2008 Historic Houston Heights Holiday Home Tour

Recently described by Southern Living as “one of the most fascinating neighborhoods in the South’s biggest city,” the Heights will be the scene of the 2008 Historic Houston Heights Holiday Home Tour on Friday, December 5, from 6:00 to 9:00 PM, and Saturday, December 6, from 3:00 to 9:00 PM.

Appropriately themed “Enchantment,” the tour will feature six spectacular homes, including three historic residences -- a 1908 Texas farmhouse, 1920 brick Craftsman bungalow, and 1912 American Foursquare -- and three newer homes reflecting traditional Heights architecture. The homes will be delightfully decorated for the holidays. Docents will be stationed at each home to point out the rich history, architectural features, furnishings, and decorations.

Individual advance tickets are $17 and can also be purchased online; they will be available soon at various Heights locations. Tickets purchased online can be picked up at the will-call booth at the Fire Station during the tour. Tickets purchased on the days of the tour will cost $20, or $5 for each home, and will be available at the Heights Fire Station at 107 W. 12th and Yale Streets, and at each home.

Three buses will operate during the tour. Patrons may board the buses at stops located at each home and at the Fire Station.

Thanks to the generosity of Reliant Energy, tour ticket holders can have complimentary holiday-themed photos taken of them at the Fire Station.

Homes On Tour:

* The Williamson Home at 1433 Columbia Street, built in 1908 and enlarged in 1928, is a Texas farmhouse nestled behind a charming cottage garden. The house has a large country kitchen with a 1930s Chambers range and an island created from an antique buffet. Traditional holiday decorations include an extensive collection of “Twelve Days of Christmas” items.

* The Ouellette Home at 1132 Heights Boulevard is a 1920 brick Craftsman bungalow and garage apartment located on the middle lot of three lots connected with lush landscaping. The original kitchen and baths add to the home’s charm.

* The Henry Hicks McCain House at 1026 Allston Street, built in 1912 as an American Foursquare in the Arts and Crafts mold, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is named after one of the Heights’ original residents. The current owners renovated the home’s interior and exterior, using reclaimed hardwoods, natural materials, and antique accessories found locally, including reclaimed/restored light fixtures.

* Miz Magnolia at 408 E. 7th Street, a Southern Classic residence sited among mature magnolia and oak trees, boasts many custom features, such as several fireplaces, a wine room, wooden bar top, cedar courtyard doors, and a deep porch extending across the front and one side of the house. Ten rooms will be open for viewing during the tour.

* The Counts Home at 719 Oxford is a Queen Anne-style residence with many custom improvements, including stained glass and a wood-burning fireplace. Highlights include a turret, front and back porches, and extensive landscaping. In celebration of the holiday season, the owners will display teddy bear- and Dalmatian-themed Christmas trees, Lionel trains and a snow village.

* The Worthington Home at 1135 Heights Boulevard is a newly constructed, 10,000-square-foot replica of an 1897 Queen Anne Victorian in Virginia. The residence features an extensive front porch, antique fireplace, custom stained glass windows, and two copper-capped turrets. The owner’s collections of more than 200 dolls -- dating from the 15th century to 21st century -- and blown glass ornaments will be on display.

Election Results

as delivered at the November General Meeting by Mike Easley, Election Committee Chair

First of all, I would like to thank the members of the Election Committee, who worked diligently to ensure the vote tabulation process was accurate and impartial.

They are all people of the highest ethical standards, and I appreciate their volunteer services on an important task that required and received the utmost in integrity and honesty. Lauriel Hindman has been a long-time trusted business manager of this Association and has survived many independent outside audits. John Hennessey, Jim Bennett, and Diane Easley are all former HHA Citizens of the Year. Working together as a team, this group of your fellow neighbors helped to ensure the propriety of the vote tabulation process, and I thank them for it.

Every step of the HHA election process - from mailing and then re-mailing the ballots, to opening ballots, scrutinizing ballots for proper completion, and tabulating vote counts, to determining applicable Board positions winners - was done with a minimum of 2 committee members watching every step of the process.

As exists in our country’s current political climate, our neighborhood enjoys two groups of well meaning neighbors with different opinions on how to reach a common goal.

As has historically been the precedent, vote totals by the membership for HHA Board candidates are never released. Nor will they be as to this election.

However, due to the controversy over campaign materials issued by both factions in this election, I am going to disclose a few election related items of note that apply to our entire membership.

First, despite the vigorous campaigning efforts of many participants, it is interesting to note that somewhat fewer than 1 out of every 3 ballots received voted in lockstep with either supposed “political” affiliation.

