Houston Heights (often referred to simply as "The Heights") is a community in northwest-central

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, United States. "The Heights" is often referred to colloquially to describe a larger collection of neighborhoods next to and including the actual Houston Heights. However, Houston Heights has its own history, distinct from Norhill and Woodland Heights.

History

In 1886, Oscar Martin Carter, a former bank president from

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

arrived in Houston and by 1891 he and a group of investors had established the ''Omaha and South Texas Land Company'', managed by Carter and a subsidiary of the ''American Loan and Trust Company''. The company purchased of land and established infrastructure, including streets, alleys, parks, schools, and utilities, worth $500,000. As one of Texas's early

planned communities A planned community, planned city, planned town, or planned settlement is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed on previously undeveloped land. This contrasts with settlements that evolve ...

, Houston Heights was founded as a

streetcar suburb A streetcar suburb is a residential community whose growth and development was strongly shaped by the use of streetcar lines as a primary means of transportation. Such suburbs developed in the United States in the years before the automobile, when ...

of Houston and attracted residents who did not wish to live in the dense city but had a way to commute back and forth for work. Another appealing factor to potential residents was that the area is 23 feet higher in elevation than Houston, which was experiencing yellow fever outbreaks along with other waterborne illnesses due to excessive flooding and high levels of

mosquito Mosquitoes, the Culicidae, are a Family (biology), family of small Diptera, flies consisting of 3,600 species. The word ''mosquito'' (formed by ''Musca (fly), mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish and Portuguese for ''little fly''. Mos ...

s. It had its own municipality,History Tour - Overview
" ''Houston Heights Association''. Retrieved on January 17, 2009. established on July 1, 1896 and William G. Love served as the first mayor and J.B. Marmion was the fifth and final mayor. According to the U.S. census of 1900 the area had 800 residents and had its own school system, hospital and emergency services. By 1919 the city government experienced difficulty collecting sufficient tax revenue to fund the school system and so the small community agreed to be annexed Theriot, p. 40. to the city of Houston. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

industrial interests moved into the Houston Heights. Sister M. Agatha wrote the book ''History of the Houston Heights'', published in 1956. Some of her research stemmed from a document and photograph collection organized by Jimmie May Hicks, the head librarian at the

Heights Public Library Heights Neighborhood Library is a public library facility in the Houston Heights area of Houston, Texas. It is a part of Houston Public Library (HPL) and is located at 1302 Heights Boulevard, in Heights block 170. It has a pink Stucco Italian Re ...

from 1931 to 1964.Theriot, p. 41. Marilyn Bardsley of ''Crime Library'' stated that the Houston Heights became "decrepit" and "tired" after World War II. In that period several units of housing were subdivided into apartments and maintenance declined. In the 1970s the Houston Heights was considered to be a low income area of the city. In 1973 the Houston Heights Association (HHA) was established to reverse this trend.Theriot, p. 42. On December 13, 1970,

Dean Corll Dean Arnold Corll (December 24, 1939 – August 8, 1973) was an American serial killer and sex offender who Kidnapping, abducted, raped, tortured and murdered a minimum of twenty-nine teenage boys and young men between 1970 and 1973 in Houston ...

began luring and killing children from the Houston Heights which became known as the Houston Mass Murders. For most of the period of his crime spree, Corll lived in or close to Houston Heights as his two teenage accomplices resided there. Other teens from the area were targeted simply because the two teens knew many of them which made it easier to entice them to Corll's various residences during the period.Bardsley, Marilyn. "The Sex, Sadism and Slaughter of Houston's Candy Man." ''Crime Library''. Retrieved on January 13, 2009
7
From the 1980 U.S. census to the 1990 census, the population of the Houston Heights declined by more than 1,000 people per square mile. The Houston Heights Association opened in 1973. From 1980 to 2017, about 100 houses and other properties in the Heights have been listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. Since the 1990s, and similar to other parts of Houston inside the

610 Loop Interstate 610 (I-610) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway 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 Heights has experienced

gentrification Gentrification is the process whereby the character of a neighborhood changes through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents (the "gentry") and investment. There is no agreed-upon definition of gentrification. In public discourse, it has ...

