Townhomes At 2020 McGowen St.

[Urbannizer]

New Mid-Rise at 2020 McGowen, 100 units.

 

 

 

[On to the Next One]

Wow!  That area looks like it's starting to get some new development.

[Howard Huge]

Whoa, theyre gonna have to move the 3rd Wards boundaries back, again, probably all the way to Dowling this time, and give it a new fancy name like they did with "Midtown" (still 3rd Ward to me lol)

I wonder what the new name for this up and coming area will be?

So-Ea-do?

Ex-Noir?

Nouveau-Blanco?

Lower Midtown?

[H-Town Man]

Whoa, theyre gonna have to move the 3rd Wards boundaries back, again, probably all the way to Dowling this time, and give it a new fancy name like they did with "Midtown" (still 3rd Ward to me lol)

I wonder what the new name for this up and coming area will be?

So-Ea-do?

Ex-Noir?

Nouveau-Blanco?

Lower Midtown?

Careful there.

[KinkaidAlum]

Lower Tampico Heights.

[Triton]

Wow! That area looks like it's starting to get some new development.

I've been wanting to take pictures of the area. People don't realize the half of all of the development. It's townhome galore there along 59 and farther back. This development is just a part of it.

If they want to make it sound nice, they should called it Upper Riverside.

Edited April 27, 2014 by Triton

[mollusk]

If they want to make it sound nice, they should called it Upper Riverside.

 

A suitably pretentious name that has the advantage of some historical accuracy.

[HoustonIsHome]

If they want to make it sound nice, they should called it Upper Riverside.

Problem is there are three or four neighborhoods between this and Riverside.

They can keep the Terrace theme and call this area as Lincoln Terrace since Washington Terrace and University Terrace are near

[Triton]

Problem is there are three or four neighborhoods between this and Riverside.

They can keep the Terrace theme and call this area as Lincoln Terrace since Washington Terrace and University Terrace are near

 

Well, even those neighborhoods are part of Third Ward. I'm just saying, call the entire general area Upper Riverside or Upper Riverside Terrace or maybe even Greater Riverside Terrace to make it somewhat historically accurate (I know, Riverside is farther to the south) and include those neighborhoods within. And yes, I realize Riverside Terrace is just a neighborhood itself but it sounds a lot more pleasant than saying "Hey, I live in Third Ward" and I suppose you could say that the name has been drawing in the richer life for many many decades. Riverside was once one of the wealthiest Jewish communities if anyone has ever read books about historical Houston. Just don't tell Beyonce that you plan to change the name of Third Ward to anything else or she may get upset.

 

Edit:

 

 

Wow. So this may actually work. Apparently there is already a hospital that I didn't even know about in the center of Third Ward called Riverside General Hospital. So it looks like it could very well be possible to just call this area Riverside-something.

 

Edited April 27, 2014 by Triton

[HoustonIsHome]

Many people are proud to say they are from the 3rd. In fact, Riverside isnt even in the historical borders of 3rd ward, but when I lived there I told people I live in 3rd ward because it is in the Greater 3rd ward area.

When these wards actually meant something, the city limits didn't even get to the TSU area. However, many historians place the southern border of 3rd ward at Wheeler (some say Blodgett, some say Truxillo).

Washington Terrace is west of TSU, University Terrace is East of TSU and south of UH.

Riveride Terrace is south of TSU and Riverside is South of the Bayou. Yahoomaps also had the southern boundary of 3rd ward as Blodgett and they group the Terrace Neighborhoods as a greater MacGregor area.

I don't see a need to change the name of an entire ward that contains dozens of neighborhoods. Why not just change the name of that immediate area.

[H-Town Man]

Looking at the first pic, does anyone know why they haven't lined the west side of 59 with trees like they did the east side?

[Deut28Thirteen]

Great to see an empty block that could be developed but why change the name and boundaries of a historic Houston neighborhood because of it?

[lockmat]

A near-guaranteed unobstructed view for life.

Edited April 27, 2014 by lockmat

['Stonian]

Looking at the first pic, does anyone know why they haven't lined the west side of 59 with trees like they did the east side?

 

Yeah I've been wondering that for years.., those trees make a tremendous impact on softening the freeway. It's like night & day on each side of that stretch of roadway. I cannot remember if the slopes where they planted the trees had concrete burms or if it was grass before.

 

IMO, the tree planting and landscaping on the side of Houston freeways and local street medians (think Westchase) is the single most important initiative that we've begun in terms of changing the perception of the city..., more important than any list of buildings that we could build during this boom. Now if we could only get a landscape maintenance budget established to keep things looking fresh on the freeways.

[Timoric]

-

 

Edited July 8, 2019 by Timoric

[mollusk]

^^ I have no science to back this up, but intuitively it seems that having masses of trees beside the freeways, in medians, etc. would help with noise control, and not just look nice.

[H-Town Man]

I like that comment a lot because Houston can easily grow things, and it doesn't have decay, rust stains, crab grass, etc, that the old strip malls get after 10 years.

 

Plus, it is pretty inexpensive.

 

Just wondering do they have adopt a highway type things too?

 

Have you looked at this?

