DUANE
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Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about West University Place. Now, every good Texas town has a origin story, and this one starts, of all places, in Tennessee. A politician by the name of Ben W.
Hooper led investors in forming the West End Realty Co. in 1910. They had their eye on land near Rice Institute, which opened in 1912, and out of that vision grew West University Place, connected to Houston by streetcar. That detail matters.
A streetcar line meant young, middle-class families could actually get where they needed to go, and that's exactly who bought up those homesites. Young folks, starting out, planting roots. Now, land near a new institute of learning, served by a streetcar, selling to young families.
Sounds about perfect, right? Well. There was the flooding.
Frequent flooding, the kind that wears a community down and forces a decision. And the citizens of West University Place made theirs. They incorporated in 1924, elected L.B.
Ryon as mayor, and got to work on the problem. The city's second mayor, Harold B. Schlesinger, helped build out a strong infrastructure, the kind of foundation a place can grow on.
And grow it did. Addition by addition, the city reached its current size of approximately two square miles. Two square miles doesn't sound like much until you see what's packed into it: park space, amenities, and several thousand residents living in a community that is, to this day, independent and viable.
Tennessee money, Houston streetcars, and neighbors who refused to just live with the flooding. That's how you build something that lasts.
What the marker says
Tennessee politician Ben W. Hooper led investors in forming the West End Realty Co. in 1910. They chose land near Rice Institute, which opened in 1912, and created West University Place, connected to Houston by streetcar. Homesites sold primarily to young, middle-class families. Trying to address the area's frequent flooding, citizens incorporated in 1924, electing L.B. Ryon as mayor. The city's second mayor, Harold B. Schlesinger, helped develop a strong infrastructure. With several additions, the city grew to its current size, approximately two square miles. Today, the independent, viable community features park space and other amenities for its several thousand residents. (2004)