Woodland Heights Homes

Woodland Heights homes are in demand for several reasons:

• It is deed restricted, no warehouses, no high-density homes
• It is zoned to exemplary Travis Elementary
• It is known for Lights in the Height

Woodland Heights is arguably the premier neighborhood in the Heights.

This neighborhood is next to Houston Heights and part of Greater Heights.

See my Interactive Heights Map to see how they all fit together.

Woodland Heights Homes are  Deed Restricted. They are restricted in lot size (so single lots generally cannot be subdivided) and restricted to residential use. Therefore you don’t have two tall skinny houses packed onto a single lot; nor do you have warehouses, etc., scattered throughout. This gives the area a more uniform feel.

The Bellaire and West U people like uniformity; they feel more comfortable buying in this part of the Heights than some of the more scruffier parts ;-)

Woodland Heights Historic District:

The Heights has several Historic Districts. Woodland Heights is now one of them. The map had to be gerrymandered a bit to exclude the blocks that didn’t sign the petition.

Adjacent to Woodland Heights is another recent historic district, Germantown. It is between Houston Ave. and I-45.

Woodland Heights House Style and Age

Craftsman style homes predominate. This is because of the age of the subdivision. Whereas Houston Heights was developed in 1890’s, Woodland Heights began in 1907. There was a huge change in house styles during these two decades. The big Victorian homes gave way to simpler, less fussy Craftsman style homes. The predominant house style in Woodland Heights is the one story Craftsman bungalow. There are of course, a lot of bigger homes, some Victorians, but mainly derivatives of the Arts & Crafts style.

Typical Woodland Heights Craftsman style home

A brick Craftsman bungalow in Woodland Heights

Craftsman homes have more horizontal lines, overhanging eves with exposed rafter tails, big porches (to merge indoor and outdoor living) with simple square columns. The Victorian was the opposite; tall vertical lines, lots of extraneous decoration and ginger bread; turned columns, turrets. More elaborate. Drive down Bayland St in Woodland Heights and compare the Arts and Crafts style with the Victorian homes lining Heights Blvd.

A larger early Craftsman style home is shown below.

Woodland Heights Location

Woodland Heights is across Studewood form Houston Heights. The boundaries covered by the Civic Association are roughly between Studewood and I-45. The North-South boundaries are Pecore St and I-10. Woodland Heights encompasses a lot of smaller subdivisions too. The attached pdf map shows many of these.

Woodland Heights MLS Home Search. Woodland Heights is a complicated neighborhood with several smaller subdivisions included. This search will pull up most of the homes. A map search is better; let me know if I can send that to you.

Neighborhood History

The Wilson Land Company developed 106 acres just north of downtown Houston in 1907; just north of White Oak Bayou. The local attraction of Highland Park (now called Woodland Park) on the bayou was already a popular water spot. The Houston Electric Company extended its streetcars from downtown to Woodland Heights. The original oak trees lining Bayland Ave made this a tree-lined expanse that is now a canopy growing over the street. I have the original deed for my house on Omar St. $3500.00 direct from the Wilson Land Company. Again, the predominant house style are Craftsman bungalows, or larger four-square homes. A 1910 brochure from Wilson Land Company quoted “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.”

Woodland Heights Today:
A very strong Woodland Heights Civic Association and neighborhood pride has made the area a very desirable neighborhood. Home Tours and  Garden Tours highlight our homes. The annual Christmas event of Lights in the Heights draws 1000’s to walk the streets on that one night and view the decorated homes, complete with dance groups, music on porches and more. The event was getting out of hand, so is now being scaled down some. Buses bringing in people was just too much for this little neighborhood.

New homes and Remodels in the Neighborhood

Lots in neighboring Houston Heights are typically 50 x 132 ft with alley access. These lend themselves to splitting the lot and building two tall skinny homes with the garage in back. Woodland Heights does not have alleys, and the lots are typically 50 x 100 feet. Deed restrictions typically prevent them from being split and without an alley, front-loading homes would REALLY be frowned upon. So, when these homes are demolished, or renovated and expanded, they build up and out. Because a driveway is needed (no alley) porte-cocheres are popular. Travis Elementary (like Harvard Elementary in Houston Heights) is an exemplary school and people will pay a premium to live in that school zone.

Let me know if I can help you buy or sell a home in Woodland Heights or other nearby neighborhoods such as
Brooke Smith Homes
Norhill Homes
Sunset Heights Homes
Contact Me here or Call Rich Martin at 713 868-9008