Heights Homes for Sale
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History of the Heights provided by Greater Heights Area Chamber of Commerce
In
approximately 1886, Oscar Martin Carter, a self-made millionaire with
business interests in Nebraska and Colorado, brought to Houston an
idealistic vision for the coming 20th-century – a community where
successful entrepreneurs and working people could live and work as
neighbors. Compared to Houston, a city plagued by yellow fever and
annual floods, Houston Heights, with an elevation 23 feet higher than
downtown Houston, had naturally sandy soil, mature trees, rich
vegetation, and artesian water sources, promising a haven of health and
well-being.
In May 1891, Mr. Carter directed the agents of his American Loan & Trust Company to begin buying 1,765 acres four miles northwest of Houston. The land was purchased at a cost of $45 per acre. Carter filed the charter for the Omaha and South Texas Land Company in April 1892 and announced his intention to build “a first-class residence and manufacturers’ locality.” In May, 300 men started clearing land for The Boulevard, which later would become known as Heights Boulevard, the grand entrance to the residential area. They also cleared land for a railroad to the industrial section where Carter had persuaded major manufacturing companies to locate.
In 1896, an election was held to vote to incorporate the Heights as a municipality with its own government. The Heights maintained that autonomy until 1918 when it was annexed by the City of Houston.
Houston Heights became the first master-planned community in Houston
and was a marvel of its time. Throngs of curious visitors piled onto
streetcars to share a glimpse of Carter’s utopian vision, a place where
grand Victorian mansions and quaint working-class cottages coexisted in
harmony
alongside industrial and business districts. The blocks were carefully
arranged, and open spaces adorned the 60-foot-wide esplanade of the
tree-lined Heights Boulevard.
The
earliest improvement was a streetcar to downtown Houston. The Houston
Heights Hotel was constructed in the 1890s, followed by a series of
modernizations such as an outdoor theater named the Opera House, the
railroad, and numerous bridges over the bayous. In the U.S. Census of
1900, Houston Heights had a total population of 800. Electricity
arrived in 1905.
With the addition of an ice plant and waterworks, the Heights was on its way to becoming a self-sufficient community.
Other original businesses in the Heights included a planing mill and a mattress factory that later converted to the Oriental Textile Mill. The South Texas Cotton Oil Company operated in the Heights, and a post office opened across from the hotel.
Some of the first settlers were Daniel Denton Cooley, Charles A. McKinney, Nelson A. Baker, and H.F. McGregor – names commonly now known in Houston.
Today, with its proximity to downtown Houston and major freeways, the Heights remains one of the city’s favorite neighborhoods. This area continues its revitalization while at the same time keeping the Victorian charm and small-town atmosphere that Mr. Carter had envisioned more than a century ago.
The social and economic make-up of the present day Houston Heights probably is quite similar to that of the early 1900s. The early occupants of the large and impressive homes along the Boulevard were often doctors, lawyers and real estate professionals. There is a strong sense of community in the Heights, and it is attracting those who appreciate its quiet charm and diverse architecture.
