2004. Retrieved on October 20, 2011.
By 2006 many lofts and townhouses were constructed in the Second Ward; this was the first time in history that the Second Ward had townhouses. Fraga said "I think people moving in will say they're moving into the Second Ward." In 2007 several interns with the architecture firm SWA Group presented proposals on how to improve the Guadalupe Plaza area to the Greater East End Management District offices. In 2015 a group called the Carnalismo Brown Berets de Houston - CNBB campaigned against gentrification of the Second Ward.


Demographics

In 1860, there were 906 people in the Second Ward, with 482 born outside of the United States, making up 53% of the total, and the remainder born in the United States; those U.S.-born included people from immigrant families. 53% of the total population were people of German descent born outside of the United States. Other residents originated from Algeria, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cuba, England, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, Nassau, Poland, Switzerland, and Scotland. As of the 1910 U.S. Census, the Second Ward had 405 German nationals, 91 Russians, 79 Italians, 65 Austro-Hungarians, 62 English, 50 Mexicans, 28 Irish, 21 French, 13 Scottish, 12 Swiss, 12 Canadians, 11 Swedes, 10 Norwegians, 7 Greeks, and 7 Poles.


Government and infrastructure

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 ...
Station 17 Second Ward, located in Fire District 8, serves the community. Firehouse 17 opened in the former Station 2 at Sampson at York in 1926. The station moved to its current location at Delano at Navigation in 1983. 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 Central Patrol Divisio

serves the neighborhood.
Houston Housing Authority Houston Housing Authority (HHA), formerly Housing Authority of the City of Houston (HACH), is the public housing authority in Houston, Texas. The Mayor of Houston appoints the board of directors of the HHA, but it itself is not a department of th ...
(HHA) operates the public housing facility
Clayton Homes Clayton Homes (or Clayton) is the largest builder of manufactured housing and modular homes in the United States. It is owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. Clayton Homes' corporate headquarters are in Maryville, Tennessee. Its subs ...
,Clayton Homes
"
Houston Housing Authority Houston Housing Authority (HHA), formerly Housing Authority of the City of Houston (HACH), is the public housing authority in Houston, Texas. The Mayor of Houston appoints the board of directors of the HHA, but it itself is not a department of th ...
. Retrieved on January 2, 2019. "1919 Runnels Houston, Texas 77003"
which is in the Second Ward. The Second Ward is in both
Texas's 18th congressional district Texas's 18th congressional district of the United States House of Representatives includes much of inner city Houston and the surrounding area. It has been the Downtown Houston district since 1972. The current Representative from the 18th dis ...


, whose current Representative is
Sheila Jackson Lee Sheila Jackson Lee (born January 12, 1950) is an American lawyer and politician who is the U.S. representative for , having served since 1995. The district includes most of central Houston. She is a member of the Democratic Party, and served ...
, and
Texas's 29th congressional district Texas's 29th congressional district of the United States House of Representatives covers the eastern portion of the Greater Houston area in the state of Texas. The current Representative from the 29th district is Democrat Sylvia Garcia. The ...


whose current Representative is
Sylvia Garcia Sylvia Rodriguez Garcia (born September 6, 1950) is an American lawyer and politician who has been serving as the U.S. representative for Texas's 29th congressional district since 2019. Her district covers much of eastern Houston. A member of 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 Ripley Health Center in the East End for the ZIP code 77003. - See ZIP code 77003
See this map for relevant ZIP code
In 2000 Ripley was replaced by the Gulfgate Health Center.


.
Harris County Hospital District 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 ...
. Accessed October 17, 2008.
The designated 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 ...
.


