First Montrose Commons – History and Culture

History and Culture

First Montrose Commons actually lies in the greater Montrose area just west of downtown Houston in an area loosely bounded by West Alabama Street on the north, Richmond Street on the south, Montrose Boulevard on the west and Spur 527 on the east. The greater Montrose area contains two distinct subdivision plats – Bute Addition and Lockhart, Connor & Barziza Addition, which were derived from subsequent replats of the Obedience Smith Survey of 1836. Lockhart, Connor & Barziza Addition was platted in 1873 by real estate brokers Robert Lockhart, John C. Conner, and Phillipa L. Barziza. The Bute Addition was platted in 1907 by James Bute.

The Lockhart, Connor & Barziza Addition was named after the real estate partners in the subdivision – Robert Lockhart, John C. Connor, and Philippa Barziza. The adjacent Bute Addition was established by James Bute, the founder of the Bute Paint Company, one of the longest continually operating businesses in Houston’s history.

Houston, as a trading center, grew rapidly as the movement of Americans westward increased. Two railroads, the Buffalo Bayou, Brazos and Colorado (BBB&C) and the Texas Western Narrow Gauge (TWNG), along with other railroad companies, transported large numbers of people to Houston. The BBB&C and TWNG railroads also influenced the neighborhood’s shape. The need for housing increased as trade and the transportation businesses grew. Housing demand increased even further after the Great Hurricane of 1900 and another in 1914 impelled many people to move inland. Many Houston neighborhoods experienced building booms, including the Lockhart, Conner, & Barziza Addition, and the Bute Addition. Transportation infrastructure was built to accommodate the flow of people between adjacent neighborhoods and downtown Houston. The Montrose Streetcar Line was one such streetcar and it too had an impact on the neighborhood’s shape. The intersection at Roseland and West Main was the terminus and turnaround for the Montrose Streetcar Line until service ended in 1937.