USA > Texas > Harris County > Houston > A thumb-nail history of the city of Houston, Texas, from its founding in 1836 to the year 1912 > Part 3
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The report compiled by Building Inspector W. X. Norris shows that during the last fiscal year of the city permits were issued out of his office for the construction of 1101 buildings of all kinds at an ag- gregate cost of $3,997,000. The permits issued dur- ing the previous fiscal year reached an aggregate of $3,152,820. Besides the permanent improve- ments permits were also issued last year for tem- porary work, aggregating $281,375, as against temporary work amounting to $189,270 during the previous year.
In his report the building inspector recommends that the electric sign ordinance be revised so as to
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A THUMB-NAIL HISTORY OF
provide for all electric signs to be hung vertical with the building.
The permits issued by the building inspector have been classified by him in the following manner:
No. of
No. of
Permits.
Kind of Building.
Bldgs. Valuation.
1
18-story fireproof hotel.
1
$500,000
1
10-story fireproof hotel.
1 195,000
1 7-story fireproof office building ..
1
150,000
1 6-story fireproof hotel.
1
70,000
1
6-story fireproof office building. .
1
135,000
1
4-story fireproof building. .....
1 150,000
2
3-story fireproof buildings.
2
117,000
3-story brick hotel and theatre building .
1
65,000
2
3-story brick flats
2
31,300
4
3-story brick buildings
4
126,500
1
3-story brick warehouse
1
4,500
1
3-story concrete building and re- modeling
1
60,000
5
2-story brick warehouses
5
61,000
2
2-story brick flats
2
32,000
2
2-story brick stores
2
9,000
1
2-story brick office building
5
36,300
3
2-story brick residences
1 40,000
1
2-story concrete warehouse
3
22,000
5
2-story wood warehouses
5
59,350
1
2-story stucco residence.
1
16,000
247
2-story frame residences
262
811,985
1
Brick church
1
56,000
6
1-story brick buildings
6
37,100
1 1-story brick office and car shed.
1
20,000
2 1-story brick warehouses .
2
12,000
2
1-story brick buildings (not built)
1 8,000
1 1-story cement block building ....
1 3,000
3 Frame churches
3 4,650
1 Frame club house
1 2,500
1
2-story concrete building ..
1 14,000
3
2-story frame apartments
1 33,000
5
2-story brick buildings
3 87,500
1
3-story brick office building. ...
1
14,000
1
WM. R. BAKER Financier and Railway Builder
THE CITY OF HOUSTON, TEXAS
41
589
Cottages .
748
576,235
18 Iron and frame farehouses.
19
34,040
1
Open air theatre
1
4,000
1
Automobile garage
1
500
1
Fireproof addition
1
14,900
1
Storage oil tank
1
5,000
1
Oil plant
1
10,650
1
Bread plant
1
16,500
1
Viaduct
1
350,000
2
Remodeling
2
47,500
926
1101
$3,997,010
Valuation of 926 permits, year ending Feb. 29, 1912 .$3,997,010
Valuation of 868 permits, year ending Feb. 28, 1911 3,152,820
Increase in value, year ending Feb. 29, 1912 .. $844,190
Valuation, temporary permits, year ending Feb. 29, 1912
$281,375
Valuation, temporary permits, year ending Feb. 28, 1911
189,270
Increase for year ending Feb. 29, 1912, over 1911 . $92,105
Total value permanent and temporary for year ending 1912 $4,278,385
Total value permanent and temporary for year 1911 3,342,090
Increase in last 12 months over previous 12 months . $936,295
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A THUMB-NAIL HISTORY OF
The following is a list of Houston's Mayors. The list is the one prepared by Major Roberts, though, for reasons given in the foregoing, Mr. Holman is not placed at the head:
1838-Dr. Francis Moore, Jr. 1839-G. W. Lively. 1840-Charles Biglow. 1841-42-J. D. Andrews. 1843-Dr. Francis Moore, Jr.
1844-Horace Baldwin.
1845-W. W. Swain. 1846-Jas. Bailey. 1847-48-P. B. Buckner. 1849-52-Dr. Francis Moore, Jr.
1853-54-Col. Nathan Fuller.
1855-56-Jas. H. Stevens. 1857-Cornelius Ennis. 1858-A. McGowan. 1859-W. H. King.
1860-T. W. Whitmarsh.