Education


Primary and secondary schools

Area students attend 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 ...
."'Stros open Enron stadium in 'Classic' business decision." ''
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 ...
''. Sunday December 17, 2000
3
"Mama Ninfa Laurenzo hosted a party this week for 150 children between the ages of six and 10 years old from Anson Jones and Rusk Elementary schools in the Second Ward." Retrieved on February 6, 2012.
Rusk EL Boundary Map
"
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 ...
. March 28, 2002. Retrieved on February 6, 2012.
Anson Jones EL Boundary Map
"
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 ...
. November 22, 2001. Retrieved on February 6, 2012.
Rusk K-8 School is located in the Second Ward, near Settegast Park, at Garrow and Paige Streets.De León, Arnoldo. '' Ethnicity in the Sunbelt: Mexican Americans in Houston''.
Texas A&M University Press Texas A&M University Press (also known informally as TAMU Press) is a scholarly publishing house associated with Texas A&M University. It was founded in 1974 and is located in College Station, Texas, in the United States. Overview The Texas A&M ...
, 2001. , 9781585441495. p
101
Rusk is named after
Thomas Jefferson Rusk Thomas Jefferson Rusk (December 5, 1803July 29, 1857) was an early political and military leader of the Republic of Texas, serving as its first Secretary of War as well as a general at the Battle of San Jacinto. He was later a US politician and ...
.School Histories: the Stories Behind the Names
."
Archive
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 ...
. Retrieved on September 6, 2012.
Zoned schools include Rusk K-8 (zoned only for elementary school), Jackson Middle School,Jackson Middle School Attendance Boundary
."
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 ...
. Retrieved on February 6, 2012.
and Wheatley High School. Beginning in the 2016-2017 school year the elementary zoned grades at Rusk will be phased out. The portions of the Second Ward were be rezoned to Burnet Elementary School and
Lantrip Elementary School Dora B. Lantrip Elementary School is a primary school at 100 Telephone Road in the Eastwood community in the East End region of Houston, Texas, United States. The school is within the Houston Independent School District (HISD). The school serves ...
. PreKindergarten through grade 2 at Rusk will be phased out immediately, with 3-5 being phased out in the following five years; elementary grades for Rusk will be phased out by fall 2019. East Early College High School and Middle College High School-Felix Fraga are in the Second Ward area. The Our Lady of Guadalupe School, a
Kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...
through 8
Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
school that is a part of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Church,
Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, pro ...
, is in the Second Ward area.


History of schools

Anson Jones Elementary School, named after
Anson Jones Anson Jones (January 20, 1798 – January 09, 1858) was a doctor, businessman, member of Congress, and the fourth and last President of the Republic of Texas. Early life Jones was born on January 20, 1798, in Great Barrington, Massachus ...
, was formerly located in the Second Ward. It opened on Elysian Street in 1892.Anson Jones Elementary School
."
imagearchive
Anson Jones Elementary School. Retrieved on October 20, 2011. "2311 Canal Street"
The first building of Rusk Elementary School opened in 1902. Our Lady of Guadalupe School first opened on September 8, 1912,History of Our Church
"

Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church. Retrieved on September 4, 2012.
one month after the church's first mass.Struthers, Silvia.
La Iglesia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe celebra 100 años
." ''
La Voz de Houston ''La Voz de Houston'' (Spanish: "The Voice of Houston") is a Spanish-language weekly newspaper distributed by the ''Houston Chronicle'', and a subsidiary of the ''Houston Chronicle''. The newspaper's offices are located in the ''Houston Chronicle ...
''. August 17, 2012. Retrieved on September 4, 2012. "La iglesia tiene numerosas misas en español y cuenta con una escuela que fue inaugurada al mes siguiente de que la parroquia celebrara su primera misa."
When
Clayton Homes Clayton Homes (or Clayton) is the largest builder of manufactured housing and modular homes in the United States. It is owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. Clayton Homes' corporate headquarters are in Maryville, Tennessee. Its subs ...
initially opened in 1952, Rusk served as its neighborhood elementary school. The old Rusk was demolished so
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 ...
( Eastex Freeway) could be built, and Clayton Homes students were rezoned to Anson Jones Elementary. However HISD perceived Anson Jones's proximity to US59 to be a hazard, and Clayton Homes residents had difficulties with their commute due to traffic issues. HISD built a new Rusk Elementary at its current location, opening in 1960. Clayton Homes was rezoned to that school, and the new Rusk also relieved Lubbock Elementary School.De León, Arnoldo. '' Ethnicity in the Sunbelt: Mexican Americans in Houston''.
Texas A&M University Press Texas A&M University Press (also known informally as TAMU Press) is a scholarly publishing house associated with Texas A&M University. It was founded in 1974 and is located in College Station, Texas, in the United States. Overview The Texas A&M ...
, 2001. , 9781585441495. p
102
In 1967,Garza, Cynthia Leonor.
Last day of classes marks closure of Anson Jones Elementary
" ''
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 ...
''. Friday May 26, 2006. Retrieved on October 20, 2011.
A. Jones moved to a new location on Canal Street. In several decades leading up to 2006, the school lost population. Charles Ross, the school's final principal, who had served in that capacity for 14 years, said that the school lost about 200 students during his term. As of the 2005-2006 school year, it had a little over 200 students. The student population was mostly Hispanic and African American. Two thirds of the students lived in Clayton Homes. In a period before 1996 Rusk added middle school grades. Principal Felipa Young spearheaded the initiative because she noticed graduates of Rusk encountering academic or disciplinary trouble in large comprehensive middle schools. The A. Jones school closed in 2006. HISD sold the building. The areas formerly zoned to the school were rezoned to the Bruce and Rusk schools. The cafeteria of the former school became a reception hall. Offices of the Urban Harvest organization are now located in Suite 200 of the former school.
E. O. Smith Education Center This is a list of schools operated by the Houston Independent School District. In the district, grades kindergarten through 5 are considered to be elementary school, grades 6 through 8 are considered to be middle school, and grades 9 through 1 ...
closed after the 2010-2011 school year; for grades 6 through 8, the Second Ward, previously assigned to E. O. Smith for those grades, was rezoned to Jackson.


