Near Northside Historic District
Why it's listed
Near Northside is a compact neighborhood of modest houses roughly three-quarters of a mile northwest of downtown Houston. Bounded by Little White Oak Bayou, Hogan Street, Interstate 45 and Keene Street, it covers 33 full city blocks and parts of nine others. Most of its 286 buildings are wood-frame single-family homes built between about 1890 and the 1920s, with Queen Anne houses giving way to Craftsman bungalows, which make up about half the district. Streets are narrow with open ditches, old concrete street markers and mature live oaks. The neighborhood grew to house workers tied to the Southern Pacific rail shops and the port, helped by an electric streetcar line on Montgomery Avenue, now North Main Street, from 1892. Later freeway construction cut off its western edge. Of the buildings, 244 retain enough integrity to contribute. Two stand out individually: the Southern Pacific hospital of 1910-1911 and the Robert E. Lee Elementary School, designed by Alfred C. Finn. The district was recognized for its local significance in community development.
Significance in brief: The district is presented as a typical late nineteenth and early twentieth century working-class neighborhood that grew up in response to nearby industry, namely the Southern Pacific rail yard and shops and the city's port. It is eligible under Criterion A at the local level. Most buildings keep a high degree of integrity, and the Queen Anne, Craftsman and Bungalow houses show the neighborhood's development.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 10000960, listed November 29, 2010. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by Little White Oak Bayou on the N; Hogan on the S; I-45 on the W and the block between N Main and Keene, Houston |
|---|---|
| County | Harris County |
| Listed | November 29, 2010 |
| Reference number | 10000960 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Southern Pacific staff architects (Old Southern Pacific Hospital); Alfred C. Finn (Robert E. Lee Elementary School) |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne, Craftsman/Bungalow, Folk Victorian, L-plan and Mixed, with some Colonial, Tudor, Classical and Mission Revival, Art Moderne and Ranch examples |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Residential in character, with 244 contributing and 42 noncontributing resources; current uses include houses, a church and a clinic, and some properties are listed as vacant or not in use. |
| Acreage | 68.3 |
| Coordinates | 29.78247, -95.36642 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 10000960.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q109999901
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.