Brentwood, Houston

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Brentwood is a residential subdivision in the Hiram Clarke community, [1] in Southwest Houston, Texas. [2] Jennifer Frey of The Washington Post said in 2001 that Brentwood was "a medium-size, lower-middle class neighborhood[...]" [3]

Southwest Houston human settlement in Houston, Texas, United States of America

Southwest Houston is a region in Houston, Texas, United States.

Houston Largest city in Texas

Houston is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas, fourth most populous city in the United States, as well as the sixth most populous in North America, with an estimated 2018 population of 2,325,502. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the seat of Harris County and the principal city of the Greater Houston metropolitan area, which is the fifth most populous metropolitan statistical area in the United States and the second most populous in Texas after the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, with a population of 6,997,384 in 2018.

Texas U.S. state in the United States

Texas is the second largest state in the United States by area and population. Geographically located in the South Central region of the country, Texas shares borders with the U.S. states of Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the west, and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the southwest, and has a coastline with the Gulf of Mexico to the southeast.

Contents

History

Originally Brentwood was a White community, settled in the 1960s. Claudia Kolker of the Houston Press said that the first generation of settlers, who were White, as well as the second and third, who were Black, came for the "small-town quality." [4] By the mid-1970s the community was changing into an African-American neighborhood. Kolker said "the transition by most accounts was fairly gentle -- and if anything, scaled Brentwood even further up economically." [4] Kolker added "Over the years, most of the white residents moved out and Brentwood became a sought-after prize for successful Black Houstonians tired of the city. And in contrast to the stereotype of what happens when a neighborhood changes hue, Brentwood became if anything more pristine, more fiercely nurtured, as its Black residents multiplied." [5] During the transition period there was a conflict between area White people and area Black people who wanted to assume control of a local church. The church later evolved into a multimillion-dollar organization. [3]

<i>Houston Press</i> newspaper in Houston founded in 1989

The Houston Press is an online newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in the Midtown area. It was also a weekly print newspaper until November 2017.

African-American neighborhood

African-American neighborhoods or black neighborhoods are types of ethnic enclaves found in many cities in the United States. Generally, an African American neighborhood is one where the majority of the people who live there are African American. Some of the earliest African-American neighborhoods were in New York City along with early communities located in Virginia. In 1830, there were 14,000 "free Negroes" living in New York City.

As the community matured, some portions decayed. Rod Paige, a man who would later become the superintendent of the Houston Independent School District and the Secretary of Education, spearheaded a move to excise a dump from the edge of the community. The Texas Supreme Court eventually sided with the residents. [3] In the 1990s the Brentwood Baptist Church, a local church, suggested housing AIDS victims on the property. This led to controversy and paranoia within the neighborhood. [4] Some residents felt that the church had betrayed their community, and moved to keep their families away from the AIDS victims. [6]

Rod Paige 7th American Secretary of Education

Roderick Raynor Paige served as the 7th United States Secretary of Education from 2001 to 2005. Paige, who grew up in Mississippi, moved from classroom teacher to college dean and school superintendent to be the first African American to serve as the nation's education chief.

Houston Independent School District school district serving most of Houston, TX and surrounding areas

The Houston Independent School District (HISD) is the largest public school system in Texas, and the seventh-largest in the United States. Houston ISD serves as a community school district for most of the city of Houston and several nearby and insular municipalities in addition to some unincorporated areas. Like most districts in Texas it is independent of the city of Houston and all other municipal and county jurisdictions. The district has its headquarters in the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center in Houston.

Landfill site for the disposal of waste materials by burial

A landfill site is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial. Landfill is the oldest form of waste treatment, although the burial of the waste is modern; historically, refuse was simply left in piles or thrown into pits. Historically, landfills have been the most common method of organized waste disposal and remain so in many places around the world.

As of 1996, the subdivision has a lot of stability in its pool of residents since relatively few people moved in and out of the community. This differed from nearby areas which have many rental units, such as Glen Iris, Meredith Manor, and Pamela Heights. Stanley O'Bryant, a realty agent of B E Henson & Associates and a letter carrier, said that Brentwood was "a very stable neighborhood. Hardly anybody moves." [2] By 1996 the Hiram Clarke Civic Club had prevented the establishment of a correctional facility and an animal shelter on Brentwood's periphery. [2]

In late August 1997, after legal wrangling, the AIDS housing opened. By 1999, the controversy over the church's AIDS victim housing cooled when the community's perception of the disease as a disease for White people waned and the community recognized AIDS as a problem affecting the African American community. [6]

By 2002 Brentwood residents lobbied against the installation of an affordable housing project. [7]

Cityscape

Brentwood is near West Airport Boulevard and Hiram Clarke Road. [8] Brentwood is 6 miles (9.7 km) from the intersection of the 610 Loop and U.S. Route 59 (Southwest Freeway). [4] Most houses in Brentwood have one story each, and are made of brick. [2]