1861-W. J. Hutchins. 1862-T. W. House. 1863-64-65-William Andrews. 1866-H. D. Taylor. 1867-A. McGowan. 1868-J. R. Morris. 1870-73-T. J. Scanlan. 1874-J. T. D. Wilson. 1875-76-I. C. Lord. 1877-78-J. T. D. Wilson. 1879-A. J. Burke.
43
THE CITY OF HOUSTON, TEXAS
1880-84-W. R. Baker. 1886-88-D. C. Smith. 1890-Henry Scherffius. 1892-94-John T. Browne. 1896-H. Baldwin Rice. 1898-1900-Sam H. Brashear. 1902-O. T. Holt. 1904-Andrew L. Jackson. 1905-12-H. Baldwin Rice.
CHAPTER TWO.
Some Early Buildings-Fall of the First Hotel- First Brick Buildings-Public Buildings-The Peripatetic Postoffice-Early Fire Companies -- History of Early Bridges.
When one reads over the names of the early Houstonians, it is almost like reading an early joint directory of Houston and Galveston, for in the forties many of the men who aided in establishing Houston were also instrumental in building up Gal- veston and their names became inseparable from the history of the two places. General E. B. Nichols was, after the fifties, one of the most progressive citizens of Galveston, but to that time he was one of the pioneer workers in Houston. In the case of Mr. B. A. Shepherd, conditions were reversed, for he was first a citizen of Galveston and then of Houston. Gail Borden, who surveyed the city of Houston and made the first map of the new city, was for years a resident of Houston and then re- moved to Galveston, where he became one of the most enthusiastic citizens there and prophesied most of the great things that have been accom- plished by that city.
The first frame house in Houston was a small af- fair erected by the Torrey brothers who used it as a trading post for Indians. It was located on the north side of Preston near what is now the east end of Preston street bridge. It was afterwards pur-
45
THE CITY OF HOUSTON, TEXAS
chased by Mr. H. D. Taylor and used by him as a residence for many years. It was one of the most beautiful and attractive places in Houston, for it was in the midst of a grove of magnificent magnolia trees.
On the south side of Preston and on the east side of Smith there was a single room board house, erect- ed about the same time as the Indian trading post. This was purchased by Col. N. Fuller, in 1837, and he added other rooms to it and built the residence which he occupied until the day of his death. That and the residence erected by Mr. A. C. Briscoe on Main and Prairie were unquestionably the first two- story houses erected in Houston, and both were built in 1837, the year after the founding of Hous- ton. An item of interest is that when the Fuller residence was torn down a year or two ago to make place for the great brick building that now occupies its site, the old and original beams and rafters were found to be in perfect preservation and resembled steel beams more than wooden ones. It was with difficulty that they were torn apart, showing how thorough and honest were the early Houston builders.
The year 1837 also witnessed the erection of the first large warehouse in Houston. This was located on the northeast corner of Main and Commerce streets and was built by Mr. Thomas Elsberry. It was in this building that Messrs. Allen and Pool did business for many years, and it was there also that some of the great financiers of Houston had
46
A THUMB-NAIL HISTORY OF
their early training. Mr. Doswell and Mr. Wm. R. Baker had their first experience as business men there, and others of less prominence worked for Al- len and Pool from time to time. All the early cotton crops of Texas passed through that old building, for it was the only cotton warehouse here and its location was ideal for conditions as they prevailed then. The building fronted on Commerce street and extended back to the crude wharf of that day. The bales were simply tumbled out of the back door and landed near the steamboat, on which they were rolled by negro deck hands. Transportation by water was the only way to reach the markets of the world, and the bayou was of far more practical im- portance then than it has since become.
While the carpenters were erecting the Allen and Pool warehouse, workmen were busily engaged in hewing logs for the building of Houston's first ho- tel, which was erected on the corner of Franklin and Travis, where the Southern Pacific offices now stand.
It was built by Major Ben Fort Smith, one of the Texas pioneers, and its first proprietor was Mr. George Wilson, father of Mr. Ed Wilson, who is still an honored citizen of Houston. This old house stood for nearly twenty years and then, in 1855, it fell down through old age and decay. In the Hous- ton Telegraph of May 16, 1855, is an interesting account of its fall, and some still more interesting reminiscences connected with the old building. "It had been in its day the hotel par excellence of the
47
THE CITY OF HOUSTON, TEXAS
Capitol and commercial metropolis of the glorious old Republic of Texas," said the Telegraph. "The President and his cabinet and the senators and rep- resentatives and officials of the first and second Congresses had dined there and so, too, had foreign ministers."
