Driving into Woodland Heights From Watson Street
Houston’s Woodland Heights is where I live.
I bought my house many years ago as a derelict old Craftsman bungalow. It was almost falling down, but it had a wonderful wrap-around porch that I fell in love with.
Craftsman Style Bungalow in Woodland Heights
See my post about stumbling upon the neighborhood, falling in love with Woodland Heights, and becoming a Houston Heights Realtor. The Woodland Heights neighborhood is one of the oldest and most historic in Houston. My house was built in 1909 and thus recently had it’s hundredth birthday.
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 (aside from the much smaller Sixth Ward).
Woodland Heights (Started in 1907) has a different feel than its neighbor, the older Houston Heights (Platted in 1891).
There are two major differences. A big difference is the style of homes built. The predominant style of the 1890’s was the ornate Victorian home. Drive down Heights Blvd today to see some exquisite original Victorian homes. Small rooms, ornately detailed trim.
Driving down Bayland Ave or other streets in Woodland Heights is an entirely different feel. There is nothing frilly and ornate about these homes. The Arts and Crafts movement had emerged in the intervening 15 years as kind of a backlash against the lavishness of the Victorian period. This is a major style of Woodland Heights homes The Craftsman bungalow solidly dominated house building of this era. Solid, low-slung homes with large, exposed eaves, large squared columns supporting big, open porches. The homes were smaller in size too
Quoting from the 1910 sales brochure of the Wilson Land Company: “Woodland Heights; the Bungalow Section of Houston.” It is just as easy to build a beautiful, cozy, convenient, artistic home as the other kind. The plans and designer make all the difference. While as much money may be expended in the construction of a bungalow as one may choose, it is a fact that there is no other form of construction that lends so readily to moderately priced homes, because there is no other that gives so much beauty and grace and solid comfort for the same amount of money”
The second huge difference is that Woodland Heights is deed restricted. It was restricted in lot size and prohibited obvious businesses, and remains so today due to the work of the Woodland Heights Civic Association. The minimum lot size meant that people remodeled, or added on to their homes instead of tearing them down and squeezing two homes onto a 50 ft lot. The lack of alley-access also prevents putting in the tall, skinny home with alley access garage. The side drive or porte-cochere is standard.
Woodland Heights is located roughly north of I-10, west of Houston Ave, south of Pecore St, and east of Julian. Norhill (typically considered part of Woodland Heights) continues from Julian to Studewood.
Woodland Heights also has some smaller adjoining subdivisions that are lumped together. Woodland Heights Annex, Woodson Place, Ridgemont, etc. These share similar deed restrictions.
Latest t shirt for Lights In The Heights
Woodland Heights has several events each year: Woodland Heights Home Tour, Garden Tour, and the crowd-drawing Lights in the Heights (LITH). If you want to step back in time and see block after block of 100 year old homes at their Christmas best, come visit. The crowds now are in the thousands, strolling up and down tree-lined streets with music, dance troupes, etc on dozens of porches. We do love our porches this time of year.
I put lights on my dog Socky, carry a large margarita and walk with friends for a couple of hours. The dog loves the attention he gets, and enjoys extinguishing luminarias. A good time is had by all.
See my Interactive Map of Neighborhoods to see how Woodland Heights fits in with Houston Heights and other close-in Houston neighborhoods.
My next post will cover Woodland Heights Homes for Sale, and prices of new vs resale homes.
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