July 2005

HNC Meeting
HNC continues its effort to document historic structures within the Row House District in Houston’s Third Ward. At 9:30 a.m. Saturday, July 23, HNC volunteers will meet at the Clayton Genealogical Library, 5300 Caroline St. [map], to research buildings in the study area. The information will be used to create an interactive map of the Row House District.

The meeting is free and open to the public. To volunteer or for additional information, contact Thomas McWhorter by e-mail or at at 713.216.5000.
I-45 Town Hall Meeting August 13

Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) will present findings from its I-45 Corridor Study during a Town Hall Meeting at 2 p.m. Saturday, August 13, at Jefferson Davis High School, 1101 Quitman, six blocks east of North Main.

TxDOT is proposing widening I-45 north of downtown Houston from nine lanes to twelve lanes. The project would impact several historic residential areas in the vicinity of Woodland Heights and the Near Northside.

The I-45 Coalition will present suggested alternatives to the proposed expansion. Public intervention is critical at this point. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, State Senator Mario Gallegos, State Representative Jessica Farrar and City Council Member Adrian Garcia will be attending the meeting. A strong presence by area residents will have a definite influence on the outcome of the I-45 design.
Good Brick Award Deadline Sept. 9

GHPA is accepting nominations for the 2006 Good Brick Awards for excellence in historic preservation. To qualify, projects must be located in Harris County and must have been completed in the last three years. Entries must be received in the GHPA office by 5 p.m. Friday, September 9, 2005. Entry requirements and the necessary forms are available for download along with a gallery of the 2005 Good Brick recipients.

Entries are judged by a jury of preservation and design professionals, and community leaders. GHPA Board member and architect Natalye Appel, FAIA, is chairing the 2006 Good Brick Awards jury.
The 2006 Good Brick Awards will be presented during the Cornerstone Dinner on Friday, January 27, 2006, at the Hilton Americas-Houston, 1600 Lamar. GHPA Board members Cora Sue Mach and Sidney Faust are co-chairs for the event.

THC Grant Deadline July 29
The Texas Historical Commission is accepting applications for the Texas Preservation Trust Fund Grant until 5 p.m. Friday, July 29. Grants support historic preservation projects, and preservation training and education. Eligible projects include the preservation of public and commercial buildings, archaeological sites, and the development of preservation plans. Of particular interest are projects that address culturally diverse resources. Trust Fund grants may be used for income-producing private properties or public education projects. The grants may not be applied to private residential properties or churches. The necessary forms are available online.

News from the Neighborhoods

Sixth Ward
In June, the Houston Archaeological and Historical Commission (HAHC) unanimously denied a Certificate of Appropriateness for the demolition of the historic 1880s home at 1814 Lubbock (pictured) in the Old Sixth Ward. The new owner plans to replace the existing one-story wood frame cottage with a multistory home. HAHC denied the application on the grounds that the project would forever remove a historic structure from this National Register and City of Houston Historic District, and that the new construction would not be compatible with the surrounding neighborhood. The proposed building will feature a metal, concrete block and stucco exterior with a turret rising to a height of 49 feet. The surrounding properties are one-story wood frame cottages. Although HAHC denied the Certificate of Appropriateness, the property owner is still going forward with his plans. Houston’s Historic Preservation Ordinance allows the owners of designated historic properties to demolish the buildings after a 90-day waiting period even if HAHC denies the application.

Since the application for demolition of 1814 Lubbock, a second property has come up for demolition. The house at 2020 State Street was recently sold to a buyer who wishes to tear down the restored historic structure and build a new home. We will report on this issue as details become available. GHPA succeeded in placing a Houston Chronicle article dealing with these issues in the Sunday, July 10 issue of Zest magazine. HNC Director Thomas McWhorter was quoted in the article.

Eastwood
Eastwood residents took an important step toward preserving their neighborhood’s historic character when the Houston Planning Commission approved prevailing lot size applications for the north side of the 4300-4400 block of Leeland. Nine property owners attended the hearing, four of whom spoke in favor of the petition. HNC Director Thomas McWhorter also spoke in support of designation. City staff recommended approval as well.