"Rusk, who was a great man before the Republic, was once glorified at its tables with a sacrifice of good things-fowls at $6 a pair, butter at $1 per pound, eggs at $3 per dozen and champagne at a fabulous price per bottle. It has been said that the dinner was planned to encourage a reconciliation between Rusk and Houston, and that it was so far successful that Rusk, in toasting Houston, his old opponent, said: 'Houston, with all thy faults I love thee still.' "
"Texas had great men in those days and their name was legion. It was an insult to take a man for anything but great, brave, chivalrous and even rich. Everybody was rich, or in the army or navy or pub- lic service, which was the same thing. The City Ho- tel had a barroom, one of perhaps twenty that flour- ished in the town, where steam was kept up at the explosion point, and the collapse of a decanter, pitcher or tumbler, as it came in contact with the brains of some unlucky devotee of the shrine of chivalry or bravado, or the kindred virtues usually worshipped 'when the wine was red in the cup,' was no uncommon occurrence. Those were the days of duels, bowie knives and pistols, poker, keno and faro, when ten, twenty or fifty thousand dollars
48
A THUMB-NAIL HISTORY OF
would be lost and won in a night. Texas was the prophesy of California and Houston a very San Francisco. No mines were dug, but gold was plenty and men managed to live without sweating their brows. If a man worked at all he earned from $8 to $10 a day, but precious few worked at all. Buck Peters and Jeff Wright were the practical jokers. Judge Shelby was on the bench and was indicted by his own grand jury for playing backgammon with his wife. Gus Tompkins, fertile in expedient, but fractious, with his big brain and little body, was a terror to evil-doers. Felix Huston commanded the turbulent army, Commodore Moore had not come to Texas then, and the navy was divided with sev- eral competent but less ambitious commanders, not less distinguished among them was our old friend Boots Taylor, a very Chesterfield in manners. Carnes and Teel and Morehouse and Deaf Smith lived in those times with a host of other noble spir- its whose lights have long since gone out."
"We notice a few survivors of those glorious days still among us. Col. Frank Johnson, one of the he- roes of the storming of San Antonio, and the sur- render of the Mexican garrison under Cos, sat with us on a log under the very eaves of the old build- ing the day before it fell, and with him another sur- vivor, Honest Bob Wilson, who was expelled from the Senate of the old Republic, but was re-elected and borne back in triumph upon the shoulders by an indignant people to the Capitol."
During 1837-38-39 there were a great number
EX-MAYOR H. D. TAYLOR Pioneer Merchant and Cotton Man
49
THE CITY OF HOUSTON, TEXAS
of houses erected in Houston, but they were all wooden structures or primitive log cabins. Not until nine years after the town was established was there a brick building put up. During the year 1845 Mr. Cornelius Ennis and General E. B. Nichols erected two brick buildings on the east side of Main street, between Congress and Commerce avenues. One was where the Western Union Telegraph Office now is and the other was where the Converse building is located.
Seven years later, in 1852, Mr. Paul Bremond erected a brick building and the next year Mr. B. A. Shepherd erected his bank building on the corner of Main and Congress, across the street from the present magnificent Union Bank building.
All these first brick buildings were small two- story affairs, and as small as they were they seem to have been ahead of the time for in most of them the second stories were used only as lumber rooms.
On March 10, 1859, the first note of Houston's real progress was sounded by the fire bell. At the time it was regarded as a great disaster, and from a money point of view it was something of the kind, since the loss was placed at about $300,000, with little or no insurance. A great fire broke out at mid- night on the corner of Main and Congress, and raged for eight hours. All the block on the west side of Main between Preston and Congress was destroyed and half of the block on the opposite side of Main was also consumed. These houses were
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A THUMB-NAIL HISTORY OF
wooden shanties and their destruction was the best thing that could have happened.
Almost before the ground grew cold again work- men were busy digging trenches for foundations, and in a short time several really fine brick buildings were erected. Mr. Wm. Van Alstyne, father of Mr. A. A. Van Alstyne, now of Galveston, had the honor of erecting the first three-story building in Houston. It was a very attractive building and stood on the corner of Main and Congress, directly opposite the present Krupp and Tuffly building. But Mr. J. R. Morris out-did Mr. Van Alstyne, for he put up a four-story iron-front building, not only the first of its kind in Houston, but the first ever erected in Texas. The building was in the middle of the block on the east side of Main, between Pres- ton and Congress avenues.
