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Forest Hill Neighborhood Real Estate


Guest danax

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If I recall correctly, Hare and Hare were also heavily involved in the development of River Oaks, Idylwood, Hermann Park, and the wonderful stretch of South Main with the Sam Houston statue and tunnel of live oaks. I wish someone would write a book about them.

Ditto!

A documentary is in order I say. Ken Burns - American Master series perhaps?

This may explain the beautiful cobblestone swings with the canopies scattered about the Forest Park Lawndale local. There is one that miraculously remains intact but its right on the edge of all that earth movement going on. When you drive down feeder of 45 headed west slow down immediately after that palm tree sales lot look to the BACK and thats the one I write of.

Its all alone and wouldn't be surprised if it vanishes into oblivion. :angry:

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I believe RPS324 has mentioned Hare & Hare before, in another post in East End topics. It is a "geologically beautiful" area. I can see why they picked it for a Country Club setting, in the early days. They are associated with laying out Glenbrook Valley, as well. Makes sense, with all the slopes present in that area.

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Hare & Hare were also employed by the City of Houston on a number of planning projects (yes, planning in Houston!) during the City Beautiful Movement of the 1920s. I think they were involved with the planning of Buffalo Drive as a parkway (makes sense, due to the River Oaks affiliation), as well as the Houston Civic Center plan, the only implemented piece being the Julia Ideson building.

A little known fact - Kirby Drive was originally intended to be a parkway that connected the Buffalo Drive (Allen Parkway) with North and South Braeswood. It's a shame that the Depression killed the City Beautiful movement here. Houston might have looked quite different today.

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I have a plat of Hare & Hare's original plan for Glenbrook Valley, which unfortunately is quite different from the one they ended up building.

It had a street facing Sims Bayou, much like MacGregor/Braeswood, and much more space dedicated to parks. The intersection of Bellfort and Broadway had two churches planned at the northwest and northeast corners, with the southeast and southwest corners having semi-circular retail much like the original River Oaks shopping center. Behind this was one row of apartment buildings, and the rest of Broadway was single-family residential with homes cornering Broadway all the way down.

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I have a plat of Hare & Hare's original plan for Glenbrook Valley, which unfortunately is quite different from the one they ended up building.

It had a street facing Sims Bayou, much like MacGregor/Braeswood, and much more space dedicated to parks. The intersection of Bellfort and Broadway had two churches planned at the northwest and northeast corners, with the southeast and southwest corners having semi-circular retail much like the original River Oaks shopping center. Behind this was one row of apartment buildings, and the rest of Broadway was single-family residential with homes cornering Broadway all the way down.

For all sad words of tongue and pen, The saddest are these, 'It might have been'.

- John Greenleaf Whittier

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Behind this was one row of apartment buildings, and the rest of Broadway was single-family residential with homes cornering Broadway all the way down.

"One Row"...too bad that did't happen...Apts. are ok in the early years, but are the first to deteriorate, and depreciate. (depending on what area of Houston you are in, of course).

The block maps show when the apt homes filled in around Simms Bayou.

Edited by NenaE
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  • 1 month later...

FYI - An old PTA meeting book of my greatgrandmothers' (1965-66) states that a Mrs. W.G. Peterson was Houston Council President of the PTA (Parent-Teacher Association, later referred to within the HISD as PTO), and lived at 1934 Pasadena, Houston, Texas. Seems that many people associated with the school system lived in Forest Hill. The name Peterson sounds very familiar to me, don't know why.

Edited by NenaE
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"One Row"...too bad that did't happen...Apts. are ok in the early years, but are the first to deteriorate, and depreciate. (depending on what area of Houston you are in, of course).

The block maps show when the apt homes filled in around Simms Bayou.

I remember riding to the airport as a kid and going down Broadway it was wide open on both sides from just south of Sims Bayou to the airport entrance. The apartment buildings didn't get built until the mid 1960's and they were built quickly.

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I remember riding to the airport as a kid and going down Broadway it was wide open on both sides from just south of Sims Bayou to the airport entrance. The apartment buildings didn't get built until the mid 1960's and they were built quickly.

by the 70's those apts were mostly airline personnel and well kept up. They are discussed in length under Glenbrook Valley or similar topic? Sadly by late 70's that whole area went downhill and is major crack/AMW area to this day. Big embarassment for our city. Mayor? -_-

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  • 5 months later...

Check out the list of Hare & Hare credits...impressive...that's one collection would like to check out.

link: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/houpub/00004/hpub-00004.html

Forest Hill is listed in it.

Maybe someone can please look up 1766 Pasadena for us in their old city directory. That's the address for that huge mansion shown above.

Edited by NenaE
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  • 1 month later...
Was this ever answered? HCAD "ownership history" lists the Texas Delta Alumni Corp. as owner effective 9/23/92 until 11/10/03, for the 1766 pasadena hs. :)

I lived in the 1766 Pasadena house from approx. 1995-1998.

I was in the Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity and I am also a UH Alumnus.

If there are any other questions on this house, I'll try to help from my time living there.

