The Greater Houston Preservation Alliance has sent out an email reporting that the congregation of the Immanuel Lutheran Church in the Heights voted in a special meeting this past weekend not to demolish its sanctuary building after all.
So what’s going to happen to the unused 1932 brick structure instead? Says the GHPA:
The Gothic Revival building on Cortlandt Street at East 15th Street will be used as flex space to accommodate church functions and Immanuel Lutheran School activities as well as community events.
Sure, it’s likely to make a great space for events. But how could any church function match an all-out building demo for fun?
The GHPA reports the congregation has committed to spending $150,000 on the rehab — about twice the cost of the demolition, which had already been scheduled for May. GHPA credits the 90-days-to-oblivion feature of the city’s otherwise toothless preservation ordinance for the save:
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Read more about: 77008, Churches, Demolitions, Historic Districts, Historic Preservation, Houston Heights, Institutional Buildings, Neighborhood Disputes, Religious Facilities
February 16, 2010 – 9:02 am
Houston’s 15 “please wait 90 days before demolishing” historic districts — plus that special one that’s a little more strict — now have their own special page on HAR.com. And it comes with maps! It’s now easy to stake out the boundaries of each one, if you’re into that sort of thing. And each map shows properties for sale within the district.
But the information doesn’t appear to be flowing in the reverse direction. Listings for properties located in historic districts still include no indication what district they’re in — or even that they’re in one at all. Unless, of course, the agent is forthcoming enough to mention it in the main text of the listing itself.
The Greater Houston Preservation Alliance also reports that “if a designated landmark is located within a historic district, the designation will appear on the site.” Anyone wanna show us some examples?
Image showing map of Houston Heights West Historic District: HAR
Read more about: Historic Districts, Homes for Sale, Online Resources
February 15, 2010 – 11:37 am
That report we passed on last Friday about the congregation of Immanuel Lutheran Church in the Heights voting to turn its former sanctuary at the corner of Cortlandt and 15th St. into a museum of Lutheran history turns out to have been false. City Council members Edward Gonzalez and Sue Lovell, who announced the decision in a press release, jumped the gun a bit:
Lovell spokesman Tim Brookover said the councilwoman’s office received a report from a preservationist attending the meeting that there had “been a lot of talk about a Lutheran museum” and presumed the church group approved the plan.
Though informally discussed, such a proposal has not been formally presented to the governing board, [board president Ken Bakenhus] said.
But there was some progress at the meeting: The congregation did vote to reject local artist and engineer Gus Kopriva’s proposal to lease the sanctuary and turn it into an art museum, the Chronicle’s Allan Turner reports.
Bakenhus told Turner late last year that the board was “‘99 percent’ in favor” of spending $60,000 to demolish the 1932 brick building. The church has a signed contract to tear down the structure this summer.
Photo: Heights Blog
Read more about: 77008, Churches, Demolitions, Historic Districts, Historic Preservation, Houston Heights, Neighborhood Disputes, Religious Facilities
February 10, 2010 – 4:51 pm
A reader sends in pix from the corner of 15th and Rutland St. in the Heights, where there appears to be some sort of stew over this large cleared lot.
What’s that pink sign way in the back on the alley fence say?
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Read more about: 77008, Historic Districts, Houston Heights, Neighborhood Disputes
January 7, 2010 – 1:05 pm
The 3D documentation artists who’ve been scanning the facade of Immanuel Lutheran Church’s unwanted sanctuary building at 1448 Cortland St. in the Heights issue an important caution to those appreciating their craft:
Once archived, the data file’s full-scale scan and related imagery becomes a resource for preservationists, conservators, architects, engineers, site managers, or others needing access for a variety of purposes, from maintenance to insurance to historical reference, explained the team from Smart GeoMetrics, a division of Smart MultiMedia. The venture’s principals are Richard Lasater and Doug Smith of the Rice Village area. . . .
Lasater said — with emphasis — that digital documentation is an archival tool, “not a replacement’ for a building.”
Image: Smart GeoMetrics
Read more about: 77008, Churches, Historic Districts, Historic Preservation, Houston Heights, Religious Facilities
December 31, 2009 – 11:41 am
Those little tree topper signs have been up throughout the larger neighborhood for a while now, but the new Boulevard Oaks Historic District was only approved by City Council this week. The designation means you’ll now have to wait 90 days before you can demolish that rambling South Blvd. mansion you just picked up. At the same meeting, council members approved an 8-acre extension to the Midtown TIRZ that takes a bite out of the Museum District. The area includes the new locations of Asia House, the Buffalo Soldiers Museum, and the Museum of African-American Culture. [Houston Chronicle, via Slampo's Place] Photo: WhisperToMe
Read more about: 77004, 77006, 77098, Boulevard-Oaks, City Council, Historic Districts, Midtown, Museum District, Museums
November 25, 2009 – 2:29 pm
Some news from the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance:
The congregation of Immanuel Lutheran Church has voted to delay until spring 2010 the proposed demolition of its Gothic Revival sanctuary on East 15th Street at Cortlandt in the Heights East Historic District.
In late October, the city Archeological and Historic Commission voted to deny the church a “certificate of appropriateness” for the demo, which meant the church would have had to wait a full 90 days anyway — until late January of next year — to tear down its vacant 1932 brick building.