, a process ongoing to this day, as young highly paid professionals (many of whom work in Downtown Houston) have flocked to the area, purchasing and renovating some of the historic homes (and demolishing some of them to build newer, upscale housing). Upscale boutiques and restaurants have opened in the area, giving parts of the streetscape an appearance not too much unlike Bellaire, Lower Westheimer or

Upper Kirby Upper Kirby is a commercial district in Houston, Texas, United States. It is named after Kirby Drive, so indirectly takes its name from John Henry Kirby. Upper Kirby contains many businesses, including restaurants. Upper Kirby is east of the ...

, but large parts, such as the entirety of Heights Boulevard retain some of the original identity thanks to the older houses and large trees. The

Houston Heights Fire Station The Houston Heights Fire Station is a building located at 12th Street and Yale Street in Houston Heights, Houston, Texas. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. It is located in block #186. It is a building construc ...

, a former fire station at 12th Street at Yale Street was constructed as Houston Heights' city hall and

jail A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where people are imprisoned under the authority of the state, usually as punishment for various cr ...

, and fire station in 1914. After annexation, it served as a city of Houston fire station from 1918 until 1995. The Houston Heights Association took a 30-year lease on the property from the city and refurbished the property. By December 2009 the former city hall was for sale. In 2013 ''

CNN Money CNN Business (formerly CNN Money) is a financial news and information website, operated by CNN. The website was originally formed as a joint venture between CNN.com and Time Warner's '' Fortune'' and '' Money'' magazines. Since the spin-off of ...

'' ranked the Houston Heights as no. 4 in its Top 10 big city neighborhoods ranking. A section of the Houston Heights was a "dry" (no sales of alcohol allowed) district from 1912 to 2017. File:HoustonHeightsFormerCityHall.JPG,

- Former city hall and Fire Station 14 File:Backyard of Station 14.jpg, Backyard of Station 14, 1920s File:HeightsTheater.JPG, A street view of the Houston Heights

Cityscape

The Houston Heights, one of the earliest

in Texas, is located northwest 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 ...

. A ''

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...

'' article says "stroll the area's broad, tree-canopied esplanades and side streets dotted with homes dating from the early 1900s and you may think you've landed in a small town." In 2011 John Nova Lomax said that the Heights, which he describes as "Houston's own mini-

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

," had many "low-key" restaurants and beer gardens. The Houston Heights Association describes the Heights as being bounded by

Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost transcontinental highway in the Interstate Highway System of the United States. It is the fourth-longest Interstate in the country at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. It was part of the origina ...

on the south, North Shepherd Drive on the west, Interstate 610 on the north and both North Main and Studewood Streets on the east. Neighbourhoods within Houston Heights include Shady Acres in the northwest, Greater Heights in the central, and Woodland Heights in the southeast. According to a study of the

University of Houston The University of Houston (; ) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas, United States. It was established in 1927 as Houston Junior College, a coeducational institution and one of multiple junior colleges formed in ...

Institute of Regional Forecasting and Crawford Realty Advisors, from 2002 to 2003 prices of single family houses appreciated by 8.7 percent. Anjali Athavalley said " al estate agents say most houses there costing less than $200,000 need serious work" and " ying a single-family house in the Houston Heights, for example, is getting expensive." Gabi Barrett of ''Bella Magazine'' wrote in the ''

Pensacola News Journal The '' Pensacola News Journal'' is a daily morning newspaper serving Escambia and Santa Rosa counties in Florida. It is Northwest Florida's most widely read daily. The ''News Journal'' is owned by Gannett, a national media holding company t ...

'' stated that the Heights is similar to two neighborhoods in Pensacola, East and North Hill. In 1976 James Conaway of the ''

Texas Monthly ''Texas Monthly'' (stylized as ''TexasMonthly'') is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Downtown Austin, Texas. Founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy, ''Texas Monthly'' chronicles life in contemporary Texas, writing on politics, the Natura ...

