Washington Terrace is a subdivision in the Third Ward area 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 ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

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 Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

History

Nelms Investment Company initially owned the 1,000 lots established in Washington Terrace, which began development in April 1924; G.E. Simpson Realty Service handled the sale of the houses. The first houses for sale were on Chartres Street, and the lot sizes ranged from to .Kaplan, Barry J. (

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 ...

).
Race, Income, and Ethnicity: Residential Change in a Houston Community, 1920-1970
" ''

The Houston Review ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

''. Winter 1981. pp. 178-202. CITED: p. 183. Washington Terrace was designed for middle-class families.Kaplan, Barry J. (

).
Race, Income, and Ethnicity: Residential Change in a Houston Community, 1920-1970
" ''

''. Winter 1981. pp. 178-202. CITED: p. 184. In 1927 it was annexed by the City of Houston.Kaplan, Barry J. (

).
Race, Income, and Ethnicity: Residential Change in a Houston Community, 1920-1970
" ''

''. Winter 1981. pp. 178-202. CITED: p. 186. It was initially a majority white community; the census tract that mostly corresponded to Washington Terrace was 98% white in 1940, the remaining black population was mostly domestic servants living with their employers or in nearby areas in the same census tract.Kaplan, Barry J. (

).
Race, Income, and Ethnicity: Residential Change in a Houston Community, 1920-1970
" ''

''. Winter 1981. pp. 178-202. CITED: p. 191. In 1950 it had 7,354 people,Kaplan, Barry J. (

).
Race, Income, and Ethnicity: Residential Change in a Houston Community, 1920-1970
" ''

''. Winter 1981. pp. 178-202. CITED: p. 193. and was 93% white. In 1953 African-Americans became the majority population, In 1960 Washington Terrace had 8,552 people, and was 21% white; however in 1970 it had 7,634 people, and was 11% white. Unlike

Riverside Terrace Riverside Terrace is a neighborhood in Houston, Texas, United States. It is along Texas State Highway 288 and north of the Texas Medical Center and located near Texas Southern University and University of Houston. There about 20 sections of R ...

, there was never a period of "filling in" with the construction of apartments or subdivision of previous housing stock, in which the population of that community ultimately increased. Circa 1981 the Houston Planning Department ruled that, in the words of Kaplan, Washington Terrace was "in the stage of accelerating decline."Kaplan, Barry J. (

).
Race, Income, and Ethnicity: Residential Change in a Houston Community, 1920-1970
" ''

''. Winter 1981. pp. 178-202. CITED: p. 196. In 2002 Katherine Feser of 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 i ...

'' reported that

gentrification Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and planning. Gentrification often increases the ...

was coming to Washington Terrace. In 2004 the ''Houston Press'' named the neighborhood as having the best neighborhood association.

Location and area

Barry J. Kaplan of the

stated that the boundaries of the development were Blodgett Street, Dowling Street (now Emancipation Avenue), Ennis Street, and Holman Avenue.Kaplan, Barry J. (

).
Race, Income, and Ethnicity: Residential Change in a Houston Community, 1920-1970
" ''

''. Winter 1981. pp. 178-202. CITED: p. 183-184. The ''

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 ...

'' stated that the Washington Terrace area's boundaries are Alabama Street, Almeda Road, Blodgett Street, Cleburne Street, and Ennis Street.Best Neighborhood Association (2004)
" ''

''. Retrieved on November 23, 2008. The neighborhood is across from

, and surrounds

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 10,00 ...

. According to Kaplan, the brochures highlighted the community's proximity to the central city while also promoting its, in his words, "suburban atmosphere". As of the 2000s the median year of homes built was 1940.

Government and infrastructure

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 77004. 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 f ...

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 concentrat ...

Education

Washington Terrace is within 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 ...

. The community is within Trustee District IV, represented by Paula M. Harris as of 2008. Two elementary schools, Blackshear in Washington Terrace and Lockhart in

, serve sections of Washington Terrace. The attendance boundaries of Cullen Middle School, and

Yates High School Jack Yates Senior High School is a public high school located at 3650 Alabama Street, very near Texas Southern University, in the historic Third Ward in Houston, Texas, United States. Yates High School handles grades nine through twelve and is par ...

include Washington Terrace.

History of schools

Charlotte B. Allen Elementary School opened in 1907. Blackshear opened in 1916. Yates opened in 1926. William Sutton Elementary School opened in 1929. Allen moved to 400 Victoria Street in 1956; the former Allen campus was renamed J. Will Jones Elementary School. The Sutton school moved to 7402 Albacore Drive 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
" ''

''. Accessed September 24, 2008. Beginning in 2018 the magnet middle school

Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan (BCMAR) is a magnet middle school in Houston Independent School District (HISD), located in the Third Ward, Houston, Texas. It is located in the former Ryan Middle School. It is in association with t ...

also serves as a boundary option for students zoned to Blackshear, Lockhart, and MacGregor elementary schools. Before the start of the 2009–2010 school year J. Will Jones, a school in Midtown which served a section of Washington Terrace, was consolidated into Blackshear. In addition Turner, which served a section of Washington Terrace, was consolidated into Blackshear. By Spring 2011 a new campus was be built in the Lockhart site.Board Approves School Closings and Consolidations
" ''

''. November 14, 2008. Residents were previously assigned to Ryan Middle School (at the current BCM Ryan location). It closed in 2013 with students reassigned to Cullen Middle.Mellon, Ericka.
HISD will close Ryan, tables plan to merge two high schools
" ''

''. March 7, 2013. Retrieved on March 14, 2013. "Ryan, the district's smallest middle school with 263 students, will close at the end of this academic year. The students will attend Cullen, which is 4 miles away."

References

External links

Washington Terrace Civic Association
{{coord missing, Texas Neighborhoods in Houston Third Ward, Houston

History

Location and area

Government and infrastructure

Education

History of schools

See also

References

External links