Westmoreland Historic District
Also known as: Westmoreland Addition; See Also:Dawson, James A., House; Heyn
Why it's listed
Westmoreland is a residential neighborhood about a mile and a half south of downtown Houston. It was platted in 1902 as a 12-block, 44-acre subdivision and developed by the South End Land Company as a 'private place', with a street grid that limits outside access and focuses on broad Westmoreland Avenue. The district now takes in all or part of eight blocks and counts 66 contributing resources, mostly single-family houses plus a few apartment buildings, built between 1904 and 1932. Styles include Queen Anne, American Four-Square, Craftsman, Colonial Revival and Jacobethan Revival. Raised front porches, sleeping porches on the south and east sides, and live oaks, magnolias and date palms give the streets a consistent look. Early residents included Houston merchants and civic leaders, and builder Russell Brown lived in one of the houses. Postwar demolition, garden apartments and a freeway spur removed part of the original subdivision, but the remaining core keeps its historic character and residential use.
Significance in brief: The district is a largely intact early 20th-century 'private place' neighborhood with a mix of Queen Anne, American Four-Square, Craftsman, Colonial Revival and Jacobethan Revival houses and apartments. Its street plan limits outside access and centers on broad Westmoreland Avenue. The inventory also links houses to Houston business and civic figures and to builders such as Russell Brown.
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 94000859, listed August 16, 1994. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Bounded by Hawthorne, Burlington and Marshall Aves., and Garott St., Houston |
|---|---|
| County | Harris County |
| Listed | August 16, 1994 |
| Reference number | 94000859 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Russell Brown, Russell Brown Company, Southern Loan and Investment Co., Wm. A. Wilson Co., Charles P. Jones, Lewis Sterling Green, and others named in the inventory |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals: Colonial Revival; Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements: Bungalow/Craftsman |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Virtually all buildings retain their original residential function as single or multiple dwellings. About nine sites are vacant, and post-World War II apartments and a freeway have intruded. |
| Acreage | 30 |
| Within district | Courtlandt Place Historic District |
| Coordinates | 29.74203, -95.38388 (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 94000859.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q109999716
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.