Daily Demolition Report: The Spoils of Victor

Swamplot’s Daily Demolition Report lists buildings that received City of Houston demolition permits the previous weekday.

For the same price today: more than Double demo.

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Community Structures

Residences

Photo of Victor St. Rowhouses: Candace Garcia

10 Comment

  • Perfectly good affordable housing…

  • What is Freedman’s town? Is that being built or coming down? Excuse my ignorance.. I just haven’t ever heard of it.

  • How did they manage to allow knocking down 4 buildings in a historical district. Are they going to have to rebuild in the appropriate shotgun style?

  • Freedman’s Town in the 4th ward was where freed slaves settled after the Civi War and looked for opportunity and work in Houston. Here’s a link, that may or may not come out live: http://www.isocracytx.net/hp-org/FTAbrief.html
    How do they demolish properties in a historic district? HA! Do you really have to ask?

  • Freedmen’s town is not a historic district subject to the City of Houston historic preservation ordinance. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. But that provides no legal protection to any of the historic structures. The row houses on Victor are the last remaining in the district. The owners were holding on to them, trying to see whether they could sell to activists trying to preserve what little is left of the neighborhood. http://app1.kuhf.org/articles/1276307240-Saving-History-in-Freedmens-Town.html
    It looks like they have, in part, failed. http://www.chron.com/life/gray/article/Gray-Last-row-houses-in-Freedmen-s-Town-face-2176251.php
    Over the years, there have been numerous plans to do something to preserve and restore the historic elements of the area. But, despite a few meaningful victories, the bulldozers have made their way with the area.

  • It is on the National Register of Historic Places. But that provides no legal protection to any of the historic structures. The row houses on Victor are the last remaining in the district. The owners were holding on to them, trying to see whether they could sell to activists trying to preserve what little is left of the neighborhood

    So assuming there are no historical structures left, will the City of Houston remove the historic designation? Or will hte farce continue?

  • @lost:

    There is no farce. The City has not made it a historic district. The National Register of Historic Places is part of the Federal Parks Service. Go yell at them if you want to smash what is left of Freedmen’s Town. And there are plenty of significant structures left in Freedmen’s Town despite the designs of Bob Perry and others. Unfortunately, those trying to preserve Freedmen’s Town have never been able to get together the kind of organization and backing that other historic areas have been able to. You would think that after 300 years of slavery and 100 years of segregation we could at least do something to preserve this area so our children could have a chance to learn about Houston’s history in person.

  • thank god those dilapidated shacks are getting demolished. They are an eye sore. There is one that is being preserved behind Junction–I can’t believe it. It needs to be destroyed as well. What a blight on a part of town that is being rebuilt.

  • There is no farce. The City has not made it a historic district. The National Register of Historic Places is part of the Federal Parks Service. Go yell at them if you want to smash what is left of Freedmen’s Town. And there are plenty of significant structures left in Freedmen’s Town despite the designs of Bob Perry and others.

    Ahh, confusion regarding historic designations. I’m neutral in preserving or demolishing, but wondered if the city’s designation was so toothless that they couldn’t stop destruction. Apparently that wasn’t the issue. Understood.

  • I see it’s a common fence – somebody missed a chance here. A big blorp of stucco over each house, throw some granite and stainless steel inside – BAM!! A luxury gated downsizer
    community!