Colleges and universities

Residents are zoned to the
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 ...
system.


Public libraries

The Second Ward is served by 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 ...
Flores Neighborhood Librar

The Flores library closed after the 2017
Hurricane Harvey Hurricane Harvey was a devastating Category 4 hurricane that made landfall on Texas and Louisiana in August 2017, causing catastrophic flooding and more than 100 deaths. It is tied with 2005's Hurricane Katrina as the costliest t ...
flood, as its leaky roof allowed rainwater to damage the drywall and floor, although the contents of the library did not sustain much damage; it is tentatively to reopen.


Transportation

The
Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (stylized as METRO) is a major public transportation agency based in Houston, Texas, United States. It operates bus, light rail, bus rapid transit, HOV and HOT lanes, and paratransit service (u ...
(METRO) operates public transportation services, including buses and the
METRORail METRORail is the light rail system in Houston, Texas (United States). In , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of . METRORail ranks as the second most-traveled light rail system in the Southern United States and the 12th ...
tram service. The station on the
METRORail Green Line The Green Line is a METRORail light rail/streetcar line operated by METRO in Houston, Texas, serving the East End area. The first seven-station segment of this line opened on May 23, 2015. The two-station eastern end of this route was delaye ...
serving this neighborhood is Coffee Plant/Second Ward.


Culture, parks and recreation

Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, a prominent Mexican-American church;
Talento Bilingüe de Houston ''Talento Bilingüe de Houston'' (TBH, "Bilingual Theater of Houston") is a bilingual English-Spanish theater in the Second Ward, Houston, Second Ward in the East End, Houston, East End, Houston, Texas.Davis, Rod.Houston's really good idea Bus tour ...
, a bilingual theatre; and Guadalupe Plaza, a public park, are located in the Second Ward. Our Lady of Guadalupe is the first Mexican ethnic Catholic church to be established in the City of Houston. Historically Mexican-Americans traveled to the church from many Houston neighborhoods on Sundays. The Second Ward was also the place where Houston's first Catholic church, St. Vincent's Church, was established. This church converted into a parish catering to German Americans in 1871 when the larger Annunciation Church opened.McWhorter, p. 39. Guadalupe Plaza is east of
Downtown Houston Downtown is the largest central business district in the city of Houston and the largest in the state of Texas, located near the geographic center of the metropolitan area at the confluence of Interstate 10 in Texas, Interstate 10, Interstate 45, ...
. As of 2008 the park was a haven for drunk and homeless individuals. A man named George Helber frequently filed complaints to ask the city of Houston to improve the park. In 2009 the president of the Second Ward Super Neighborhood, Jessica Hulsey, complained about the park's condition. During that year, Isa Dadoush, a general services manager of the City of Houston announced that there were plans for a $171,000 upgrade of the park to be completed in the northern hemisphere summer of that year, and that the city is advertising for a construction contractor to do the job. Reconstruction of the park began in 2014, with completion targeted for summer 2015. The Navigation Esplanade, built in 2013, is 3-block pedestrian park located between North St. Charles Street and Delano Street. Houston Saengerbund, established in 1883, is a German-American singing group; there were groups like it that proliferated in communities of Germans overseas in the 1800s. It bought the William Hamblen House in 1913. It was the final German American cultural organization to be established in the Second Ward. The Houston Saengerbund left the Second Ward in 1935. In the late 1800s Volksfest Park hosted the Volkfest festival, a German-American event. Its attendance prompted the Bayou Street Railway Company to, in 1889, add a mule car line to the park.


