{"nrhp_refnum":"97000542","name":"Independence Heights Residential Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Roughly bounded by N. Yale and E. 34th Sts., and I-610","address_restricted":false,"city":"Houston","county":"Harris County","state":"TX","lat":29.816311508500064,"lon":-95.39639640569277,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1997-06-04","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Community Planning and Development","Black"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A residential historic district of about 70 acres in the southwest part of the Independence Heights subdivision in Houston, Harris County, Texas. It holds mostly one-story wood-frame houses built from about 1908 through the 1920s.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the district is the most intact collection of early houses from the original African American subdivision, platted in 1910 by the Wright Land Company. It is significant for Ethnic Heritage (Black) and Community Planning and Development under Criterion A, and for Architecture under Criterion C because of its bungalows and traditional house forms that reflect a middle-class community.","narrative":"Covering roughly 70 acres in the southwest part of Independence Heights in Houston, this district is made up mostly of small, one-story wood-frame houses set on narrow streets with irregular setbacks. Shotguns, L-plan, pyramidal-roof and center-passage houses appear, but simple gable-front and side-gable bungalows are the most common type. Most were built between about 1908 and the 1920s. The land was part of a 329-acre subdivision platted in 1910 by the Wright Land Company, which marketed lots to African Americans who could not get conventional bank loans and financed sales at reduced interest. The large number of bungalows sets the area apart from the contemporary Third, Fourth and Fifth Wards of Houston and reflects a middle-class community. Early residents included two of the town's mayors, Arthur McCullough and O.L. Hubbard. Of 234 resources, 125 contribute to the district's character. It was listed as the most intact collection of early houses from the original subdivision.","period_of_significance":"1908-1947","architect_builder":"Chryar, W.H.; Bland, Leroy; Beverly, J.S. (builders)","architectural_style":"Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements: Bungalow/Craftsman","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Current function is single-family dwellings, a mix of rental and owner-occupied housing; a few properties are vacant and neglected. 125 resources contribute and 109 do not.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:24.140866-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/97/9694/40969497/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/97000542.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97000542/614cb948cf-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97000542/614cb948cf-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"Ed Uthman, Houston, Texas, USA","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Independence_Heights_Residential_HIstoric_District_Houston_(HDR).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Ed Uthman, Houston, Texas, USA</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Independence_Heights_Residential_HIstoric_District_Houston_(HDR).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40969497","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Heights_Residential_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q60750300"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/harris-county/independence-heights-residential-historic-district-97000542/"}