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Feb. 13, 2005, 1:44AM A community in transition Freedmen's Town, an area settled by emancipated slaves, is trying to reconcile progress with preserving its history By LORI RODRIGUEZ Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle On Sundays in what was once called Freedmen's Town, blacks across Houston stream into churches that have held sway since the Civil War. Ladies wear hats. Worshippers belt out hymns. Preachers tend flocks that have dwindled in size if not spirit. One parish is down to eight congregants. Emancipated slaves settled this area, now prime real estate west of downtown, and built a thriving, self-contained community. But its face has changed. Today, the neighborhood is no longer all black. But even with a steady influx of middle-class white residents, neither will it totally gentrify. After decades of passionate political debate, a new Fourth Ward identity is emerging. Some think the change is for the good. Others feel a loss. Everyone knows it's inevitable. "None of us is trying to erase history," says freelance writer Mike Riccetti, one of several hundred residents who have been drawn by the proximity of downtown to the stylish Urban Lofts development off east Andrews and the Gulf Freeway feeder. "But by the time we moved in, the neighborhood hadn't been a vibrant community for a long time," Riccetti says. "Much of it had dwindled away, and what remained were the poorest of the poor. "If we've pushed anyone out, it's been some of the drug dealers and other criminals." Early history In the 1950s, the Gulf Freeway split the neighborhood bound today by Heiner, Buffalo Bayou, Waugh and West Gray. Desegregation gave blacks the chance to live elsewhere. Absentee landlords let historical row houses crumble. Three city-sanctioned plans for development imploded under the pressure of racial politics. City officials ultimately sold portions of land on the neighborhood's east side to pay for affordable and historically conforming housing on the west side. The move ensured a mixed-income community and opened the door to the urban professionals moving in. When a fire three weeks ago gutted the historical but shuttered Bethel Baptist Church at Andrews and Crosby, the shifting neighborhood was thrust into the spotlight. Houston police have since charged a homeless man with arson in connection with the blaze. Bethel was founded in 1896 by the Rev. Jack Yates, one of Houston's early leaders. After the structure steadily deteriorated, the tiny congregation led by the Rev. Robert O. Robertson Jr. moved to Lyons in the Fifth Ward. That was eight years ago, and Bethel has been vacant since. The fire changed that. When a bulldozer was pulled up to the smoldering church, black leaders descended on the site and halted its destruction. Some voiced suspicions, as-yet unfounded, of a race-related arson. Some suggested major developers in the area were behind the fire. Longtime Freedmen's Town Association leader Gladys House portrayed town-home residents as callous. Gentrification Despite the furor, the mix of market forces and good intentions changing the face of the historical area is creating the community that city officials wanted: a diverse neighborhood with a growing tax base. Andrews, the artery that slices east-west through the heart of the neighborhood, begins at Urban Lofts, runs through a church-sponsored low-income project and ends at the subsidized housing operated by the Houston Housing Authority. Local demographics expert Karl Eschbach says the Fourth Ward, with a measurable increase in young, white and middle-class residents, provides the best example of Houston gentrification during the past decade. But evidence of the area's history remains. Mostly black residents still inhabit the weathered, shotgun row houses; a few within the federally designated historical district are slated for renovation. Other minority residents live in a 100-unit, subsidized complex on the west side of the neighborhood and in the Historic Oaks of Allen Parkway, a 500-unit development that's also subsidized. A handful of other, much smaller low-income projects built by church-sponsored, nonprofit Community Development Corporations dot the neighborhood. Sense of history Two years ago, Brenda McClure, a case manager for the chronically mentally ill, moved into one of them. "Everyone's trying to get into nice homes close to downtown. I'm no different from the folks that have bought the nicer town houses. When the opportunity to move here came up, I took it just like they took it," McClure says. "But people are trying to preserve history as much as they possibly can," she says. "All of us want that. And we look out for each other out here. We get along." Some of McClure's neighbors include pilots, bankers, dental hygienists, sales representatives and corporate workers. They were drawn by downtown chic and the palpable sense of history; one of the first landmarks Urban Lofts resident Alison Farley shows visitors is the brick streets laid by freed slaves. For many newcomers, their $190,000 town homes were carefully considered, first-home decisions. For all of them, it was a risk. They know they bought a neighborhood package that for years will lack amenities many residents consider key: green spaces, retail outlets and sound infrastructure. 'New friends' Homeless people are commonplace. Urban Lofts residents know the most familiar by name and give them food, clothing and conversation. One of them is Willie Edmon, who accepts the new residents with the grace of someone who has watched his lifelong neighborhood alter around him. "I'm not leaving the neighborhood just because they're building it up. I've made new friends. Sometimes they sit and talk. We have a beer sometimes, but most of them like soda and bottled water." Residents find other neighborhood fixtures harder to accept, such as open drug trafficking. A week ago Friday, nearly a dozen police cars converged at the intersection of Andrews and Wilson in the center of the neighborhood. The drug bust yielded the man charged in the Bethel fire. "It's not about the haves and the have-nots. It's about what's legal and what is not and what kind of element you want next door," says Urban Lofts resident Brian Crawford. Urban Lofts residents have been attending meetings convened by Robertson and U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Houston. The last gathering was in her downtown office and drew several dozen participants. Last Christmas, Frost Bank employee Liora C. Torres asked a resident in one of the older homes in her neighborhood what gift would make a difference in her life. Louise Horton, whom town-home residents frequently supplied with ice, said she didn't have a refrigerator. Torres passed the hat among residents. A neighbor donated a barely used side-by-side refrigerator, and about a dozen people loaded it on a cart and pushed it down the street to Horton's home. They also added a $150 Randalls gift certificate. Horton, 49, is a lifelong Fourth Ward resident. She raised her three children there; her only son died in a drive-by shooting seven years ago at 19. Her mother, who is 77, moved into the Historic Oaks development when it was built. Most afternoons, Horton looks after her six grandchildren while their parents work. Her home badly needs repairs, but her entry hallway is brightened by gaily colored, pinned-up art from her grandchildren, 3 to 15. "It was a blessing," says Horton of her Christmas gift. Asked about the town-home development across the street, she dispassionately observes that it's coming along. "It don't bother me, and I don't bother it," she says. "Whatever comes, just comes."

