Was This Street Renamed?

[HoustonianInColorado]

I saw on Google Maps a street running parallel to Pierce called St. Joseph Parkway. I don't recall that name, and don't have an old Houston map. Was this street renamed from something else, and if so, what was it and why was it renamed?

[Lowbrow]

Calhoun Rd.

[sevfiv]

yeah...renamed for st. joseph hospital...but now that st. joseph 's will be no longer, who knows its future name...

[RedScare]

HealthSouth Parkway. Or maybe Scrushy Place.

[HoustonianInColorado]

Guess they should have left well enough alone and stuck with Calhoun.

[citykid09]

yeah...renamed for st. jospeh's hospital...but now that st. joseph 's will be no longer, who knows its future name...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What's happening to St. Joseph's?

[sevfiv]

Christus St. Joseph hospital on selling block

Christus St. Joseph to transfer residency program to Methodist

[kjb434]

Yeah, but the church/new Co-Cathedral also also there. It's not just for the Hospital.

[Subdude]

? That church is Sacred Heart, not St Josephs.

They should revert to the historic name of Calhoun St. They shouldn't have renamed a downtown city street after a private institution to begin with, nor called it a "Parkway".

[Trophy Property]

?  That church is Sacred Heart, not St Josephs. 

They should revert to the historic name of Calhoun St.  They shouldn't have renamed a downtown city street after a private institution to begin with, nor called it a "Parkway".

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree. I liked the old name much better. St Joseph's Parkway is lame.

When was this switch made. I am thinking it was pretty recent - under 5 years ago. I do not really remember.

[MidtownCoog]

renamed a downtown city street after a private institution to begin

Considering most of Houston was born there, yes they should.

[sevfiv]

perhaps, but not st. joseph, since the name is fluid...

[Trophy Property]

Considering most of Houston was born there, yes they should.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I am pretty sure most of Houston was not born at St. Josephs. I was under the impression that there was a "Baby" hospital before the days of the medical center.

[kjb434]

What about the street rename in front of the Convention Center?

It should be reverted to its original name, but a group like LULAC my complain so guess it won't happen.

[MidtownCoog]

I don't have the #s handy, but something like 2 out of 10 Houstonians were born there. More than any other hospital.

St. Joseph had Houston

[Lowbrow]

St. Joseph's has quite the history in respect to births in Houston. They have a alumni club of people born there and it is quite extensive. We were just talking about this at my work the other day and 4 of the 10 people in the room were born there and considering that was all the natives in the room I think that is saying something.

[MidtownCoog]

I belive it.

I was born there, and I know a number of other natives that were born there, too.

[Subdude]

What about the street rename in front of the Convention Center?

It should be reverted to its original name, but a group like LULAC my complain so guess it won't happen.

The street in front of the convention center is using its original name. It was laid out new when the downtown street grid was altered for the George R Brown.

[kjb434]

^^

I though it was renamed, my bad.

[editor]

I agree.  I liked the old name much better.  St Joseph's Parkway is lame.

When was this switch made.  I am thinking it was pretty recent - under 5 years ago.  I do not really remember.

It was Saint Joseph's in 1999 when I moved to Houston. The change must have happened before then.

[editor]

I am pretty sure most of Houston was not born at St. Josephs.    I was under the impression that there was a "Baby" hospital before the days of the medical center.

The old maternity hospital was where the current park and fountain complex is across the street. There's a marker on the wall explaining its history.

[ssullivan]

^^

I though it was renamed, my bad.

It was renamed a few years after the GRB opened. The original name was the ever-exciting "Convention Center Blvd."

But Subdude is correct in saying it was a new street laid out when the GRB was built. Before that project there was no street where Avenida de las Americas is now. This is evident from either end of the street, where you can see that it is less than a full block away from Crawford, the next closest north-south street. The GRB project changed much of the street grid in that area, and it has been further modified since the construction of the Hilton Americas, Toyota Center, GRB expansion, associated parking garages, and extension of Avenida de las Americas north to Texas Ave.

[sevfiv]

St . Joseph  Hospital, founded by the Sisters of Charity in 1866, has been expanding its complex downtown. It petitioned for the street name change  to help amplify its identity in the community. City Council approved the request.

It should also be noted that in renaming Calhoun as a parkway , council made an exception to the practice that east-west downtown streets, such as Texas, are designated as avenues while north-south thoroughfares, such as Main, are called streets.

renaming of calhoun

must have archives access, though...

[ssullivan]

For those without Chronicle archives access, the date of the name change from Calhoun Ave. to St. Joseph Pkwy. was November 22, 1997.

A search of the archives reveals that Convention Center Blvd. became Avenida de las Americas in late September 1992 after a proposal to rename Post Oak Blvd. through Uptown to that name was met with major objection from the business community.