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I lived in the 1766 Pasadena house from approx. 1995-1998.

I was in the Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity and I am also a UH Alumnus.

If there are any other questions on this house, I'll try to help from my time living there.

Along with Niche's request, can you also describe for us what the interior looked like?

And if anyone else that has a old directory is reading this, as mentioned before, "Maybe someone can please look up 1766 Pasadena for us in their old city directory. That's the address for that huge mansion shown above." I would like to know the names of the original owners.

One more thing, I have always tried to figure out (and haven't) how (when posting) to include two quotes from two different HIAFers in the same reply, with their name credits included. Can someone tell me how that's done? Probably something easy, but I don't have a clue. Usually just copy the second one, but no HAIfer name is included. Also, where do you go on HAIF to ask these questions?

Edited by NenaE
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I love the way those streets are layed out, Forest Hill is beautiful.

On second thought, I guess no one can look up the Pasadena St. mansion in an old directory, since the person's name would be listed first. I really would like to know who's house that was, had to have been someone important, to have such a huge house.

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The fraternity apparently ran a haunted house at 1766 Pasadena at one point. Nice house for a haunted house! The frat bought the house in 1992 and sold the house in 2003.

Edit: 10 bedrooms, 5 baths, 7323 sq ft.

Current owners may be Jose and Claudia Ceno.

Edited by kylejack
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We have long time friends that live on Santa Rosa and on Forest Hill.

I am surprised that development hasnt started removing those fine homes. :o I bet when they were new (at least the 2 story Homes) they had great views of the small downtown skyline in the distance!

That was one of the only good things Ike did was remove most old over grown old trees and now we have an even better view of downtown at least over off Sunnyland Oaks @ Lawndale! :D The skyline is perfectly framed for us now. In the morning you can se the sun glistening off the skyscrapers and in the evening its another breath taking scene. Too awesome people!

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We have long time friends that live on Santa Rosa and on Forest Hill.

I am surprised that development hasnt started removing those fine homes. :o I bet when they were new (at least the 2 story Homes) they had great views of the small downtown skyline in the distance!

That was one of the only good things Ike did was remove most old over grown old trees and now we have an even better view of downtown at least over off Sunnyland Oaks @ Lawndale! :D The skyline is perfectly framed for us now. In the morning you can se the sun glistening off the skyscrapers and in the evening its another breath taking scene. Too awesome people!

The trees in that area are unbelievable, so tall, old and majestic. Heard the cemetary trees took a beating, during the hurricane. Have to get over there soon to see.

Like your present icon, Vertigo, always liked the 1955 & 56 chevy more than the 57. My uncles & grandmother (believe it or not) had 57's. One was turquoise, one was black. Dad always talked about how fast those engines were.

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  • 1 month later...

Conducting some research on the East End neighborhood Forest Hill. Can anyone tell me what Forest Hill is experiencing now? (Homeowners vs Renters, crime, flooding, traffic, home values) Is it going through a revitalization? Is it really that bad that it's next to a cemetery? Diversity mix? I appreciate the feedback.

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Conducting some research on the East End neighborhood Forest Hill. Can anyone tell me what Forest Hill is experiencing now? (Homeowners vs Renters, crime, flooding, traffic, home values) Is it going through a revitalization? Is it really that bad that it's next to a cemetery? Diversity mix? I appreciate the feedback.

Don't know much about the stats, but I would think this to be a somewhat ideal situation, to be next to the cemeteries (south & west) and the park. At least you know development won't encroach on your space too much. Don't believe flooding is an issue on that side, know Idylwood had issues in the last few yrs. along the banks of their neighborhood. That 'hood is layed out so nicely, wide streets, curb appeal.

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Conducting some research on the East End neighborhood Forest Hill. Can anyone tell me what Forest Hill is experiencing now? (Homeowners vs Renters, crime, flooding, traffic, home values) Is it going through a revitalization? Is it really that bad that it's next to a cemetery? Diversity mix? I appreciate the feedback.

LTAWACS should know, I think that person/s live in that nabe. :)

It is mostly middle class 3rd/4th generation Hispanic some white collar. Most homes are well kept up. Its up there with Idylwood. I have an aunt that owns at least 3 homes there but only rents to professionals. What I don't like is it is just a hop skip from that bridge that connects to Harrisburg and thats not good. I am surprised it wasn't gated off years ago or at least in to the Forest Hill subdivision. For those with children, unfortunately I would not even think of sending my child to these schools the have been so under served by the power that be for ages. The fact that the cemetery is right there is a real positive. The dead wont bother you, it's the "living" that will. The other thing that I would not like if I lived here is having to cross Wayside to access 45 (fastest way to and fro) Wayside becomes gridlock so its best to go over to Sunnyland :blush: or whatever to get around Wayside backup. Just buy a nice little pad in Sunnyland or the hood behind Dinner Bell cafeteria. You 'll be glad you did...minus the guilt.

Edited by Vertigo58
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It is mostly middle class 3rd/4th generation Hispanic some white collar. Most homes are well kept up. Its up there with Idylwood.

