Uncovering the layers that lie beneath Houston’s rough exterior can feel particularly special. With no zoning laws, it’s no surprise the city holds few safety nets for aging infrastructure. As H-Town grows every year, the destruction of the old to make room for the new has become expected. Yet locals and visitors are still able to experience the juxtaposition of past and present thanks to the devotion of the few trying to keep the city’s memories alive.

A nearly barren room that once housed mayors, criminals, and heroes is one such example. The Historic Heights Fire Station holds much of its community’s history within its weathered walls. Over time, it has served as the mayor’s office, a jail, city hall, and a firehouse. Today, the multiuse space is more than a relic from the past—it’s a testament to the work of the Houston Heights Association (HHA), a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and celebrating the neighborhood’s rich history.

The Heights group’s journey began half a century ago, when a group of residents and business owners came together to restore the area’s unique character and prevent it from being swallowed by the rapid urban development spreading across Houston.

“A lot of areas were going through a decline in commercial businesses, and people were leaving,” says HHA board member and land use committee cochair Anya Marmuscak. “People were leaving to go to Garden Oaks, Oak Forest, and Timbergrove, where there were tract homes…. A lot of homes were left vacant, and businesses can’t be supported if you don’t have a residential base.”

As people flocked to these newer, more modern neighborhoods, the Heights was left in a state of neglect, and the founding members of the HHA sought to reverse this trend. The group began by focusing on historic preservation and preventing further decay. This meant training residents on how to restore their homes, collecting physical and oral histories, and advocating for legal protective measures to maintain the character of the neighborhood. Over the years, the organization has also advocated for community-friendly development policies. This approach has been crucial in maintaining the distinctive charm of the Heights, which today still boasts plenty of single-family homes in the signature Craftsman, Queen Anne, Folk Victorian, and Folk National styles from the turn of the twentieth century.

One of the early victories for the newly formed HHA was the successful preservation of the Heights Library. Built in 1925, this structure was in danger of being demolished due to budget cuts. By rallying residents and working with city officials, the HHA helped secure a historic designation for architectural significance.

The arduous journey to memorialization

Getting a historical designation for a structure—whether county, state, federal, or otherwise—is no simple task. This process involves navigating a convoluted web of requirements and procedures. Thankfully, groups like Preservation Houston provide crucial support in this endeavor. Founded in 1978 as the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance, the nonprofit has grown into the city’s go-to advocate for historic preservation.

Working primarily in Harris County, Preservation Houston helps property owners and neighborhoods retain and commemorate historic entities. It assists with all kinds of designations and connects residents with the right resources, supporting them from start to finish. The organization helps identify places that are significant and provides research on them.

“Building sites, structures, [or] neighborhoods can be important to people for all kinds of different reasons. And the way our preservation laws are set up in Houston, [the process] has to start with a property owner or a neighborhood,” says Emily Ardoin, the group’s preservation services director.

Next, a thorough examination and documentation of the property’s history is necessary. Preservation Houston assists owners in gathering the required historical data, which includes architectural details, significant events, and notable figures associated with the property. This research is key in making a compelling case for preservation.

“If you’re writing a nomination for a protected landmark and you have to prove why something is significant, you look at the impact on some aspect of the city as a whole,” Ardoin says. “It can also be something that’s important to the state or on a national level, in some cases.”

The group’s work does not stop at securing designations. It plays a vital role in providing resources and support to property owners even after their buildings have been recognized as landmarks. This includes directing them to contractors skilled in restoring historical structures, assisting with applications for preservation grants, and educating the public on the value of maintaining the city’s historical integrity.

The recent restoration of the old Knapp Chevrolet showroom on Houston Avenue, while a peculiar win for the organization, highlights the value of the work. This art deco building, which had been overlooked for years, found new life as an architect’s office and gallery. What was once a neglected structure is now a vibrant space that honors its historical roots while serving modern needs. This is thanks to Preservation Houston members who worked to highlight the significance of the unit’s architecture.

“We had done a book a few years ago called Houston Deco that’s about art deco architecture in Houston,” says Jim Parsons, Preservation Houston’s programs director. “They were able to use that book to identify how many other buildings survive in Houston that are a similar style, and it helped to prove that building’s importance.”