[sevfiv]

the DATE...i knew if forgot something!

[Subdude]

I think that right in the mid-1990s there was a proposal to rename Smith St "Constitution Place" or something like that. The idea quickly died.

[Trophy Property]

I don't have the #s handy, but something like 2 out of 10 Houstonians were born there.  More than any other hospital.

St. Joseph had Houston

[plumber2]

I am pretty sure most of Houston was not born at St. Josephs. I was under the impression that there was a "Baby" hospital before the days of the medical center.

I was born at St. Joseph's in 1955. I think it was considered the baby hospital back then.

[PapillionWyngs]

I was born at St. Joseph's in 1955. I think it was considered the baby hospital back then.

I was born in Methodist Hospital in 1956. We were'nt/aren't even Methodist!

[ricco67]

I was also born in St. Joseph.

I think Midtown Coog's numbers may not be accurate with TODAY's population, but was probably accurate as little as 20 years ago. While 20% of a city population may not seem significant, considering the number of Hospitals (Med Center) along with the transient population, it is certainly a telling number.

[musicman]

unfortunately we've lost Calhoun in houston forever because the portion that used to be in front of UH has also changed names.

[Double L]

Why don't we just keep it as St. Joseph's? It sounds better.

[ricco67]

Why don't we just keep it as St. Joseph's? It sounds better.

Calhoun was a prominent person in politics whom (who?) I believe deserves the street. St. Joseph was named because the hospital was located on that particular street.

Calhoun on Wikipedia.

[Subdude]

They in effect sold the naming rights for the street.

How about renaming I-45 North "Gallery Furniture Parkway"? Same idea.

[Pumapayam]

I was born at St. Joseph's in 1955. I think it was considered the baby hospital back then.

Is the hospital gone now?

[Subdude]

Is the hospital gone now?

The maternity building has been demolished, but the hospital still exists.

[MetroMogul]

Calhoun St. is still Calhoun from UH on southward.

[bach]

St. Joseph's hospital is now called St. Joseph Medical Center, so the "St. Joseph" really still applies.

[HoustonIsHome]

On 12/27/2006 at 9:46 PM, ricco67 said:

Calhoun was a prominent person in politics whom (who?) I believe deserves the street. 

Does he though?

[TacoDog]

11 hours ago, HoustonIsHome said:

Does he though?

 

Did you have to search for a while to bring this topic up?

[HoustonIsHome]

On 6/13/2020 at 8:23 AM, TacoDog said:

 

Did you have to search for a while to bring this topic up?

Nope. Was actually looking up something on Google and this thread popped up

[Specwriter]

John C. Calhoun (if this is the Calhoun the thoroughfare* was named for) was a segregationist and a staunch proponent of slavery. I doubt there is much sentiment in favor of returning to that name now. That said, I'm not a big fan of renaming things for political expedient though I can certainly see removing names of people whose actions were so odious as to cause great consternation and loathing among the population.

 

Why the asterisk? I was told once, and am now too old to remember by whom, that the original layout of thoroughfares in what is now the central business district named  those going more or less north and south as streets and those east and west as avenues. So we have Main Street and Texas Avenue and those parallel to either keep that same designation, i.e. Smith, Louisiana, Travis, Milam, Fannin, San Jacinto Streets and Capitol, Rusk, Lamar, Dallas Avenues.

 

You are probably bored of my post but I continue: St. Joseph "Parkway" is NOT a parkway. Allen Parkway qualifies in my opinion and the Sam Houston Parkway does not. There are probably thoroughfares in the suburbs that would meet my expectation of a parkway - at least until they are lined by strip shopping centers and drive through restaurants. Are there any other kind of restaurants these days? 😬

 

Be safe and healthy.

[samagon]

Road, Street, Avenue, Parkway, Highway, Boulevard, Alley, Causeway, Circle, Court, Cove, Drive, Lane, Place, Trail, Way

 

in Houston, it seems these names are not given based on any designation of the roadway type, but more just when someone submits a name for the roadway, they put whatever designation they want to it, and it is either approved, or not.

 

regarding Calhoun, St Josephs used to be Calhoun Avenue, which was mentioned above. Calhoun Road (different street altogether), still exists.

 

there's a wikipedia page for Calhoun, and also one for things named after him. kind of surprising the locations of some of the things named after him. while he was an unashamed slave owner, and fought for slave owners rights, he wasn't part of the confederacy, probably because he died 11 years before it happened. he was a US congressman, a US senator, the US vice president, the US Secretary of War. while his motivations were horrible, he fought for minority rights. at the time, these were slave owners. the thing is, the concept of minority rights is more important today than ever. 

 

personally, I'm no fan of any street named after a person, because no matter who it is, it will make someone uncomfortable.