Exploring Houston’s First and Sixth Wards

Houston’s First and Sixth Wards offer an engaging study in contrasts. The First Ward dates from 1840, when the city’s initial four wards (city council districts) were delineated. The final ward, the Sixth, was carved out of the Fourth and formally designated in 1895. First and Sixth Wards tell the story of immigration as waves of new people move through the neighborhoods to this day. While the ward system was abolished in 1905, the terminology remains alive in contemporary culture. Olivewood and Glenwood cemeteries attest to the story of initial settlement while new structures and residents speak to the wards’ current vitality. 

The Seminar will explore these neighborhoods, peeking behind the public face to learn about what animates their residents today. Be ready to meet new people, sample food, and see churches, houses, and cemeteries.

November 15: Bounded by Houston Avenue on the east and Glenwood Cemetery on the west, Sixth Ward is Houston’s first National Register Historic District (1978) and its first City of Houston Protected Historic District (2007). The streets are lined with residential buildings from the 1850s to the early 20 th twentieth century representing Gulf Coast cottage, Victorian, Queen Anne, and Classic Revival architecture as well as bungalows and more recent renovations. We will visit the Dow School, St. Joseph Catholic Church, and several houses. Architectural historian Stephen Fox will provide the narrative for our walking tour of historic Sixth Ward.

December 6: First Ward is located east of Studewood almost to I-45, and south of I-10 to Washington Avenue. The springs that initially made the First Ward area attractive to German farmers evolved into an industrial center served by the burgeoning railroads. Today we see vernacular cottages alongside new construction, and former factories, warehouses, and silos transformed into offices, artists’ studios, exhibition spaces, and residences. Led by Jim Parsons, programs director for Preservation Houston, we will travel by bus and on foot through First Ward.