The Briar Club

Last updated
The Briar Club The Briar Club.jpg
The Briar Club

The Briar Club is a country club in Houston, Texas. It is located in the River Oaks area, [1] at the corner of Westheimer Road and Timmons Lane. The club was founded in 1949 and is member owned. It is between The Galleria and Downtown Houston. [2] As of 2004 it has 1,100 members. [3] As of 2023 the club has 1300 equity members and is now on a waitlist.

Contents

As of 2004 the club annually hosts 20 to 25 weddings. Richard Lareau, the club's chief operating officer and general manager, said that he hoped to have the club perform three times that number. [3]

In 1997 Skip Hollandsworth of the Texas Monthly wrote that Briar Club "had become a haven for many River Oaks residents". [4]

History

The nearby Westheimer Animal Clinic had been established in 1946. [1] Dr. E.P. Stallings had purchased a city block and started a horse practice on the property. Stallings sold land to what would become The Briar Club for $10,000. [5] The club started in 1949. [1] In 2001 the Briar Club acquired ownership of the Westheimer Animal Clinic building. [5]

In 2004 it was engaging in an expansion that had a cost of millions of dollars and multiple phases. [1] The club anticipated that its master plan would take ten to fifteen years to complete. [3] Phase one, with a scheduled completion date in late December 2004, had a price tag of $4.8 million. The expansion included a sports pavilion, a parking lot for 80 cars, and a new spa and fitness center. Due to the club needing space for its expansion, the Westheimer Animal Clinic was scheduled to move from an adjacent lot of Westheimer Road to a new location in the City of Bellaire in 2004. [1] The club planned to move its catering and laundry operations into the former veterinarian building. The Briar Club would be able to reconfigure its kitchen so it could host larger banquets and weddings. In January 2004 the club demolished two buildings at Westheimer Road at Saint Street so a covered athletic court and a parking lot could be built. [5] As of July 2004 the annex building had been demolished so a fitness center could be built in its place. As of 2004 the fitness center had 4,500 square feet (420 m2) of space. The club planned to expand it to 17,000 square feet (1,600 m2) of space. The club intended to install wooden lockers, massage facilities, a steam room, and a whirlpool. [3]

The next phases were scheduled to include a clubhouse, a parking garage, an expansion of a swimming pool, and the facility's eighth tennis court. [5] The club planned for phase two to begin around 2009. The parking garage, a part of phase two, would be built on the site of a 198-space surface parking lot. Phase three includes the demolition of the current club house and replacing it with a new one. Phase four includes the installation of a tennis court and the expansion of a pool. [3]

In 2010 Champion Energy received a two year contract to supply electricity service to the club. [6]

Property

The club is situated on a 5.5-acre (2.2 ha) plot of land. It is bounded by Westheimer Road, Timmons Street, Saint Street, and a multifamily housing development. As of 2004 The Briar Club is using 1.25 acres (0.51 ha) of the land. [5] The property features four pools, one large resort style pool with high and low diving boards and enclosed water slide, and two 25 meter lap pools where the Briar Club's youth swim team practices. The Barracudas have dominated the Houston Country Club for decades. The gym, located beyond the lap pool, includes men and women's locker rooms equipped with personalized lockers, cool towelettes, showers, a steam room and a whirl pool. The club has several dining areas, one for casual pool-side dining, another for slightly more up-scale dining, and a bar area, reserved for finer dining. The club provides tennis courts available for rent or tennis lessons, and a covered, outdoor basketball court located just beyond the kids club and playground.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Oaks, Houston</span> Subdivision in Houston, Texas, USA

River Oaks is a residential community located in the center of Houston, Texas, United States. Located within the 610 Loop and between Downtown and Uptown, the community spans 1,100 acres (450 ha). Established in the 1920s by brothers Will Hogg and Michael Hogg, the community became a well-publicized national model for community planning. Real estate values in the community range from $1 million to over $20 million. River Oaks was also named the most expensive neighborhood in Houston in 2013. The community is home to River Oaks Country Club, which includes a golf course designed by architect Donald Ross and redesigned in 2015 by Tom Fazio.

Uptown is a business district in Houston, located 6.2 miles (10.0 km) west of Downtown and is centered along Post Oak Boulevard and Westheimer Road. The Uptown District is roughly bounded by Woodway Drive to the north, the I-610 to the east, Richmond Avenue to the south, and Yorktown Street to the west. It covers 1,010 acres (410 ha).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neartown Houston</span> District in Houston, Texas, a.k.a., Montrose

Montrose is an area located in west-central Houston, Texas, United States and is one of the city's major cultural areas. Montrose is a 7.5 square miles (19 km2) area roughly bounded by Interstate 69/U.S. Highway 59 to the south, Allen Parkway to the north, South Shepherd Drive to the west, and Taft to Fairview to Bagby to Highway 59 to Main to the east. Montrose neighborhoods include Cherryhurst, Courtlandt Place, Hyde Park, Montrose, Vermont Commons, North and East Montrose, Mandell Place and Winlow Place. Montrose is also less well known by the moniker Neartown, encompassing Superneighborhood #24.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greenway Plaza</span> Business district of Houston in Texas, United States

Greenway Plaza is a business district located along Interstate 69 within the Interstate 610 loop in southwestern Houston, Texas, 5 miles (8.0 km) west of Downtown and 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Uptown. The district is located immediately west of Upper Kirby, north of West University Place, and south of River Oaks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamar High School (Houston)</span> American public high school