One speaker who opposed the petitions owns duplexes in the 4300 block and was concerned about diminished property values if the buildings could not be sold for town home development. Another speaker noted that evidence in Eastwood indicates buyers will pay more for a historic home to restore than developers will pay for the land. Many historic houses in Eastwood have been renovated and command high prices.

First Ward/Near Northside
Avenue Community Development Corp. organized a sampler tour of some of its many revitalization/restoration projects located in the First Ward/Washington Avenue Corridor and on the Near Northside. The tour highlighted five projects, ranging from late Victorian cottages to the soon to be completed Old Jeff Davis Hospital.

Old Jeff, as it is known, had languished empty and in an advanced state of decay for many years. The collaboration between the Avenue CDC and ArtSpace, a non-profit group that specializes in renovating historic properties as affordable housing for artists, has resulted in a viable plan to return the distinguished building to its historic appearance while offering much-needed affordable housing in the First Ward. The very visible location of this large scale restoration project will ensure that thousands of daily commuters will see the benefits of this very high profile preservation project. The newly renovated building is on track for a grand re-opening in the fall of this year.

Preservation Update
The historic Warwick Hotel in Houston’s Museum District has changed ownership and will get a new name after 80 years. The 12-story hotel was originally built in 1925.

The new owners, a Utah-based firm called Gemstone Resorts International, intends to renovate the historic building that will be re-opened as Hotel ZaZa. The company operates several historic hotels, including a ca. 1769 property in Manchester Village, Vermont, and the 1923 Hotel Orrington in Chicago’s North Shore area. It is hoped the new owners will be sensitive to the historic building’s prominence.
Did You Know? Houston's Ice King
Years before the widespread of availability of refrigerators and the electricity to run these modern conveniences, Houstonians made do with ice boxes. As the name implies, these simple appliances were usually boxes made of wood for storing blocks of ice. A shelf was set aside for the storage of perishable goods. The ice box remained cold only as long as the ice kept, thus necessitating frequent replenishing. As a result, ice manufacturers made regular house calls.

Ice was available in Houston as early as the 1840s when it was imported by ship from colder climates, a method that was both slow and expensive. Later, the local manufacture of ice ensured a constant, affordable supply.

Ice was a very lucrative business in Houston. The city’s early ice manufacturers were Henke’s Artesian Ice and Refrigerator Co., Houston Ice and Brewing Co., and American Brewing Association, the local branch of the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Co. These businesses were all roughly grouped together in the northwest corner of downtown Houston near the location of the current downtown Post Office.

Hometown ice purveyor Wade Hampton Irvin began his long career in ice and ice cream in 1903 as president and manager of the short-lived Klondike Ice Co. He was also a partner in Halverton and Irvin which sold groceries and feed at 2217 Washington. In 1905, Irving’s business became involved with the Bayou City Ice & Refrigerator Co. and expanded the grocery and feed store to include a saloon. While Irvin’s business acumen led to substantial profits, he maintained a modest home in Houston’s First Ward at 2313 Shearn.

In 1917, Irvin founded the Sanitary Ice Cream Co. The following year he moved to the fashionable Avondale subdivision in Montrose. His Prairie Style home at 106 Avondale was originally built in 1911 at a cost of $10,000, a princely sum in those days. The house still stands within the boundaries of the Avondale East Historic District.

In 1919, Irvin co-founded and became vice president of Citizens State Bank. He was later also vice president of Gulf State Bank. In the early 1920s, Irvin added the Zero Ice Factory to his holdings. In 1928, he divested himself of his sizeable ice and ice cream empire and moved to Morgan’s Point. Architect Joseph Finger designed the house, which still stands at 431 Bay Ridge Road.
Irvin was fairly well insulated from the stock market crash of 1929. In 1934, he and his wife Mamie purchased a home at 2508 Pelham in River Oaks as an in-town residence. Seventy years later, the restoration of the house was recognized with a Good Brick Award.

Irvin died in the early 1940s. Mamie Irvin, who had been involved in the various businesses over the years, continued her husband’s work as vice chairman of Citizens State Bank.
HNC members may publicize their community events free of charge in this newsletter. Events must be open to the public and of general interest. Listings are run at the sole discretion of GHPA as space permits. Information must be submitted at least six weeks prior to the event. Fax information to 713.216.2143 or submit it via e-mail.

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