Photo: Heights Blog
Read more about: 77008, Churches, Demolitions, Historic Districts, Historic Preservation, Houston Heights, Religious Facilities
October 16, 2009 – 5:21 pm
A number of readers have written in to report that Immanuel Lutheran Church has filed an application with the city to demolish its former sanctuary building on the corner of 15th St. and Cortlandt in the Heights. Since the 1932 brick building is in one of the Heights historic districts, demo applicants are required to request a certificate of appropriateness from the Houston Archeological and Historical Commission. The application will be voted on at the next HAHC meeting on October 22nd, but a denial from the HAHC won’t mean much: After waiting 90 days, the church can go ahead with the demo anyway.
Heights preservation ordnance Janice Evans-Davis, who’s sending out emails and posting on local bulletin boards about the property, toured it this morning:
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Read more about: 77008, Demolitions, Historic Districts, Historic Preservation, Houston Heights
August 21, 2009 – 5:03 pm
A reader sends in this photo from the corner of Union and Henderson Sts. in the Old Sixth Ward, one block off Washington Ave. And comments:
Anyone in the market for a FREE house? This caught my eye on my way home [yesterday] and made me laugh out loud. I knew it was a rough sellers market but wow - FREE?
Sorry about the ghost images in the picture - I got so excited about a FREE house that I forgot to roll down the car window before snapping the shot!
The home dates to 1890, and was sold in October of last year. This past April, the city historical commission denied the owner’s request for a “certificate of appropriateness” to tear it down.
Photo: Swamplot inbox
Read more about: 77007, Demolitions, Historic Districts, Historic Preservation, Homes for Sale, Houston History, Old-Sixth-Ward
Who’s gonna decide whether First Montrose Commons gets its historic designation? HISD. At least that’s what FMC Neighborhood Association president Jason Ginsburg says in a letter he sent out earlier this week to HISD board trustees:
Without HISD’s participation, the resulting shortfall in committed land area would require our Association to gain the consent of a vast majority of the other FMC property owners, which is a practically impossible burden that goes far beyond the original intent of the historic district ordinance. But, with HISD’s participation, our Association will be able to fulfill all of the requirements necessary to achieve a historic district designation. Simply put, HISD’s decision with regard to our Association’s petition will either make or break FMC’s proposed historic district. [Italics in original]
To become eligible for historic designation, a district only needs the signatures of property owners representing 51 percent of its land area. More than 50 percent of First Montrose Commons landowners have already signed on to become a historic district. But the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (!) takes up a huge chunk of First Montrose Commons, skewing those numbers.
Map of proposed FMC Historic District: First Montrose Commons
Read more about: 77006, Development Regulations, First Montrose Commons, HISD, Historic Districts, Midtown, Neartown, Schools
January 28, 2008 – 1:45 pm
The Magnolia Lofts, planned for the site of the former Ashland Tea House, has a new sales trailer at 1801 W. 18th St. in the Heights and a new, less ironic name. The project is now called Heights Esplanade I — though the development’s website throws in an odd extra apostrophe for good measure. Best news: The same website declares that “At the Esplanade, urban loft living will take on a new meaning.” The building will be four stories high, contain forty condos, and sit on a two-story “partially submerged” garage.
A HAIF reader who stopped by the sales office reports that Conroe-area builders Garrett Austen are planning two additional phases, with 80 and 120 more condos respectively.
After the jump: floor plans for Unit 403, on sale now for $261,118.
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Read more about: 77008, Condos, Historic Districts, Houston Heights, New Construction, New Construction: Residential, Proposed Developments
November 1, 2007 – 12:10 pm
Can’t decide whether to buy a beauty salon, a small corner store, or maybe a bungalow? Why not get all three, in your very own North Norhill mixed-use compound? We’ll even throw in a garage apartment!
Just listed with Greenwood-King: a two-bedroom, one-bath bungalow at 1017 E. 16th St., a small store building next door, and a separate converted garage apartment. Downstairs in the garage apartment is a beauty salon with six stations, currently renting — sez listing agent Amanda Anhorn — for $500 each. The apartment upstairs goes for $500, and the shop on the corner has rented for $500 too.
Current owner lives in the bungalow and works out of the beauty salon.
All on a 8900-square-foot Norhill Historic District lot that fronts North Main. Continue reading for more photos — and the asking price — of the North Main Beauty Compound!
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Read more about: 77009, Apartments, Bungalows, Historic Districts, Homes for Sale, Mixed Use, Norhill Historic District, North-Norhill, Retail
“This house was torn [down] yesterday…very sad. [The] large house that is next to it was still there this morning. We will see if its there when I go home today. There is another small house on the same lot that was torn down about a week and a half ago.” [
Comment of the Day: The “Trickle-Down” Theory of Houston Redevelopment
“. . . Historic Districts suck and deed restriction, too. They pit neighbor against neighbor, creating the distraction that will keep residents from organizing across the city and taking aim at the real predators. Meanwhile, the money behind the bulldozers is laughing till they pee their pants.” [finness, commenting on Daily Demolition Report: Foundations of Wayne]