'' described the Heights as a "seedy, lower-middle-class enclave with horizons limited to once-fashionable homes divided into low-rent apartments, and guarded by pickups on concrete blocks."

Government and infrastructure

Local government

By 2000 Houston Heights community retained its prohibition of the sale of

alcoholic beverage Drinks containing alcohol (drug), alcohol are typically divided into three classes—beers, wines, and Distilled beverage, spirits—with alcohol content typically between 3% and 50%. Drinks with less than 0.5% are sometimes considered Non-al ...

s. The Houston Heights passed a prohibition on alcoholic beverages in 1912, and the annexation agreement followed by the City of Houston stipulates that much of the Heights must retain the ban on alcoholic beverages. Many restaurants in the zone got around the ordinance by forming private clubs that patrons may join so that the patrons can order alcoholic beverages. In 2016 the requirement that grocery stores not sell beer nor wine was disbanded through a vote, and in 2017, the prohibition against alcohol in restaurants and on sales of other alcohol was disbanded though the complete dissolution of the 1912 ordinance; the latter was by a vote with 60% in favor. 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 a ...

operates Station 15 Heights in the

Northside Northside or North Side may refer to: Music * Northside (band), a musical group from Manchester, EngIand * NorthSide, an American record label * NorthSide Festival (Denmark), a music festival in Aarhus, Denmark * "Norf Norf", a 2015 song by Vince ...

district, near the Houston Heights.gnmd_map.pdf
." Greater Northside Management District. Retrieved on November 11, 2009. It is a part of Fire District 6. Fire Station 15 moved to Houston Avenue and North Main in 1918 and North Main at Tabor in 1942. The current station at Dunbar and North Main opened in 1999. The

Houston Police Department The Houston Police Department (HPD) is the primary municipal 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 fi ...

's (HPD) Central Patrol Division serves the neighborhood. The Heights Storefront was formerly located at 1127 North Shepherd.VOLUNTEER INITIATIVES PROGRAM - Citizens Offering Police Support
" ''City of Houston''. Retrieved on January 3, 2009. "Heights Storefront, 910 N. Durham" The Heights storefront closed in 2017 as the owner of the building chose not to renew HPD's lease. As of 2011 most of the Heights is a part of

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

District C,Map
." ''Houston Heights''. Retrieved on November 5, 2011. while a portion is in District H. Because of the inclusion of the Heights, Montrose, and

Rice University William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University, is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. Established in 1912, the university spans 300 acres. Rice University comp ...

areas, it has the nickname "Hipstrict" for what Chris Moran of the ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, 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''. ...

'' refers to as its "progressive, urban ethic."Moran, Chris.
Only 2 city incumbents lack opponents
" ''

''. Thursday September 8, 2011. Retrieved on November 5, 2011. Before the 2011 redistricting, District H included all of the Houston Heights. H was mostly Hispanic, but because of the inclusion of the Houston Heights, it was becoming increasingly non-Hispanic White. Around 2011 an earlier plan would have combined the Heights and Montrose under a district called District J. In a 1989 ''Houston Chronicle'' article Alan Bernstein described political support for Jim Westmoreland, an incumbent in an at-large position, in the Houston Heights as "relatively weak." In one precinct 49.4 percent of the voting residents voted for him. Westmoreland drew controversy after reports of a joke that was characterized as "racist" spread. Beverley Clark, the opponent and a Black teacher, defeated Westmoreland in that race. Bernstein said that the significant racial minority groups and the "social tolerance" trait may have contributed to backlash against Bernstein. In a 1989 ''

