GHPA Walking Tour: Woodland Heights

The Greater Houston Preservation Alliance continues its monthly walking tours this weekend in the historic Woodlands Heights.

This year marks the neighborhood's 100th anniversary. When platted in 1907 by William A. Wilson, the neighborhood was a 20-minute streetcar ride north of downtown via Houston Avenue. Although originally designed as an independent streetcar suburb, it was eventually incorporated into the city of Houston and is now one of the closest residential neighborhoods to downtown.

Nestled as it is in the crook of I-10 and I-45, it is often overlooked or is assumed to be part of the much larger and somewhat older Houston Heights neighborhood to its west. (Studewood Street is the dividing line between the two neighborhoods.) However, if one knows what to look for, it becomes apparent that the architecture of the Woodland Heights is somewhat distinct from that of the Houston Heights. The Houston Heights was founded in 1891, while the Woodland Heights was began more than 15 years later. During that period, American architecture had undergone a transition from the larger and more ornate Victorian-style homes of the late 1800s to the smaller, simpler and more modest bungalow style of the early 1900s Arts and Crafts era, and the two neighborhoods reflect this shift. In fact, its architecture is much closer to that of the Norhill neighborhood to its north and the Eastwood neighborhood on the east side of downtown (which was also platted by William A. Wilson in 1911 as a somewhat more upscale counterpart to his Woodland Heights development).

This Sunday's tour will explore the architecture of this picturesque neighborhood of bungalows and cottages. The tour is an exterior tour, and will not go inside any of the houses. Parking is located along Beauchamp adjacent streets.

Tickets are $10 per person ($7 for GHPA members and students with valid ID). Children 11 years old and under are admitted free. Tickets go on sale at 1:30 p.m. on the day of the tour in front of Travis Elementary School, 3311 Beauchamp. Reservations are not required. Tickets may be charged to VISA, MasterCard or American Express.
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when: This Sunday, April 15th
time: tour begins at 2pm
where: meets at Travis Elementary School | 3311 Beauchamp [map]
tickets: $10 non-members | $7 GHPA members