It was not a fire, or disaster of any kind, that gave Houston its first great hotel. During the same year that the Van Alstyne and Morris build- ings were erected, Col. Wm. J. Hutchins began the erection of a large four-story hotel built of brick, on the historic site of Houston's first hotel. This was the famous Hutchins House, made famous by the fact that most of the State associations, societies and many of the large commercial enterprises had their inception in its parlors.
To that time and ever since 1837, when the State Capitol building was erected, which was later the Old Capitol Hotel, it had been Houston's chief ho- tel. This was a rather commodious frame building,
51
THE CITY OF HOUSTON, TEXAS
two-stories in height, and stood on the site where the new 18-story Rice Hotel is now being erected, corner of Main and Texas avenue. The Hutchins House was not completed until after the war; that is, not completely so, and there was a long delay before it could be used for the purpose for which it was designed. This historic house was burned down several years ago and the ground was allowed to remain vacant until 1911 when it was purchased by the Southern Pacific railroad and the present magnificent office building of that road was erect- ed on it.
During 1859 and 1860 Houston had something of a building boom and a great many really preten- tious (for that day) buildings were erected in vari- ous parts of the city. One or two rather extensive fires occurred about that time, which cleared the ground of wooden shacks and enabled the owners to build more substantial houses, which they did.
During and for some years after the war there was very little in the way of improvements. During the war it was impossible to do much and after peace had been declared the people were too poor to do anything that was not absolutely imperative. The skyline of Houston, therefore, underwent no changes until 1894, when Jacob Binz erected the first skyscraper in Houston. This building is still standing and though there are many others that tower high above it, it is justly considered one of the most useful and substantial buildings of its class in Houston. This building occupies one of the his-
52
A THUMB-NAIL HISTORY OF
toric sites of the city, for it stands where the first Land Office of the Republic was situated, when Houston was the Capital of Texas. Its erection marked the beginning of a new era for Houston architecturally, for it was the introduction of the modern skyscraper, buildings for which Houston has since grown famous.
Today Houston has more skyscrapers than any city in Texas and their number is being constantly added to.
PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
The first public buildings in Houston were the County courthouse and the County jail, erected in 1838 by Harrisburg county, as Harris county was then called. They were both primitive in every sense of the word. The courthouse was a double log cabin, with a broad passage between the two rooms, such a building as is still occasionally seen on old planta- tions. The rooms were each sixteen feet square, the court being in one room and the clerk's office in the other. The jail was something of a curiosity, being simply a square log box having neither doors nor windows. There was but one opening, that being a trap-door at the top. Access to the jail was through this trap door. A prisoner was taken to the roof by means of a ladder. The ladder was then drawn up and lowered into the jail. The prisoner descended and then the ladder was drawn up and the trap shut. It was all very simple, but very cumbersome as well.
Both the jail and courthouse were located on the Congress avenue side of courthouse square, near the
53
THE CITY OF HOUSTON, TEXAS
Fannin street corner. They answered very well for the court needs of that day, but the city and county soon outgrew them and it became necessary to pro- vide better and more commodious quarters. The city having constructed the old market house and provided quite a commodious city lock-up or cala- boose, the county solved the jail problem by making a contract with the city whereby the county was al- lowed to make use of the city prison as a county jail. The old log courthouse was still used, however, until 1850, when it was torn down and the first brick courthouse was erected. The building was placed almost in the center of the block, but a little to the Congress side. It was a two-story brick building, cost $15,000, and was regarded as the finest build- ing in the country by the early Houstonians.
Owing to poor material, faulty construction or some other cause, this first courthouse did not stand long. Its walls cracked so badly and it showed such evidence of decay that nine years after its erection it was condemned and torn down to make way for a second brick building.
The second brick courthouse was erected in 1859. This was a much larger and more expensive build- ing than its predecessor. It was placed on the north side of the square, fronting Congress avenue. It was really a three-story building for it had a large basement, which was used for offices by some of the county officials. The other county officials were located on the second floor, while the third floor was used entirely for court purposes, there being two
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A THUMB-NAIL HISTORY OF
large court rooms. During the war the basement was fixed up for a guard-house, iron bars were placed in the windows and doors and at various times prisoners of war, captured at Galveston and Sabine Pass, were confined there. It was not used permanently for that purpose, however.