'' article, Randy Cypret, the president of the Houston Heights Association, said that the split vote from the Houston Heights may reflect the ethnic division. Cypret added that opposition may have stemmed from Westmoreland's lack of political presence in the Houston Heights and a lack of advocacy for zoning-related issues. Cypret said that he opposed Westmoreland because of "the fact that he considers being on the city council a part-time job. In the fourth largest city in the country, you should take your job more seriously." File:HoustonFireStation15Heights.JPG, Fire Station 15 at Dunbar and N. Main File:HeightsPoliceStorefrontHoustonTX.JPG, Storefront Police Station at 910 N. Durham File:HeightsPostOfficeHoustonTX.JPG, Former Heights Post Office at 1050 Yale

County, state, and federal representation

The area

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

office was the Heights Post Office at 1050 Yale Street, but the post office closed on December 30, 2015. Operations and post office boxes are moving to the TW House Station located at 1300 West 19th Street.

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, includ ...

(formerly Harris County Hospital District) designated Casa de Amigos Health Center in

for the ZIP codes 77007 and 77008. 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 fr ...

in the

Texas Medical Center The Texas Medical Center (TMC) is a List of neighborhoods in Houston, neighborhood in south-central Houston, Texas, United States. It is immediately south of the Houston Museum District, Museum District and west of Texas State Highway 288. Over 6 ...

Demographics

In 2010, the research paper "Houston Heights" described Houston Heights as having a "diverse population" and in the same year ''

'' said that the Houston Heights was "home to the highest concentration of professional artists" in Texas. Since 2000, Houston Heights has experienced widespread gentrification, which has affected the demographics of the neighborhood. In 2000, the median household income in Houston Heights was $41,576 and by 2015 it nearly doubled to $80,048. 42% of households earn over $100,000 a year. During that same time, median housing value increased from $118,758 in 2000 to $315,793 in 2015. Ethnic demographics also shifted during this time. Between 2000 and 2015, the Hispanic population decreased from 53% to 34% and Non-Hispanic Whites increased from 42% to 58%. In 2015, the population of the Super Neighborhood #15 Greater Heights, which includes the Houston Heights and several surrounding subdivision

was 41,362.

Racial Breakdown

Age Breakdown

This is the age breakdown of Super Neighborhood #15 Greater Heights.

Transportation

Bike Trails : The MKT Trail is a Rails-to-Trails conversion project of 4.62 miles made up of a 10-foot wide, concrete, multi-use hike and bike trail along the old Missouri, Kansas, Texas railroad right-of-way. The trail runs from 26th Street to 7th Street along Nicholson, and from Shepherd along 7th Street, to Spring Street, across White Oak Bayou, and under I-45, where it connects to the Heritage Corridor West Trail providing a connection to the University of Houston and other downtown bikeways and destinations.

Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (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 (under the n ...

(METRO) formerly operated the Heights Transit Center. In 2018 the city government purchased the site from METRO. It is now Sunset Heights Park.

Culture

A ''

National Geographic Traveler ''National Geographic Traveler'' is a magazine published by National Geographic Partners, NG Media in Armenia, Belgium, the Netherlands, China, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Latin America, Israel, Poland, Romania, Slov ...

'' article stated that the Houston Heights "maintains a quirky sense of individuality" and "flourishes as a destination for foodies, architecture buffs, and creative types." Doug's Barbershop on 11th Street was featured in the 1998 film ''Rushmore'''','' directed by

Wes Anderson Wesley Wales Anderson (born May 1, 1969) is an American filmmaker. Wes Anderson filmography, His films are known for themes of grief, loss of innocence, and dysfunctional families. Due to his films' eccentricity, distinctive visual and narrative ...

. Doug's has also been featured in various television and print advertisements due to its classic barbershop decor.

Media

The ''

'' is the citywide newspaper. The headquarters of '' Houstonia'' magazine is in the Houston Heights. ''The Suburbanite'' was the first ever newspaper established in the Heights. '' The Leader'' is a local community newspaper. Sharon Lauder publishes a monthly newspaper that was created in 1986, ''The Heights Tribune''; businesses receive copies of this publication.

