Old Braeswood is a neighborhood of single family homes 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 ...

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. It is generally bounded by South Main, North Braeswood, Kirby Drive, and Holcombe. 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 ...

Rice University William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranke ...

Rice Village Rice Village is a shopping district in Houston, Texas, United States. Rice Village is a collection of shops, restaurants and pubs, situated about a half-mile west of the center of Rice University's campus. The core "Rice Village" extends over se ...

, and the

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complex are all within a one-mile radius.Old Braeswood Property Owners Association
Retrieved October 10, 2016 Nearby neighborhoods include

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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. ...

and

Braeswood Place Braeswood Place is a group of subdivisions in Harris County, Texas, United States. The vast majority of the land is in Houston while a small part is in Southside Place. Braeswood Place is a mainly single-family neighborhood inside the 610 Loop, ...

. Established as “Braeswood” by Braeswood Corporation in 1928''Braeswood: An Architectural History'', p. 6 and renamed “Old Braeswood” in 1982, the neighborhood exhibits architectural styles from two distinctively different periods. The neighborhood is composed of three sections. In Section 1 and the southernmost streets of Braeswood Addition, the houses were built primarily in the late 1920s and the 1930s.''Braeswood: An Architectural History'', p.13 et seq. In Braeswood Extension, the houses were built primarily in the 1950s. The three northernmost streets in Braeswood Addition were also built in the 1950s.''Braeswood: An Architectural History'', p. 47 et seq. This diversity and quality of the architecture prompted the National Trust for Historic Preservation to select Old Braeswood for its annual Candlelight Tour organized in conjunction with Houston Mod during its 2016 national convention held in Houston, Texas. Old Braeswood is distinguished not only by its architecture, but also by residents such as those described below under "Notable former residents." In 2016, the median house cost was $1,255,000.

History

Old Braeswood was under way by 1927 with the sale of 456 acres to Braeswood Corporation by John J. Kirby. The intent of Braeswood Corporation was to create a garden suburb of country houses along South Main Street, with deed restrictions to protect the integrity of the neighborhood.''Braeswood: An Architectural History'', p. 12 et seq. The plan of the neighborhood was designed by Hare and Hare, the Kansas City landscape architects responsible for many garden suburbs across the country. Braeswood Corporation retained local architects to design houses, primarily in the English manorial style, selling the first house to Braeswood Corporation board member and former Texas Governor William Hobby in 1929. Ensuing development continued the vision of Braeswood Corporation. The City of Houston annexed Braeswood in 1937 and the name changed to "Old Braeswood" in 1982 to differentiate the neighborhood from nearby neighborhoods that were also named after the Brays Bayou, and to affirm the regard the residents held for the history of the neighborhood.

The early development of Braeswood occurred simultaneously with, and parallel to, that of two other Houston neighborhoods, River Oaks and Riverside Terrace. The three shared some of the same architects and architectural styles. Architects who shaped Old Braeswood's initial development, through the 1930s, included Harry D. Payne, Carl A. Mulvey, Cameron D. Fairchild, Charles S. Chase,

Joseph Finger Joseph Finger (7 March 1887 – 6 February 1953) was an Austrian Americans, Austrian American architect. After immigrating to the United States in 1905, Finger settled in Houston, Houston, Texas in 1908, where he would remain for the duration ...

Joseph W. Northrop, Jr.
Hollis E. Parker, Eugene Werlin, Tom E. Lightfoot, Irving R. Klein
Maurice J. Sullivan
Lenard Gabert, Wirtz and Calhoun, Sam H. Dixon, Jr., A. B. Ellis, James I. Campbell, Theo G. Keller, Bailey A. Swenson, Harvin C. Moore, Herman Lloyd
Claude E. Hooton
and William Fred Gray. Development in Old Braeswood in 1940 and 1941 made use of some architects new to the neighborhood including Wolf and Hoyt, Otto F. Woestemeyer, Theo G. Keller, G. Ancira, Irving R. Klein, Dixon and Greenwood, and Ben F. Greenwood. Then, legal restrictions on non-essential construction during World War II brought a temporary halt to development. In the 1950s there was again a burst of development, primarily in Braeswood Extension and primarily with architect-designed interpretations of the midcentury ranch house. Architects from that era, in addition to earlier Old Braeswood architects, included Paul Lázló, Preston M. Bolton, Joseph Krakower, Howard Barnstone, Koetter and Tharp, Anthony Cannata, and Eugene Werlin. BB2341OB 03