Stated another way, despite the best efforts of either “party,” each was only able to produce their exact slate of candidates in roughly 1 out of every 6 ballots. Interestingly enough, those straight ticket ballots appeared rather evenly divided in number. So, to the credit of our neighborhood, a super majority of HHA members voted for an independent mix of specific candidates that they felt could best lead our community. “Straight party ticket voting” had little, if any, effect on the final results of this election.

Secondly, that independence helps account for why fewer than 5% of total voters accepted the opportunity to re-vote their ballot. A super majority had already independently made up their minds.

A special thank you to all of the candidates who ran for the Board in this election. While HHA voter turnout and totals are not documented or announced, this slate of candidates helped to generate a voter turnout that was the highest in “recorded memory.” Your willingness to serve can be immediately fulfilled in one of the many other capacities in which HHA needs hard working volunteers who want to have fun and serve their community. Stay tuned.

In any event, the HHA Board candidates elected tonight have a strong mandate from your community to move forward and help continue to change the Houston Heights for the better.

Without further ado:

The two HHA board candidates receiving the sixth and seventh highest vote totals and thus each securing a one-year term commencing 1/1/2009 on the Board of Directors of the Houston Heights Association, in alphabetical order are:

1. Christine Spin
2. Bart Truxillo

The five HHA board candidates receiving the five highest vote totals and thus each securing a three-year term commencing 1/1/2009 on the Board of Directors of the Houston Heights Association, in alphabetical order are:

1. Anne Culotta
2. Mary Ellis
3. Simon Eyles
4. Martin Piké
5. Margaret Sanchez-Ripps

Congratulations to all of the newly elected Board members, and thank you to all of the HHA members who participated in this election.

Economic Incentives for Historic Buildings

The City of Houston may grant a tax exemption to qualified property owners who improve designated City historic properties. In addition to the tax incentives, owners of designated historic buildings may qualify for other benefits such as reduced building permit fees.

Historic Site Tax Exemptions — Historic Buildings

Who may qualify:

An owner of an historic building that has been designated as a City of Houston Landmark or Protected Landmark, or a building that has been classified as a “contributing” or “potentially contributing” structure located in a designated City of Houston Historic District.

How to qualify:

To qualify for this tax exemption, the owner of a City designated historic building must perform restoration and/or renovation work to the building. The expenditures for this work must amount to at least 50% of the assessed value of the improvements (i.e., buildings) prior to the work, as established by the Harris County Appraisal District (HCAD). The percentage of the tax exemp­tion (from 50% up to 100%) is dependent on the amount of qualified expenditures relative to this initial year improvement value. The tax exemption applies to the HCAD improvement value only (not land value), for up to 15 years. The exemption applies only to City of Houston taxes, and does not apply to county or school district taxes on the property.

Any exterior work used to qualify for the tax exemption must be approved by the Houston Archaeological and Historical Commission (HAHC) through a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA).

Interior renovation work may also be used to qualify for the exemption, and does not require a COA. In the case of a “potentially contributing” building, approved expenditures must include work towards reversing incompatible alterations or deteriorating conditions on the building’s exterior. If the HAHC determines that the proposed work is not appropriate for the historic structure and denies a COA application, the work will not qualify for the tax exemption.

Expenditures for work performed in the five years prior to historic designa­tion of the structure may also qualify for the tax exemption if the work is later deemed appropriate and the HAHC subsequently issues a COA. However, it is strongly recommended that the owner designate the building and receive a COA in advance of performing the restoration work, as not all work will meet HAHC approval, nor will all buildings qualify for landmark designation.

Once the work has been approved and completed and the minimum amount is spent to qualify, the applicant may apply to the Finance Department to receive the tax exemption. See “How to apply” for more information.

The property tax exemption is transferable to subsequent owners of the property, except in the case of condominiums or other multi-family residential, where the exemption transfers only once - from the developer to the first purchaser of the unit.

For more information, please visit the Planning Department website at www.houstonplanning.com and click on “Historic Preservation.” City of Houston Historic Preservation staff can guide you through the application process for historic designation and for COAs.

You may also contact Randy Pace, Historic Preservation Officer, City of Hous ton, Planning & Development Department, at 713-837-7796 or randy.pace@cityofhouston.net; Thomas McWhorter at 713-837-7963 or thomas.mcwhorter@cityofhouston.net for questions about COAs; or Diana DuCroz at 713-837-7924 or diana.ducroz@cityofhouston.net for questions about landmark or historic district designation.