 

http://www.treesforhouston.org/

[por favor gracias]

Yeah I've been wondering that for years.., those trees make a tremendous impact on softening the freeway. It's like night & day on each side of that stretch of roadway. I cannot remember if the slopes where they planted the trees had concrete burms or if it was grass before.

 

IMO, the tree planting and landscaping on the side of Houston freeways and local street medians (think Westchase) is the single most important initiative that we've begun in terms of changing the perception of the city..., more important than any list of buildings that we could build during this boom. Now if we could only get a landscape maintenance budget established to keep things looking fresh on the freeways.

 

The slopes where they planted those trees used to be concrete just like the other side is today.

[monarch]

"viewpoint square" sounds so very generic.  let's hope that an official name change is somewhere in the works.  although, the edifice itself, is stately.

[houstontexasjack]

"Riverside Heights" maybe? The Heights name-creep could then continue. 

 

Alternatively, I wonder if a neighborhood rebrand associated with the University of Houston would work. "University Crossing" comes to mind. 

 

I am glad to see this area develop.

[Triton]

Just to give people an idea of the neighborhood that this project is going into, most might be surprised that THIS is the new Third Ward newcomers are coming to. This is a block over from this development on Hutchins St. between Hadley and McIlhenny (spelled correctly).

 

[monarch]

actually, no surprise here.  just as the hurricane force "winds" of gentrification blew into "west dallas" as well as  "freedman's town" and swept all of the original occupants away...  seems the same thing is now happening towards the third ward of houston.  once again, no surprises here!

 

Just to give people an idea of the neighborhood that this project is going into, most might be surprised that THIS is the new Third Ward newcomers are coming to. This is a block over from this development on Hutchins St. between Hadley and McIlhenny (spelled correctly).

 

 

[H-Town Man]

Just to give people an idea of the neighborhood that this project is going into, most might be surprised that THIS is the new Third Ward newcomers are coming to. This is a block over from this development on Hutchins St. between Hadley and McIlhenny (spelled correctly).

 

 

Photo tour, por favor?

 

[Triton]

Photo tour, por favor?

 

Sure thing. Guess I can just post them here... or maybe create a new thead and link it here? The only other cool thing is that Emancipation Park is being completely redone just a few blocks area. The other thing people don't realize is that this area is definitely being targeted, not only with the new light rail on Scott, but also with the brand new sidewalks which were finished just 2 weeks ago. There's cheap abandoned land everywhere here and it's going to go quickly.

 

Edited April 29, 2014 by Triton

[Howard Huge]

I think I should clear this up, since it sparked so much friction and responses.

My comment about changing third wards name and moving the boundaries back again, was completely sarcastic and tongue in cheek. It was a reference to how Third ward used to stretch all the way to where the current "Midtown" sits, and until all the redevelopment started in the 90's, it was still called third ward, as I had close family and friends who lived there (and still do).

I do not in any way think the third wards boundaries should be moved back at all or that its name should be changed to make it sound less "ghetto". In a way, I was comedically predicting the future of the area, since it happened before, it seems likely with all this new development encroaching the "old 3rd ward", it could happen again.

[bachanon]

A near-guaranteed unobstructed view for life.

 

.............and near-guaranteed road noise

[Triton]

Photo tour, por favor?

 

Ask and ye shall receive! Photo tour of the western side of Third Ward.

 

Here's the site right now which is also in that photo tour:

 

 

 

[BigFootsSocks]

Anything built on that lot in the first pic would have an ridiculous view of the skyline. Wow, I had no idea the Third Ward was turning around like this. Shouts out to gentrification I guess...

Speaking of gentrification, where do you guys think we might see the lower social class citizens that are getting pushed out moving to? Will the outer edges soon become the new "ghetto" because of the cheap land prices? It seems like there's a pretty clear diagonal line going down 59 that separates the nice from the dangerous.

[HoustonIsHome]

Wow, I had no idea the Third Ward was turning around like this. Shouts out to gentrification I guess...

Speaking of gentrification, where do you guys think we might see the lower social class citizens that are getting pushed out moving to?

Yes, Third was has been changing from multiple directions. The dangerous aspects aside, it really is an interesting part of town to live. The Bayou, The slightly rolling terrain of Riverside Terrace, The beautiful big houses surrounded by delapidated shacks, the history, the food, the University culture (however shall it was at the time).

My favourite thing to do was bike riding along the path down brays Bayou to Hermann park.

As to the lower income people moving out, the ones I know have been moving to the burbs.

[bobruss]

McGowen offers many possibilities in the near future. For one thing it is a prominent East west street with huge opportunities for development and restoration of some interesting building stock and large tracts of vacant land. Its proximity to downtown and the fact that the street already has become a dominant location for many of Midtowns most popular restaurants and bars make it an ideal next strong area for expansion into the third ward. On another note our daughter and son in law just purchased a bungalow between Richmond and Alabama just east of Dowling and have totally refurbished it. They love it and the neighborhood has seen two other homes remodeled and sold for very fair prices in the last month. I truly believe that this is going to be a very hot spot for future change.

I didn't think the Washington /Yale area could turn so quickly with all of the heavy industry and challenging conditions but that has been completely reversed in less than 5 years. The third ward is a piece of land that has gone back and forth for a long time and its time is now.