Three Houston Properties Added To Landmarks List

HOUSTON, TX — An office building built for Southwestern Bell in 1950, a Museum District home built in 1924, and a home designed by renowned architect Anderson Todd on 1961 — also located in the Museum District — were added this week to the city's landmarks list, a designation that makes them a little more difficult to demolish.

Houston is known as a city that has not done a great job of preserving its past, so preservationists cheer any time historic properties are added to the roster. Protected designation — which was given to the Todd-designed property — means that it cannot be torn down without approval of the city's Archaeological and Historical Commission. The commission said the house "was acclaimed as a masterpiece from the time of its completion."

The other two properties were given "landmark status without protection," meaning that a public hearing must be held before demolition but that an owner can move to raze after a 90-day period.

The second home designated a landmark this week is located at 1932 Albans Road and was built in 1924 for an Austrian immigrant, as reported by the Houston Chronicle. The office building, which is downtown on Texas Street, is slated to be renovated and turned into a hotel.

» See more at the Houston Chronicle

— Image: Southwestern Bell Building (NPS.gov)