For more information regarding the tax exemptions, please contact Julia Gee at 713-837-7828 or julia.gee@cityofhouston.net or go to www.houstontx.gov/finance/ecodev/historic.html.

See also the Historic Preservation Ordinance, City of Houston Code of Ordinances Chapter VII, Section 33, and the Tax Exemption Ordinance, Chapter 44, Sections 44-5 and 44-29, for further information.

IMAGES OF AMERICA:
HOUSTON HEIGHTS

by Anne Sloan

On Friday, January 16th from 1-5pm and Saturday January 17th 9-1 pm, Allison Yoder, editor of Arcadia Publishing, and I will be at the Fire Station to talk with people who are interested in having their Houston Heights photos considered for reproduction in the upcoming publication. Please bring your black and white photos to be scanned on Friday and Saturday. No newspaper photos can be considered.

I would also like to record your interesting stories about Houston Heights or about your home. In addition, this will be an opportunity to look at the “unknown” photos which are part of Houston Heights Association Archives, and perhaps give us your ideas about the identity of the subjects.

Your photographs will be scanned and returned to you on the spot. You will need to sign a release giving Arcadia Publishing permission to use the photo in the book, which is scheduled for distribution in November 2009. If neither of these dates will work for you, and you have photos that you would like to have considered, please contact me prior to January 16th and plan to bring your photographs for me to look at and have scanned.

Thank you for your help with this project. This book requires community participation. I am making every effort to produce a regional history that will be informative, interesting, and unique in its inclusion of previously unviewed photos. Anne Sloan, 713-869-8281, 1433 Harvard St., anne.sloan@sbcglobal.net.

Houston Realtor Organization Tours The Heights

The Houston Independent Real Estate Brokers Association (“HIREBA”), an organization of non-franchised Real Estate Brokers, chose The Heights for their 2008 bus tour. The organization, which meets bi-monthly for networking and professional development, participates in an annual bus tour through Houston’s unique neighborhoods.

Due to time constraints, the tour was limited to the Woodland Heights, Norhill Heights, and Houston Heights, concluding at 19th Street at Shade Restaurant for lunch. The tour was graciously underwritten by two local Heights Builders and an affiliate member of HIREBA: Jeffrey Harrington Homes and Partners in Building and Encore Bank. Two other affiliates, Allied Home Warranty and First American Title, provided breakfast goodies before boarding the bus.

Bus stops included two new construction properties, 1020 Arlington (Partners in Building) and 723 Allston (Jeffrey Harrington Homes), and one historic home, 1802 Harvard, the beautiful home of Bart Truxillo.

The tour was guided by Jim Parsons, a local historian; Minnette Boesel, a HIREBA member and the City of Houston Mayor’s Assistant for Cultural Affairs; Tina Burgos and Cindy Wingo, HIREBA members and active Heights Realtors. Minnette discussed the Historical Preservation Ordinance and its value in maintaining community integrity without jeopardizing property rights. Jim Parsons guided the Realtors through the neighborhoods’ rich history, and Tina and Cindy reported on the current real estate development and values.

HIREBA membership is open to any Broker and its Agents that are part of non-franchised Real Estate Firms. For additional information on membership, go to www.hireba.org.

Calendar of Events for December 2008 and January 2009

HHA headquarters: The Fire Station is on the corner of Yale and 12th Streets.

Community Calendar

Events planned by other community organizations.

Every Wednesday and Saturday, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Historic Houston’s salvage warehouse is open. Call 713-522-0542 or visit their web site www.historichouston.org.

November 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 21, 22 - Opera in the Heights presents two works by Gaetano Donizetti in Lambert Hall, 1703 Heights Blvd. For tickets or more information, call 713-861-5303 or visit www.operaintheheights.org.

January 29, 30, 31, February 5, 6, 7, 13, 14 - Opera in the Heights presents Giuseppe Verdi’s Macbeth at 7:30 PM in Lambert Hall, 1703 Heights Blvd. For tickets or more information, call 713-861-5303 or visit www.operaintheheights.org.

March 26, 27, 28, April 2, 3, 4, 10, 11 - Opera in the Heights presents Giuseppe Verdi’s Falstaff at 7:30 PM in Lambert Hall, 1703 Heights Blvd. For tickets or more information, call 713-861-5303 or visit www.operaintheheights.org.

Future History

February 22, Awards Dinner

April 3-5, Spring Home Tour

April 18, HHA Camp-Out & Music Fest

June 6, Heights Fun Run

October 4, Bicycle Rally

December 4-5, Holiday Home Tour