Hathaway St.

[57Tbird]

Seems I remember that, long ago, there was a 2-3 block length of the transition between Elgin and Westheimer, where the street curves, that was called Hathaway. It started at about Smith, I think. I don't see it on any Houston maps anymore. Anybody know when it went away?

[Subdude]

On a 1956 map it is shown as Hathaway, but on my 1965 map it has changed to Westheimer, so it was sometime during that span, about the same time they changed Buffalo Dr. to Allen Parkway. I don't know why they changed it. Personally, I like Hathaway.

[Subdude]

Same time period as Hathaway - late 1950s-early 1960s. What is now Richmond wasn't extended west of Buffalo Speedway until then.

[dbigtex56]

Seems I remember that, long ago, there was a 2-3 block length of the transition between Elgin and Westheimer, where the street curves, that was called Hathaway. It started at about Smith, I think. I don't see it on any Houston maps anymore. Anybody know when it went away?

According to the Houston Street Guide (

[57Tbird]

According to the Houston Street Guide (

[sevfiv]

the directory lists 104 hathaway (residential - near baldwin) to 817 hathaway (residential - at or near crocker)

[dbigtex56]

the directory lists 104 hathaway (residential - near baldwin) to 817 hathaway (residential - at or near crocker)

Thanks, sevfiv.

It's a confusing area - hard to tell if there was a crossing at the railroad tracks (at Crocker) linking Westheimer and Hathaway, and when the section from the original Westheimer was extended east from the curve south of the Cherryhurst neighborhood.

[57Tbird]

Found a 1952 map of Houston and cropped to show Hathaway detail in the middle. This map has it going all the way to Fannin. I know it didn't go that far East. I guess it had to be done that way because of the font size.

[dbigtex56]

Interesting map, 57Tbird. Your comment about the font size makes sense to me.

Another thing (to answer a question which no one has yet asked): "How come anyone cares about this subject, anyway?"

Some of it is idle curiousity - a need to understand how come Houston came to be the way it is. But a more important reason just occured to me.

A few years ago when the Fourth Ward (Freeman's Town) was starting to be redeveloped, investors demanded that a new survey be taken. This is perfectly understandable; huge amounts of money were at stake, and they had an obligation to buyers to show that new housing was being sold with a clear title. What they discovered was unsettling. it seems that the original plats didn't correspond with existing streets and lots. In some cases a person's deed description might include part of a city street, and vice-versa. The property lines and street alignments people had assumed - for many years - were correct were suddenly brought into queston. Which takes precidence? As I recall there were numerous court battles fought, a lot of financial settlements and hard feelings.

And this might help to explain an observation I made on another thread. A couple of weeks ago I noticed surveyers on the vacant lot at the corner of Westheimer and Helena. After learning the history of how street names and placements have changed in the area, it seems like a reasonable precaution to take before buying or building on that particular property.

[dbigtex56]

One more thing...

(I believe this is from Historic Houston Streets:The Stories Behind The Names by Marks Hinton)

The street name Avondale was chosen by a citywide contest, because it had a pleasant Shakespearian connotation. Therefore, the street to the south was called Hathaway (for his wife, Ann) and the one to the north Stratford (as in Stratford-On-Avon).

[icepickphil]

My father lived at 602 Hathaway Street for a time in the 1920s. It was the same road as Westheimer and was just west of Elgin.

As recently as '61 (according to some Houston street maps) that portion of Westheimer was still known as Hathaway. Does anyone know when exactly Hathaway Street's name was changed as it became part of Westheimer?

link to '55 Houston street map showing Hathaway.

[sevfiv]

I remember some talk about Hathaway here...hang on..

In this thread Subdude wrote "On a 1956 map it is shown as Hathaway, but on my 1965 map it has changed to Westheimer, so it was sometime during that span, about the same time they changed Buffalo Dr. to Allen Parkway. I don't know why they changed it. Personally, I like Hathaway."

[sevfiv]

Between 1961 and 1962 maybe (I included 1913 too, since that was the oldest I could find):

1913:

1961:

1962:

[icepickphil]

Thanks for the info sevfiv. That seems about right ...between '61 and '62.

Any clues on how the city dealt with the Hathaway addresses when that street became part of Westheimer? I'm wondering what building or lot is currently at the 602 Hathaway address.

[kylejack]

Looks like they preserved the numbering. Hathaway appeared to start at Brazos. I counted six blocks from there and ended up in the 600 block of Westheimer. Here is the street view. There's an old house labeled 604.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=602+westheimer,+houston+tx&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=602+Westheimer+Rd,+Houston,+Harris,+Texas+77006&ll=29.743196,-95.387142&spn=0.015277,0.026157&z=16&layer=c&cbll=29.744503,-95.389045&panoid=AfDJ7-QMEq2MEiXWMkJE2A&cbp=12,349.51,,0,11.05

[icepickphil]

Great info thanks. Interesting the way they numbered the streets back then.

[brucesw]

That is now the location of Bombshell Tattoo which moved down from near Dunlavy.

[dbigtex56]

Between 1961 and 1962 maybe (I included 1913 too, since that was the oldest I could find):

Could the renaming of Hathaway to Westheimer be related to the continuation of Montrose Blvd (north of Westheimer), which occurred at about the same time?

[rsb320]

Could the renaming of Hathaway to Westheimer be related to the continuation of Montrose Blvd (north of Westheimer), which occurred at about the same time?

Must be, because Montrose appears to be Lincoln north of Hathaway/Westheimer.

I guess Hathaway is what would be considered Lower Westheimer today.

[dbigtex56]

Must be, because Montrose appears to be Lincoln north of Hathaway/Westheimer.

I wonder if pictures exist which show Lincoln St as it was before it was expanded into (North) Montrose.

Existing buildings which face on that portion of Montrose all seem to date from the '60s.