Preservation Houston also coordinates the Good Brick Awards, which recognize outstanding preservation projects across the city. This year, Third Ward nonprofit Project Row Houses received the Martha Peterson Award for its work restoring the historic Eldorado Ballroom. Others recognized for their work in recent years include Lovett Commercial for redeveloping Post Houston and Barrie Scardino Bradley for her book Improbable Metropolis: Houston’s Architectural and Urban History.

Historic preservation for all

Although preservation efforts could be seen as a privilege afforded only to affluent neighborhoods and wealthy individuals, some organizations are ensuring that the legacies of the underserved not only go unforgotten, but aid the future. Keeping old homes active and in use is a dynamic approach that is the hallmark of the six-year-old Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy, an organization dedicated to safeguarding the historical legacy of the oldest Black community in Houston. Established in 1865 by formerly enslaved people, Freedmen’s Town, located in Fourth Ward, has fallen into a state of disrepair, with the forces of urban development posing constant threats.

“There had been so many requests to support Freedmen’s Town, revitalize Freedmen’s Town, give the community what it needed, fix streets, [and provide] housing, regular garbage and trash pickup,” says Sharon Fletcher, acting executive director for the conservancy.

The conservancy has made significant strides in advocating for policy changes that offer more protection for the community. In 2021, Freedmen’s Town was designated as Houston’s first Heritage District, providing protections for public rights-of-way and historic structures. The 2023 adoption of the Conservation District ordinance, which sets design requirements aimed at protecting the cultural and architectural significance of the neighborhood, also supports the preservation of its nostalgic character.

The Freedmen’s Town Conservancy also acquired two historic homes on Saulnier Street, which will be restored and reserved for affordable housing. This ensures that descendants and long-term residents can continue to live in the area, maintaining the community’s historical fabric.

Another major initiative, the Rebirth in Action Project, aims to preserve the historic brick streets of Freedmen’s Town. These streets, laid by hand by the formerly enslaved settlers who were early residents, are a crucial part of the area’s heritage.

“It’s been a collaborative effort working with the Texas Historical Commission in initiating an official preservation plan for the brick streets,” Fletcher says. “Bricks have been removed from the streets and housed over at a city facility. Part of what our project is aiming to do is clean, catalog, [and] repalletize those bricks, then bring them home to the community of Freedmen’s Town. Our plan is to embark upon building a pavilion that will house the bricks until they’re ready to go back into the streets.”

The conservancy’s work on the brick streets comes as a sigh of relief after a messy few years. In 2016, a significant portion of the bricks were removed during a city drainage project, causing backlash from residents. They were eventually returned in 2018, but not without further incident. During mediation talks between the city and preservation advocates, a contractor inadvertently damaged dozens of the bricks. This situation, although accidental, highlighted the ongoing struggle to protect Freedmen’s Town’s heritage.

Living history museums

While preservation efforts are largely geared toward private properties and residential neighborhoods, the Heritage Society is preserving Houston’s history with the aim of making it accessible for visitors. Founded in 1954, this nonprofit has grown from saving a single house to curating a collection of 10 notable structures in Sam Houston Park downtown, each telling a unique story about the city’s diverse past. It all started with the Kellum-Noble House, the oldest surviving home in the city, built in 1847.

“It was a brick plantation and then it was the first school in Houston and then it was the first city park. The sign even says Park Department, no s,” says Alison Bell, the executive director of the Heritage Society.

Other kept buildings include the homes of Reverend Jack Yates, founder of the city’s oldest African American church. The most recent addition to the Heritage Society’s collection is the 1893 Baker Playhouse, which moved to the park in 2010. This charming structure was once the childhood playhouse for the family of prominent attorney James Baker and entertained generations of the Baker family children—Baker’s grandson, also named James Baker, served as treasury secretary and secretary of state in the 1980s and ’90s.

The Heritage Society handles the upkeep of the buildings in partnership with the city, making sure the homes keep their original essence. The houses are meticulously maintained with furniture, textiles, art, household items, photographs, and more from their organization’s historical collection. Just walking through any of the buildings feels like you’re transported to another time, a carefully curated rare glimpse at the past.

The society also offers its spaces for events, from weddings to family reunions, ensuring these historic structures remain active parts of the community. Thanks to the stewards of the past, Houston’s memories live on. They may not be as obvious as the shiny new skyscrapers, but they’re there. All you really have to do is look.