Third Ward Revisited
In the shadow of downtown Houston, an historic African-American neighborhood undergoes a cultural revival
By Dan Oko On a bright, sunny, fall Saturday, it seems as though most of Houston has decided to stop by an art opening at Project Row Houses, a multifaceted nonprofit in the city’s historic Third Ward. Young and old, black and white, rich and poor rub elbows, representing a fair cross-section of the nation’s fourth-most-populous city. Visitors chat, enjoy cold drinks, and check out the paintings, sculptures, and other installations displayed throughout the red-brick visitor center and seven adjacent wooden buildings while a DJ plays funky jazz and R&B in the courtyard. The 2500 block of Holman Street is a happening place.
Third Ward’s renaissance actually started some two decades ago, thanks in part to the vision of Rick Lowe, a young artist who, along with six other artists, founded PRH in 1993 and purchased a block of 22 so-called “shotgun houses.” Their aimwas two-fold: to save the structures from demolition and to create exhibition spacesfor African-American artists in Third Ward. These days, PRH has expanded to embrace a 10-block complex of some 60 properties at the heart of Third Ward. Three of the original shotgun houses have been transformed into studios, seven are used for art installations like those featured during Round 35, and another seven offer housing for single mothers and their children. Through its community-development arm, PRH provides additional affordable housing, as well as after-school and summer programs for neighborhood kids at the historic Trinity United Methodist Church nearby. “Art is the driving force behind what’s happening here,” says PRH director Linda Shearer, a former curator at New York’s Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim Museum. “It’s really about creating self-confidence.” Arts programs can contribute to confidence, Shearer continues, by providing a space for people to reflect on their community and find creative solutions to problems. They also provide activities for kids that help them establish bonds with each other and find mentors. The affordable housing also provides a social safety net. Today PRH draws art enthusiasts from across the city, the nation, and the world. Though certainly Third Ward still has some rough patches, visitors can experience the neighborhood’s revival while learning about an area as important to African-American history as anywhere in the state. One of the largest historically black communities in the South, Third Ward was ground zero for the Civil Rights movement in Texas and has served as home to prominent African-American citizens, musicians, and community leaders. Houston visual artist and music historian Tierney Malone has compared it to post-war Harlem, another center of black culture in America. Given this legacy, there is plenty to see in Third Ward in addition to Project Row Houses. A couple of blocks north of Holman Street lies 10-acre Emancipation Park, where early Juneteenth gatherings celebrating the end of slavery took place. The land was purchased for $800 by former slaves with the help of local churches in 1872; it was donated to the City in 1916. Thanks to the efforts of Friends of Emancipation Park, the Texas Historical Commission erected a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark in 2009 near the entrance of the park, on Dowling Street, noting its importance as a gathering place for the black community. Last fall, the City announced a $10 million capital campaign to make improvements, including new playgrounds, ball fields, and a gymnasium. See the full article in the February 2012 issue. |
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