From 1923. I wonder where the old, or previous, hospital was located? Edit: Looks like the hospital in 1919 was located at 1114 Howard Street. New Union Hospital 1618 Andrews Street Houston, Texas

Found this old, cool, hospital this week. Thought I would share my findings. From the newspaper The Houston Informer dated November 1, 1919. The business card advertisement: Dr. F.F. Stone Medicine and Surgery Grand Medical Director K. of P. Associated with Dr. Chas. A. Jackson, Specialist Suite 7 and 8-4191/2 Milam Street Office Phone P. 6958 On Staff Union Hospital 1118 Howard St., Phone P. 782 Residence 1902 Dowling, Phone H. 2303 Calls may be left at People's Pharmacy 815 Prairie, Phone P. 6256 The news article: Union Hospital To Teach Nursing Class Begins Nov. 10 When the announcement was first made last year that Houston physicians had decided to establish a hospital in this city, there were “doubting Thomases” galore and “it-can't-be-done” apostles abound abundantly. These doctors were not deterred nor discouraged by sch idle talk and while others indulged in hot air and would-be knocks, they assiduously applied themselves to the task of giving their people a real hospital with modern methods, facilities, and conveniences. Already their efforts have seen fruition and today the Union Hospital is a permanent adjunct to the race's civil life in this community, and is truly justifies its existence. The hospital is located in Fourth Ward, 1118 Howard Street, corner of Lion and is easily accessible by the automobiles and street cars. A large, two-story structure is employed and the equipment is of a high class order. The following constitute the official roster and staff: Dr. Charles A. Jackson. President; Dr. E.F. Ferrill, vice-president; Dr. H.E. Lee, secretary; Dr. B.J. Covington, treasurer, ; Dr. F.F. Stone, superintendent; Dr. R.O. Roett, resident physician; Miss B.B. Shortt, registered nurse; Drs. J.R. Terrell, E.B. Ramsy, F.L. McDavid-- Telephone Preston 732.

A buddy on HAIF referred me to the publication The Red Book which was dated in the 1910s. I believe 1915 to be exact? Within the book I came across something interesting. Gregory School was once located at 1509 Wilson Street. Was this the first location? I know of the following schools and locations: Gregory Elementary School at 1300 Victor Street Gregory-Lincoln Education Center at 1101 Taft Street

Just curious what happened to all the federal money the city has received for the restoration of this site.

saw the portion of one of subdude's previous community posts (included below) interested in what future the structure has and what caused the fire? rode my bike past the bethel baptist and saw some work being done... << An early-morning fire gutted historic Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, 801 Andrews, in the Fourth Ward on Monday January 24. The church, built in two stages in 1923 and 1949, was the home to one of Houston

Excited for this area to pick up hopefully from Post coming out on Grey, new school looks great. http://goo.gl/maps/TPYz This building always struck me as something... Greased Lightning? If this area comes together would really connect Montrose and Midtown.