Among the neighborhood's most widely celebrated examples of architecture are the Allen House (2337 Blue Bonnet Blvd.) designed by Wirtz and Calhoun in the Bauhaus tradition, the Gordon House (2307 Blue Bonnet Blvd.) by Bolton and Barnstone in 1955 in the International style, and the Herzog House (2523 Maroneal Blvd.) by Paul László in 1952 in the Midcentury Modern style. Old Braeswood was the focus of a home tour sponsored by Rice Design Alliance in 1986. ''Cite Magazine'' published an article about the tour in its Winter 1986 issue. An architectural history prepared by the Anchorage Foundation of Texas for the Old Braeswood Civic Club stated in 1988: “From Mulvey, Wirtz and Calhoun, Brochstein, László and Bolton and Barnstone to the architects of the 1980s, Braeswood has continued to be a place where architecturally important houses are built in Houston. As long as this tradition is maintained, the historic standing and distinction of Braeswood will be assured.”

Notable former residents

* LaVerl Jean Daly (1930-2017), recipient of the Order of the Rising Sun (2007) conferred in the name of the emperor of Japan for her mastery and promotion of the Ikebana art of flower arranging and designee of Houston's Woman of the Year (1980) award. *

William P. Hobby William Pettus Hobby (March 26, 1878 – June 7, 1964) was known as the publisher/owner of the '' Beaumont Enterprise'' when he entered politics and the Democratic Party. Elected in 1914 as Lieutenant Governor of Texas, in 1917 he succeeded t ...

(1878-1964), governor of the State of Texas, 1917–21, editor and publisher of the ''Houston Post-Dispatch'', and director of Braeswood Corporation *

Oveta Culp Hobby Oveta Culp Hobby (January 19, 1905 – August 16, 1995) was an American politician and businessperson who served as the first United States secretary of health, education, and welfare from 1953 to 1955. A member of the Republican Party, Hobby wa ...

(1905-1995), first U.S. Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare; organized and headed the Federal Security Agency; first director of the Women's Army Corps; publisher and board chair of the Houston Post; first woman to receive the U.S. Army's Distinguished Service Medal * William P. Hobby, Jr. (1932 -), lieutenant governor of the State of Texas, 1973-91 * Ray Brochstein (1932 -), a Houston developer of the Galleria area, former trustee of Rice University * Meyer Morris Gordon (1988-1961), founder of Gordon's Jewelers, the first jewelry store company listed on the New York Stock Exchange and at one time the second largest retail jewelry chain in the world * William Howard Lee (1908-1981), heir to a Spindletop oil fortune who married movie stars Hedy Lamarr and Gene Tierney * Glenn H. McCarthy (1907-1988), known as “Diamond Glenn,” legendary wildcatter who married a daughter of Spindletop's William Ellsworth Lee, built the Shamrock Hotel, and inspired the character of Jett Rink in Edna Ferber's novel Giant. Jett Rink was portrayed by James Dean in the movie version * Walter Henry “Mad Dog” Mengden, Jr. (1926 -), colorful Texas state representative 1971-72; Texas state senator 1973-83; president pro-tem of Texas State Senate (1981) * Charles O’Brien (1884-1952), co-founder of Houston Pilots (the association of pilots on the Houston ship channel) in 1921, and for that reason honored in 2001 by a joint resolution of the Texas House and Texas Senate * Gwendolyn Pappas, 1963 Texas Poet Laureate, 1962 Texas Mother of the Year, 1961 Houston Outstanding Homemaker * Rabbi Hyman Schachtel (1907-1990), Senior Rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel; columnist for the Houston Post and author of numerous books; professor at University of Houston and University of St. Thomas; Rabbi delivering the inaugural prayer for President

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

in Washington D.C. in 1965 * Irvin M. Schlenker, president of Gulftex Drug Co.; board chairman of Houston National Bank, president of Congregation Beth Israel, the oldest Jewish Reform synagogue in Texas. It founded Schlenker School in 1982, the first Jewish Reform day school in Texas.

Neighborhood Involvement

Old Braeswood property owners are members of the Old Braeswood Property Owners Association (OBPOA), also known as Old Braeswood Civic Club, which meets twice annually to exchange information and elect officers to the OBPOA Board. The Board and its committees enforce deed restrictions, maintain the parks, coordinate with Trees for Houston for the planting of trees, produce a directory of residents, produce a newsletter, contract for a private security patrol, welcome new residents, encourage historic preservation, raise funds for neighborhood projects and sponsor social events including family-oriented parties in the neighborhood park and open to the public. OBPOA is a member of the University Place Super Neighborhood Council (SN#28) and the University Place Association. It maintains liaisons with Houston City Council, Houston Parks Department and the Public Works and Engineering Department, the Brays Bayou Association, Trees for Houston, and Preservation Houston.Old Braeswood Civic Association Newsletters
''oldbraeswood.com''. Retrieved October 10, 2016. In 1988 the association published a book about the architectural history of the neighborhood. The Old Braeswood Garden Club, founded in 1939 and one of the oldest garden clubs in Houston, meets monthly and is open to residents of Old Braeswood. The Old Braeswood Book Club, founded in 2014, also meets monthly and is open to Old Braeswood residents.