Economy

Fiesta Mart Fiesta Mart, L.L.C., formerly Fiesta Mart Inc., is a Latino-American supermarket chain based in Houston, Texas that was established in 1972. Fiesta Mart stores are located in Texas. The chain uses a cartoon parrot as a mascot. As of 2004 it op ...

formerly had a location in the Heights.

H-E-B H-E-B Grocery Company, LP, is an American privately held company, privately held supermarket chain based in San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, with more than 435 stores throughout Texas and Mexico. The company also operates Central Market (Texas) ...

acquired the former Fiesta location in 2015, and stated it would build a store there if voters removed the 1912 ban on grocery stores selling beer and wine. The prohibitions against sales of beer and wine were repealed in a 2016 vote, and H-E-B began construction in October 2017.

Education

Colleges and universities

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

provides community college services. The Gulf Coast Bible College was located in the Houston Heights. While it was there, it tried to form its own campus by buying and tearing down houses. In 1984 the college announced it was moving to

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

, doing so in June 1985. In August of that year the college was still trying to sell the Houston Heights campus.Moore, Louis.
Ecumenism the byword on high-rise college campus
" ''

''. Saturday August 31, 1985. Religion 1. Retrieved on September 25, 2011.

Primary and secondary schools

The Heights is served by

Houston Independent School District The Houston Independent School District (HISD) is the largest Public school (government funded), 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 ci ...

(HISD). It is in Trustee District I, represented by Elizabeth Santos as of 2018. HISD's Central Region offices were located in the Houston Heights in the former Holden Elementary building. Elementary schools that serve portions of the Houston Heights include

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

, Helms Community Learning Center, Field, Love, and Sinclair. Helms is located in Heights block 76, while Harvard is in Heights block 248. Helms has a Spanish-English bilingual program that began in 1996 as a partnership with the University of St. Thomas. Shell Oil Co. founded a learning laboratory at Helms with a $500,000 grant. By 2008 the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

of the Spanish Embassy named Helms an "International Spanish Academy". Field Elementary is in nearby Pinelawn. Love Elementary is adjacent to, but outside of, the Heights proper. Middle schools that serve portions of the Houston Heights include Hamilton and Hogg. Hamilton is in the Heights, on blocks 71, 72, and 87; Hogg is in adjacent Norhill. High schools that serve portions of the Houston Heights include

Heights High School Heights High School, formerly John H. Reagan High School, is a senior high school located in the Houston Heights in Houston, Texas. It serves students in grades nine through twelve and is a part of the Houston Independent School District. Hei ...

(formerly John H. Reagan High School) and

Waltrip High School Stephen Pool Waltrip High School is a public high school located at 1900 West 34th Street in Houston, Texas, United States. It serves grades 9 through 12 and is a part of the Houston Independent School District. The school's namesake is a former ...

. The Arabic Language Immersion School, a magnet elementary school, opened in the former Holden Elementary School location in the fall of 2015; it is located in Heights Block 21. Two state charter schools are located in the Heights; they are: Houston Heights Learning Academ

and Houston Heights High School. Three private schools, a K-9 school calle
The New School in the Heights
Immanuel Lutheran Church and School (K-8) and Houston Outdoor Learning Academy, a 6-12 private school, are in the Houston Heights. Trinity Classical School has an elementary campus (PreK through 4th Grade) in the Heights. the

British International School of Houston The British International School of Houston (BISH), formerly the British School of Houston (BSOH), is a non-sectarian, co-educational college preparatory day school in the Greater Katy region of the Greater Houston, Houston area. BISH, which open ...

Greater Katy Greater Katy Area is the term often used to refer to a suburban region on the west side of the Greater Houston metropolitan area roughly corresponding to the boundaries of the Katy Independent School District. Many people and businesses in this ar ...

has a school bus service to the Houston Heights.