Ten years after it was built, this building also be- gan to crumble and in 1869 it was torn down and another larger building was erected almost on the same site, only a little further back from Congress Avenue. This courthouse was an improvement over those that had preceded it and was also more sub- stantially constructed, for it stood thirteen years. In 1882 it was somewhat damaged by a wind storm, and, being rather dilapidated in every way, the County Commissioners decided to tear it down and erect a new and finer building. There was a great deal of friction between the members of the court over plans and financial matters, but finally every- thing was amicably settled and the courthouse was built in 1883. The new building was much more pretentious than any of the others that had preceded it and it was evidently better constructed for it served the purpose for which it had been construct- ed from 1883 until 1907, or almost a quarter of a century. In 1707 a special election was held and an issue of $500,000 of bonds was authorized for the purpose of building a courthouse in every way worthy of the great County of Harris and the great City of Houston. The bonds were issued and the present magnificent courthouse was erected. It is
55
THE CITY OF HOUSTON, TEXAS
one of the finest buildings of its kind in the South and would be a credit to a city fives times the pop- ulation of Houston.
Mr. O. L. Cochran, who has the distinction of be- ing the oldest citizen of Houston, and who for many years was the postmaster here, furnishes the follow- ing information about the early locations of the Houston Postoffice: During the days of the Texas Republic it was located on the west side of Main street, about the middle of the block between Pres- ton and Congress avenues. After Texas became a
State of the Union, in 1845, the office was removed to the old hotel, corner of Franklin avenue and Travis street. It was then removed to Dr. Hull's drug store, corner of Preston and Main, the site of the present Fox building. Then it was removed to courthouse square and located on the northeast cor- ner of Congress avenue and Fannin street. It re- mained here for many years and then was removed just across the street to the northwest corner of Con- gress and Fannin. The next move was to the rear of the Fox building on the north side of Preston. Then it was taken to the Miller building on the northwest corner of Fannin and Preston. Its stay here was not long and its next move was to the Tay- lor building on the southwest corner of Preston and San Jacinto. It remained in the Taylor building until 1890, when the Government purchased the southeast corner of Franklin and Fannin and erect- ed its own building there. That building was be- hind the times and Houston grew so rapidly that
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A THUMB-NAIL HISTORY OF
by the time it was completed, sub-stations had to be established to handle the business.
In 1903 the Government purchased the block in front of the High School and erected on it the pres- ent fine building, which was completed only a few months ago. Although the building is very large and thoroughly equipped, Houston has again out- grown it, and it has been found necessary to retain the old building, which is to be remodeled, improved and used as a sub-station.
As told elsewhere, Houston's first market house was erected in 1840 and stood until 1871, when it was torn down to make place for the great brick market erected at such immense cost to the tax- payers by the scalawag reconstruction city adminis- tration. This famous building was destroyed by fire in 1876 and one similar to it was built on the same site, though at a much less cost. In fact, the new building cost only about $80,000, while the old one cost $470,000. This new building was also destroyed by fire in 1901, and then the present magnificent market house and city hall combined was erected and today has no equal so far as usefulness, beauty of architecture and honest construction in the entire South.
It is a singular fact that Houston formerly had a volunteer fire company that was older than the city itself; that is, older than the chartered city. This was Protection No. 1, which was organized in 1836. It was not only Houston's first fire company, but it was unquestionably the first fire company or-
EX-MAYOR JOHN T. BROWNE A Houston Boy Who Made Good
57
THE CITY OF HOUSTON, TEXAS
ganized in Texas. Houston at that time was only an aggregation of tents and log shanties, so there was no great danger of big conflagrations, and fighting fire was not the serious thing it became after more pretentious buildings were erected. Still there was danger and the company was organized to meet that danger. For the first fourteen or fif- teen years of its existence the method and appli- ances for fighting fire were extremely crude, con- sisting only of the formation of a line of men and the passing of buckets filled with water. The com- pany was merely a bucket brigade, but it did good work. About 1850 the company purchased its first engine, which was a hand engine, worked by beams on each side. This old engine was used for many years and figured prominently at all the early fires, including the two or three great ones that occurred in the late fifties. It is regretted that the names of these early Houston firemen have not been pre- served.
Protection No. 1 was Houston's only fire com- pany from 1836 until 1858, when the city having grown and a great fire having occurred in 1858 it became evident that better protection against fire was an imperative necessity. Hook and Ladder Company No. 1 was organized in 1858 and two years later, in 1860, Liberty No. 2 was organized. Then the great war came on and it was not until between 1866 and 1870 that further additions to the department were made. During the latter part of
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