THE HERITAGE SOCIETY IS RUNNING OUT OF MONEY TO MAINTAIN THE COLLECTION OF OLD HOUSES IN SAM HOUSTON PARK 
Although the 10 old buildings in Sam Houston Park are owned by the city, it’s the nonprofit Heritage Society that keeps them all standing at an average cost of $300,000 to $350,000 a year, reports the Chronicle‘s Molly Glentzer. But, she writes, “Even before Hurricane Harvey inundated the park and flooded the 1868 Pillot House,” the Society was borrowing heavily to finance building upkeep,” and its financial outlook is now pretty dire. Starting next month, all 15 of its full-time employees will downshift to part-time status. “General park hours will remain the same, open dawn-to-dusk daily,” writes Glentzer, “but the organization will need to lean more than ever on its volunteers.” The Heritage Society does receive some money from the city, but the mayor’s chief development officer Andy Icken tells Glentzer that “the city hasn’t agreed to provide more funding, and there is no proposal right now to do so.” [Houston Chronicle ($)] Photo of the Pillot House, Sam Houston Park, downtown Houston: i_am_jim [license]
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OK, here’s the chance for everyone who says Houston doesn’t care about its history to step and donate.
And some super rich billionaire in River Oaks could easily fund full upkeep for 10+ years . But that probably won’t happen.
They should import some amish people to run the place.
Jgriff: riiight *crickets*
This is a terrific destination for locals and visitors interested in history, preservation, and the bayou. A good marketer could make a big, big difference. Meanwhile, I’m taking Jgriff’s advices and making a donation.