Government and infrastructure

Old Braeswood is a part of the University Place Super Neighborhood Council. It 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 C. Old Braeswood is in

Texas's 7th congressional district Texas's 7th congressional district of the United States House of Representatives comprises a small area of western Harris County. As of the 2000 census, the 7th district comprises 651,620 people. Since 2019, it has been represented by Democrat ...

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 Station 37 Braes Heights is located at 3828 Aberdeen Way.

Station 33 Medical Center is near the Texas Medical Center. The neighborhood is within 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 Division. The neighborhood is also patrolled by a private company and by the Harris County Pct 1 Constable.

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

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Health Center in southeast Houston for ZIP code 77030. 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

Education

Area schools

The neighborhood is zoned to

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 ...

schools. The zoned public schools for Old Braeswood includ
Roberts Elementary School
Roberts Elementary School Attendance Zone
"

. Retrieved on December 26, 2016. Pershing Middle School (a fine arts Magnet School), and Lamar High School. Students assigned to Pershing may also apply to the regular program of

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 ...

, a foreign language magnet school, in Bellaire.

Debakey High School for Health Professions Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health Professions is a medical secondary school located in the Medical Center area of Houston, Texas, United States. It is a part of the Houston Independent School District. It has been named the number one ...

, a medical magnet school, is also nearby in the

. Roberts Elementary opened in 1936. An addition was installed in 1948. There are a number of private schools in close proximity to Old Braeswood, including St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School, a

K-8 school K8 or K-8 may refer to: * K-8 (Kansas highway), two highways in Kansas, one in northern Kansas, one in southern Kansas * K-8 school, a type of school that includes kindergarten and grades one through eight * AMD K8, the internal designation for the ...

of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston 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 letter ...

is only a mile away.

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 ...

McGovern-Stella Link Neighborhood Libraryand the

Harris County Public Library Harris County Public Library (HCPL) is a public library system serving Harris County, Texas, United States. Since its inception in 1921, HCPL has grown from a system of small book stations in homes, stores and post offices to 26 branch librarie ...

West University Branch are near Old Braeswood.

Parks

Braeswood Park, a City of Houston park, is located in Old Braeswood. The Old Braeswood Park Corporation, a 501c(3) corporation, raises funds for maintenance and improvements to the park. The Park Corporation also maintains esplanades within Old Braeswood. Bayou Greenways, with a bicycle and walking path along Braes Bayou, is immediately adjacent to the neighborhood.

Hermann Park Hermann Park is a urban park in Houston, Texas, situated at the southern end of the Museum District. The park is located immediately north of the Texas Medical Center and Brays Bayou, east of Rice University, and slightly west of the Third ...

is only a mile away.

Media

The ''

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 ...

'' is the area regional newspaper. The ''

West University Examiner The ''Examiner'' group of newspapers are a set of four community newspapers owned by the Hearst Corporation, doing business as Houston Community Newspapers (HCN). The publications include the '' Bellaire Examiner'', '' Memorial Examiner'', ''River ...

'' is a local newspaper distributed in the community. The ''

Village News and Southwest News The ''Village News and Southwest News'' is a local newspaper in Greater Houston, headquartered in Bellaire, Texas.Davis, Mitchell P. (editor). ''Power Media Bluebook: W/ Talk Show Guest Directory'' (15th Edition). Broadcast Interview Source, Inc, ...

'' is another local newspaper distributed in the community. In the mid-20th century the community newspaper ''Southwestern Times'' served Old Braeswood and surrounding communities. The paper was headquartered in

.''Southwestern Times'' (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 4, No. 44, Ed. 1 Thursday, July 22, 1948
Page: 2 of 20
Posted at the Portal to Texas History,

University of North Texas The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private teachers college in 1890 and was formally adopted by the state 11 years later."Denton Normal School," ...

. Retrieved on March 2, 2017. "2510 Times Boulevard, Houston 5, Texas (In The Village)"

Community information

The Weekley Family

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...