History of schools

The first elementary school to open in the Houston Heights was Cooley Elementary School, which opened in 1894,Hajovsky, Martin.
End of Cooley School an end of an era
." ''

'' at ''Ultimate Heights''. October 27, 2011. Retrieved on January 21, 2011. and was located in Heights block 131. Harvard Elementary School opened in 1898.School Histories: the Stories Behind the Names
." ''

''. Accessed September 24, 2008. An elementary school for black children, which became Eighth Avenue Elementary, opened in 1911 and received its current name and final campus in 1913.School Histories Charter Schools
"

. Retrieved on April 9, 2019. The campus on Heights block 267, in 2003 served the southwest portion of the Houston Heights. It became a district-run charter school, a status sought by principal Teresa Lenoir, because the State of Texas did not grant the school permission to have early Friday dismissal to allow for teacher training, while the school had the right to unilaterally do so with charter status. In 1914, a businessman donated land for a new elementary school, which became Love Elementary School. Helms Elementary School was built in 1918, and opened in 1921. It was named after a member of the Houston Heights school board and had a cost of $49,000. Within the Heights, the city's budget became increasingly less able to support the educational needs of the city's population. This influenced the decision to allow the City of Houston to annex the Houston Heights. Houston Heights Senior High School opened in 1919. Harvard became a part of Houston ISD in 1921 and Love moved to its current location in 1923. In 1925 Heights High School became Hamilton High School. In 1926 Love received a new campus, Hogg opened, and Reagan opened; Hamilton became a junior high school that year. Field opened in February 1929. The final 8th Avenue building opened in 1958. Sinclair and Waltrip opened in 1959. During the same year, Twenty-Third Street Elementary School in the Houston Heights received fire damage, so it closed. In 1960 Holden Elementary School opened on the site of the former Twenty-Third Street Elementary School. In 1965, Cooley was renovated. Cooley closed in 1980. Shortly afterwards HISD began housing offices in the Cooley building. In 1997 a small portion of the Houston Heights was rezoned to Waltrip. In 2001 Helms received its current name. Holden closed in May 2004 and students were rezoned to Sinclair and Helms; at the time 52% of students zoned to Holden were enrolled in Holden. Eighth Avenue closed after the HISD board voted to close it in 2004. Students were rezoned to Love Elementary. Prior to Houston ISD's 2005 reorganization, the North Central District was headquartered in the Cooley Facility. It served as the headquarters of HISD's alternative certification program until 2010, when the location was sold to a home builder. The former Holden Elementary building was used for Energy Institute High School for school year 2013-2014 and later the Arabic Immersion Magnet School. Previously Crockett Elementary School in the Sixth Ward served a small section of the Houston Heights north of

. A 2015 rezoning proposal was presented that would remove the portion of the Crockett boundary north of Interstate 10. These sections were rezoned to Harvard and Travis, with two students affected. In 2015 Field Elementary applied to have a magnet program for theater and media arts. In 2016 residents in the Love Elementary attendance area proposed adding a magnet program to Love Elementary so it could attract a wider variety of students and additional financial support from the community. As of that year it had fewer than 500 students; 88% of its students were Hispanic or Latino, 7% were white, and 89% were considered low income. Its demographics and level of financial support strongly contrast with other Heights area elementary schools. File:HamiltonMiddleHouston.JPG, Hamilton Middle School File:HarvardESHoustonTX.JPG, Harvard Elementary School File:Helms Elementary School.jpg, Helms Elementary School File:ArabicSchoolHouston0.jpg, Former Holden Elementary School/ Energy Institute High School/

Arabic Immersion Magnet School Arabic Immersion Magnet School (AIMS) is a magnet school in the Montrose, Houston, Montrose area of Houston, Texas. A part of the Houston Independent School District (HISD), it currently covers elementary school grades. It uses a grant from the ...

Public libraries

The Heights Neighborhood Library of 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 ...

(HPL) is located at 1302 Heights Boulevard, in Heights block 170. It has a pink Stucco

Italian Renaissance The Italian Renaissance ( ) was a period in History of Italy, Italian history between the 14th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Western Europe and marked t ...

façade and arches in its doors and windows. Jason P. Theriot wrote in the '' Houston Review'' that the ceilings are "high" and that the arches were "beautifully" done. Due to renovations the library has over of space. The first Heights area library facility was the Baptist Temple Library, opening in 1909, which was established by Reverend Fred Huhns. This collection moved to Heights Senior High School in 1918. The Trustees and the Heights Committee spent $7,500 to buy the land for the current facility in the mid-1920s. The current building opened in 1925 and was dedicated on March 18, 1926.