In 1995 Claudia Kolker of the Houston Press described Brentwood as "pristine" and "orderly" which contains "decorously maintained homes." [4] Kolker said "It's the very intimacy between these places that impresses a visitor: the way the ranch-style houses nudge against the grade school grounds, and how the playground stretches toward the parking lot that fronts the church. Almost a physical definition of the word community, this piece of Brentwood seems an icon of a time when home, education and religion all clasped together into one, universally accepted whole." [4] In regards to the surrounding area, Kolker said "a skein of high tension wires laces a long pasture nibbled by cows. Buildings are few, and sound seems somehow muffled out here along Hiram Clarke Road, the thoroughfare that borders these fields. Here in the southwest suburbs, even the grimy Eagle Food Mart, stocked with requisite ATM machines, gas pumps and parking lot loiterers, retains the air of a small country store." [4] Kolker said "Today, to pass the redwood "Brentwood" sign on Airport Street beside Eagle Food Mart is to enter a lapidary haven of gemlike lawns, immaculate houses and burnished cars" and that the local elementary school is "a brief walk from streets with storybook names such as Wuthering Heights, White Heather and Regency." [4] She concluded "While Brentwood's population has changed over the past three decades, its charms have remained much the same." [4]

In 1996 few of the houses had burglar bars. Houses had few "for sale" signs and lawns were manicured. Many lawns had "poodle bushes." Around that time houses were listed for sale in the range $42,000 ($67094.84 in today's money) to $74,900 ($119652.47 in today's money). The houses were more inexpensive than similar houses in Fondren Southwest and sections of Missouri City. [2]

As of 2007 most houses have burglar bars, and many have placed cameras at the corners of their houses. One woman installed motion sensors, rigged her doors and windows, and booby trapped her backyard gate. [8]

Government and infrastructure

The Hiram Clarke Civic Club is an area civic club that covers the community. [7] Covers Brentwood and one other subdivisions, with almost 1,200 households living in the two subdivisions combined. As of 2003 it had 175 members who paid dues. Matt Schwartz of the Houston Chronicle said "Even with dues of $50 a year, enforcing restrictions with letters from attorneys or lawsuits can quickly drain resources." [1]

Culture

Brentwood Baptist Church is located in Brentwood. It originally had a small congregation; as of 1996 its membership had over 10,000 people. Katherine Feser of the Houston Chronicle said in 1996 that the church "anchored" Brentwood. [2] In 1995 Claudia Kolker of the Houston Press said that Brentwood Baptist Church does not function as a community church, and that many residents go to church in the original "wards" where they had been raised. [5]

Education

Residents are zoned to the Houston Independent School District. Hobby Elementary School is located inside the neighborhood. [4] Residents are zoned to Hobby, [9] Lawson Middle School (formerly Dowling Middle School), [10] and Madison High School. [11]

Residents are also zoned to the Houston Community College system.

Parks and recreation

Residents are served by Brentwood Park, a City of Houston park. [12]

Notable residents

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References

  1. 1 2 Schwartz, Matt. "Restrictions get boost from law / New city enforcement unlikely."[ dead link ] Houston Chronicle . Saturday July 5, 2003. A33 MetFront. Retrieved on October 27, 2011. Available from the Houston Public Library, accessible with a library card.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Brentwood offers stability to residents."[ dead link ] Houston Chronicle . Sunday July 28, 1996. Business 10. Retrieved on October 26, 2011. Available from the Houston Public Library, accessible with a library card.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Frey, Jennifer. "Bush's School Master." The Washington Post . March 8, 2001. C01 Style. Retrieved on October 26, 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Kolker, Claudia. "The Battle Over Brentwood." Houston Press . Thursday March 16, 1995. 1. Retrieved on October 26, 2011.
  5. 1 2 Kolker, Claudia. "The Battle Over Brentwood." Houston Press . Thursday March 16, 1995. 2. Retrieved on October 26, 2011.
  6. 1 2 Downing, Margaret. "Downing." Houston Press . Thursday December 30, 1999. 1. Retrieved on October 6, 2011.
  7. 1 2 "Neighbors say no to housing projects / Developers contend opposition makes it hard to find acceptable sites."[ dead link ] Houston Chronicle . Friday March 14, 2003. A31 MetFront. Retrieved on October 27, 2011. Available from the Houston Public Library, accessible with a library card.
  8. 1 2 "South side residents take extreme measures to protect homes." KTRK-TV . Wednesday October 17, 2007. Retrieved on October 26, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Hobby Elementary Attendance Zone Archived 2012-02-14 at the Wayback Machine ." Houston Independent School District .
  10. ↑ "Dowling Middle Attendance Zone Archived 2012-02-14 at the Wayback Machine ." Houston Independent School District .
  11. ↑ "Madison High School Attendance Zone Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine ." Houston Independent School District .
  12. ↑ "Our Parks A - F Archived 2011-09-03 at the Wayback Machine ." City of Houston. Retrieved on October 26, 2011. "13220 Landmark, 77045"
  13. ↑ Markley, Melanie. "Paige captures HISD District 9 seat."[ dead link ] Houston Chronicle . Sunday December 10, 1989. A26. Retrieved on October 26, 2011. Available from the Houston Public Library, accessible with a library card.

Further reading

Coordinates: 29°38′N95°26′W / 29.64°N 95.44°W / 29.64; -95.44

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