Lamar High School is a comprehensive public secondary school located in Houston, Texas, United States. It is a part of the Houston Independent School District (HISD). Lamar High School, was established in 1936 in memory of Mirabeau B. Lamar (1798–1859), a leader in the Texas Revolution and the second President of the Republic of Texas. Lamar has a four-year program, serving grades 9 through 12.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Awty International School</span> Independent, international school in Houston, Texas, United States

The Awty International School is a private school located in Spring Branch, western Houston, Texas, United States. Founded in 1956, Awty allows its students to receive the International Baccalaureate or the French Baccalauréat, and is the only school in Houston fully accredited by the French Ministry of Education, making it the only overseas school for French national students in the Houston area. It has age three to 12th grade students. Awty is the largest international school in the United States and the largest private day school in Houston. It is part of the Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE) network of schools for French national students abroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian Wells Tennis Garden</span> Tennis facility near Palm Springs, California

The Indian Wells Tennis Garden is a tennis facility in Indian Wells, near Palm Springs, California, in the Coachella Valley. The 16,100-capacity Stadium 1 is the largest stadium at the tennis complex, and the second largest outdoor tennis stadium in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westside High School (Houston)</span> Suburban public secondary school in Houston, TX

Westside High School is a secondary school in Houston, Texas, United States. It serves grades 9 through 12 and is part of the Houston Independent School District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southampton, Houston</span> Neighborhood in Houston, Texas

Southampton Place, also known as Southampton, is a neighborhood located in Houston, Texas. The Southampton Civic Club Inc. is the homeowners' association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westheimer Road</span>

Westheimer Road is an arterial east–west road in Houston, Texas, United States. It runs from Bagby Street in Downtown and terminates at the Westpark Tollway on the southern edge of George Bush Park, stretching about 19 miles (31 km) long. The street was named after Michael Louis Westheimer, a German immigrant and flour salesman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Granite Club</span> Private social and athletic club in Toronto, Canada

The Granite Club is a private social and athletic club in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1875, it has a long history of sports competition. It is located at 2350 Bayview Avenue, north of midtown Toronto.

Northwood Club is a private country club in Dallas, Texas.

Sherwood Country Club is a private, member owned golf and country club in Lake Sherwood, California set at the base of the Santa Monica Mountains just south of city of Thousand Oaks. Sherwood is home to a championship 18-hole Jack Nicklaus signature golf course, driving range and Georgian architecture golf clubhouse. Adjacent to the golf club is the tennis clubhouse, swimming pool, gymnasium, fitness facility and spa. There are a total of 12 tennis courts, including 8 hard courts, two clay courts and two grass courts. The tennis club also includes an outside sand volleyball court, all of which can be lit for night play.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Oaks Baptist School</span> Private school in Texas, United States

River Oaks Baptist School is a private, Christian, co-educational day school for students in preschool, lower school and middle school located in Houston, Texas. Founded as a mission of a small Baptist church in the heart of Houston, ROBS' Christian identity is a cornerstone of its academic philosophy. ROBS melds ambitious academics with robust character and spiritual development. The U.S. Department of Education named ROBS a 2019 National Blue Ribbon School. It was one of three Houston area schools and the only private school in Texas to receive the award in 2019. The school hosts several sports teams with high success in their conferences, as well as an art program.

The Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa is a luxury hotel located in Houston, Texas. The 18-acre campus includes a hotel and conference center, several restaurants, spa and health and fitness center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Oaks Shopping Center</span>

The River Oaks Shopping Center is a shopping center in Neartown, Houston, adjacent to River Oaks. As of 2012 the more than 322,000-square-foot (29,900 m2) center includes one grocery store, one movie theater, 14 restaurants, and 76 stores. The center, owned by Weingarten Realty, is the third oldest shopping center of its type in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parkway Villages, Houston</span>

Parkway Villages is a 577-lot, 224-acre (91 ha) subdivision in western Houston, Texas. It is located north of Lakes of Parkway, the former Barnhardt land tract. It was the first single family housing development by Sueba USA, a subsidiary of Süba Freie Baugesellschaft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Briarhills, Houston</span> Subdivision in Texas, United States

Briarhills is a subdivision in western Houston, Texas. The Briarhills Property Owners Association (POA) and the Briarhills Home Owners Association (HOA) serve Briarhills, Meadowbriar, and Oaks of Parkway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Dunes Club</span> United States historic place

The Dunes Club is a historic private beach club at 137 Boston Neck Road in Narragansett, Rhode Island. The club occupies 28 acres (11 ha) of land fronting Narragansett Bay in central Narragansett, bounded on the north by the Pettaquamscutt River.

Grogan’s Point is an estate neighborhood and golf course community in the Village of Grogan’s Mill of The Woodlands, a planned community in Texas.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Club expansion creates River Oaks shuffle." Houston Business Journal . Sunday July 4, 2004. 1. Retrieved on October 15, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Maps & Directions." The Briar Club. Retrieved on October 15, 2011. "The Briar Club is located at 2603 Timmons Lane, Houston, TX 77027."
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Club expansion creates River Oaks shuffle." Houston Business Journal . Sunday July 4, 2004. 3. Retrieved on October 15, 2011.
  4. ↑ Hollandsworth, Skip. "The Bookmaker's Wife" (Archive). Texas Monthly . November 1997. Retrieved on December 31, 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Club expansion creates River Oaks shuffle." Houston Business Journal . Sunday July 4, 2004. 2. Retrieved on October 15, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Champion Energy to power Landry's, Briar Club." Houston Business Journal . Monday July 26, 2010. Retrieved on October 15, 2011.

29°44′29″N95°26′11″W / 29.7413°N 95.4364°W / 29.7413; -95.4364

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.