Parks and recreation

The City of Houston operates parks within and around the Houston Heights. The Heights Boulevard Park is located at 100-1900 Heights Boulevard. Milroy Park and Community Center has a playground and lighted tennis courts. Milroy Park, on Heights Block 185, formerly housed the original Heights High School campus, and in 2001 it began hosting the Heights FunDay. Love Park and Community Center are adjacent to the Houston Heights. Love Park has an outdoor basketball pavilion, a hike and bicycle trail, a playground, a lighted sports field, and a swimming pool. Love Community Center has an indoor gymnasium, meeting rooms, and a weight room. In addition the Houston Heights

Memorial is located in the Heights. The MKT/SP Heights Trail runs along the south edge of the neighborhood approximately 4.6 miles, with mixed use for pedestrians and bikers. The Heights is the locale of Houston's White Linen Night, held annually in late July or early August. File:MilroyParkHoustonTX.JPG, Milroy Park File:Marmion Park, The Heights, Houston.jpg, Marmion Park

Religion

Churches in the Houston Heights include: * All Saints Catholic Church (

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 Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

) * Heights Christian Church * Baptist Temple in the Heights The archdiocese operates St. Anne De Beaupre Church in Sunset Heights Extension No. 2, near the Houston Heights. It was the third black church in Houston and opened in 1938.Steptoe, Tyina L. ''Houston Bound: Culture and Color in a Jim Crow City'' (Volume 41 of American Crossroads).

University of California Press The University of California Press, otherwise known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish scholarly and scientific works by faculty ...

, November 3, 2015. , 9780520958531. p
117
"In 1937 a third ..t. Anne de Beaupre ..n Houston Heights."

Community Information

The Houston Heights Association was organized in 1973 by residents and business owners to work together toward maintaining the quality of life and preserving the historic character of the community. The association owns several properties, one of which is Marmion Park, which is at the original location of the Cooley mansion, one of the first houses built in Houston Heights. The house was demolished in 1965. The land was purchased in 1979 by the Houston Heights Association for the purpose of constructing Marmion Park, named in honor of the last mayor of Houston Heights, J. B. Marmion. The Houston Heights Woman's Club was founded in 1900, and constructed its own club building in 1912, which is still in use. Members were active in the suffrage movement, and later, during both World Wars volunteered the club for use by the Red Cross. Today the club volunteers in efforts to improve the Heights neighborhood, in particular mentoring children and assisting the elderly. File:Houston Heights TX Lambert Hall.jpg, Lambert Hall, home of Opera in the Heights File:Houston Heights Woman's Club house.jpg, Houston Heights Woman's Club

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Houston Heights has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.

Notable residents

Dan Rather Daniel Irvin Rather Jr. (; born October 31, 1931) is an American journalist, commentator, and former national evening news anchor. He began his career in Texas, becoming a national name after his reporting saved thousands of lives during Hurrica ...

- American news anchor *

- American serial killer * Martha Wong - PoliticianWong, Martha Wong transcript, 2 of 2

PDF file
.

. p. 1-3. Retrieved on August 18, 2015. * T.C. Jester - Pastor at Baptist Temple Church resided on north side of West 20th street west of Rutland, house is painted red today * John Ross Palmer - American Artist

References

Reference notes

External links

Houston Heights

Opera in the Heights
* Sister M. Agatha of Incarnate Word Academy.
The History of Houston Heights From Its Foundation in 1891 To Its Annexation in 1918
" Premier Printing Company, 1956. Hosted at

* Dr. Fox, Stephen.
The Architectural History of the Houston Heights
"

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Hamilton Middle School
{{Authority control Neighborhoods in Houston Streetcar suburbs