WTF? Most of the homes in Forest Hill are dilapidated roach infested dumps stuffed in WAY too close to the street and WAY too close together. There are some nice, well maintained houses in there, and a few blocks on a few streets are bordering on decent, but overall it can't touch Idylwood with a 10 foot pole. Iylwood is SUPER nice. 95% of the homes in there are VERY well kept. My money would be on Idylwood....WAY WAY better 'hood for not too much more money.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I lived in the house for about a year. It was an amazing place. When we bought it the home had been occupied by a hermit and a horder. He had an entire room full of national geographics and the whole place smelled like cat.

The house was amazing. I wish I had pictures, I actually found this board looking for a picture to show a friend. The basement was just a concrete floor with wood paneling that would leak whenever it rained. Our laundry room and pool table were down there and I stayed in the basement during the summer after my freshman year. There was a door to the crawl space. It was just a creepy basement. The foundation was on piers and floated about 4 feet above the ground level. The first floor had a huge kitchen, dining room, library and what we called the trophy room. The trophy room had linoleum over wood floors that could not be removed. It had plaster walls and the ceiling throughout the place were 10-12 feet. The 2 downstairs bedrooms were not part of the original plan. They were once the front half of the downstairs and were a ballroom. It wasn't until WWI and WWII when they started boarding people that the house took the shape it has now. The front door was a tiffany crystal door. It opened into the foyer that led to a grand stair case that led to an open second floor. The 6 bedrooms upstairs were along all the outside walls. The center was a huge opening. The back two rooms that were seperated by one bathroom and the back staircase were very small as were the middle. The middle two rooms had doors to the balconies on the side of the second floors. They also had fireplaces that were shared on both sides of the walls with the front rooms. The upstairs balcony was off limits, as were all the balconies for insurance reasons, yet we only had to unscrew on screw and we were there.

It was an amazing view and one would only wonder what that view looked like 100 years ago looking at the bayou. There was a back house that only the second floor was livable. There was also a 4 car garage that had been added after the fact. I loved living there. The wood floors were original and made ornate decorations throughout. The library had the most amazing floors and timber beamed ceilings with 98 foot hard wood paneling. There was also a tiffany glass dome at the center of the ceiling on the second floor that lit up in the day and the night with the help of a light.

we had a haunted house in 1995 with Zeta Tau Alpha because we were on probation and could not throw a party but we could throw a philanthropy event. so we had a sorority over for a month and had a party. All proceeds for 3 years went to the AHA. We raised almost 4k the last year, 1997, when I built the haunted house. The place was amazing and i dearly miss it. If anyonehas any questions please feel free to email me at ianpblake@gmail.com

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Yeah, thnx for that personal account, I just know someone important built that house...would love to know who. Wow, a ballroom. (My great-grandmother's bungalow only had a "parlor", with glass doors, behind large drapes). So many of these giant homes were bulldozed, nice to know it's still there. The owner seems to be taking care of it, somewhat. I can remember where several Victorian mansions lile this one once stood.

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  • 3 weeks later...
WTF? Most of the homes in Forest Hill are dilapidated roach infested dumps stuffed in WAY too close to the street and WAY too close together. There are some nice, well maintained houses in there, and a few blocks on a few streets are bordering on decent, but overall it can't touch Idylwood with a 10 foot pole. Iylwood is SUPER nice. 95% of the homes in there are VERY well kept. My money would be on Idylwood....WAY WAY better 'hood for not too much more money.

Eh, it's not that bad... I think Forest Hill's biggest negative is the mishmash of architectural styles & construction quality in the housing stock. Some of the houses are complete tear-downs, while others are very nice. Yeah, it's not Idylwood, but you can get a much larger yard in Forest Hill. Plus, you don't have to worry about flooding from the bayou.

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  • 6 months later...

I too lived in the house from 2002 until it was sold in 2003. Early in the post it was mentioned that the Civic Association forced the Fraternity out of Forrest Hill. While I'm sure there was pressure due to the use of the house, there were actually many factors that led to the group relocating to the UH Main Campus under their own will. I can attest that the last few groups of gentlemen that lived in the house did everything they possibly could to keep up the dilapidated house. Unfortunately 10 college-aged amateur contractors with limited resources could not win the battle over the old house.

As for the long standing "history" of the house: The story I was always told is the President of the Union Pacific Railroad had it built in 1910 as a venue to entertain. I have no way of validating this theory, only that it was widely accepted among those that lived in the house when it served as our Fraternity's residence.

Ian is spot on with his description of the interior of the house. The downstairs originally served as a open ballroom with industrial kitchen. It is still evident by the original wood floor inlays that lead right up to a demising wall and carry through to the other side. The most striking feature of the house was the 10ft wide Tiffany glass dome that separated the foyer from the attic. It was made up of 6-8 panels and unfortunately, several were stolen as the house sat vacant during the transition of ownership.

I actually have quite a collection of pictures of the exterior and interior I would be glad to share. I'll be sure to post them soon.

-Travis (not the frat guy in his underwear outside)

Edited by tscott1633
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