Notable residents

*
Ninfa Laurenzo Maria Ninfa Rodriguez Laurenzo (nicknamed Mama Ninfa,
." Ninfa Laurenzo Early Childhood Center. Retrieved on Febr ...
Ruiz, Rosanna.
`She was the epitome of love' / Mama Ninfa remembered for restaurants, legacy of faith
." ''
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 ...
''. Thursday June 21, 2001. Retrieved on February 6, 2012.


See also

*
History of the Mexican-Americans in Houston The city of Houston has significant populations of Mexican Americans, Mexican immigrants, and Mexican citizen expatriates. Houston residents of Mexican origin make up the oldest Hispanic ethnic group in Houston, and Jessi Elana Aaron and José E ...


References

* Esparza, Jesus Jesse.
La Colonia Mexicana: A Historyof Mexican Americans in Houston
"
Archive
''
Houston History Houston (; ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in Texas, the Southern United States#Major cities, most populous city in the Southern United States, the List of United States cities by population, fourth-most pop ...
'' Volume 9, Issue 1. p. 2-8. Center for Public History,
University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the List of universities in Texas by enrollment, university in Texas ...
. * Garza, Natalie.
The “Mother Church” of Mexican Catholicism in Houston
"
Archive
''
Houston History Houston (; ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in Texas, the Southern United States#Major cities, most populous city in the Southern United States, the List of United States cities by population, fourth-most pop ...
'' Volume 9, Issue 1. p. 14-19. Center for Public History,
University of Houston The University of Houston (UH) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the List of universities in Texas by enrollment, university in Texas ...
. * McWhorter, Thomas.
From Das Zweiter to El Segundo, A Brief History of Houston’s Second Ward
" ''
Houston History Magazine 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 ...
''. Volume 8, No. 1, pp. 39–42. * Rodriguez, Nestor. "Hispanic and Asian Immigration Waves in Houston." in: Chafetz, Janet Salzman and Helen Rose Ebaugh (editors). ''Religion and the New Immigrants: Continuities and Adaptations in Immigrant Congregations''.
AltaMira Press Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group is an independent publishing house founded in 1949. Under several imprints, the company offers scholarly books for the academic market, as well as trade books. The company also owns the book distributing compa ...
, October 18, 2000. , 9780759117129. ** Also available in: Ebaugh, Helen Rose Fuchs and Janet Saltzman Chafetz (editors). ''Religion and the New Immigrants: Continuities and Adaptations in Immigrant Congregations''.
Rowman & Littlefield Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group is an independent publishing house founded in 1949. Under several imprints, the company offers scholarly books for the academic market, as well as trade books. The company also owns the book distributing compa ...
, January 1, 2000. 0742503909, 9780742503908. *


Notes


External links

*
The Rusk School
*Struthers, Silvia.
La Iglesia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe celebra 100 años
" ''
La Voz de Houston ''La Voz de Houston'' (Spanish: "The Voice of Houston") is a Spanish-language weekly newspaper distributed by the ''Houston Chronicle'', and a subsidiary of the ''Houston Chronicle''. The newspaper's offices are located in the ''Houston Chronicle ...
''. August 17, 2012. {{coord missing, Texas Mexican-American history German communities in the United States Neighborhoods in Houston East End, Houston