Houston Heights Odd Fellows Lodge No. 225 Hall

Duane's take

Here's my telling of the official marker for the Houston Heights Odd Fellows Lodge Number 225 Hall, just as it's recorded for the Texas Historical Commission. Now, some organizations come and go like a good rain in a dry summer. But then there are the Odd Fellows.

The Independent Order of Odd Fellows has been in Texas since 1838, and they have never been ones to pack up and leave a place they love. When the City of Houston Heights was incorporated in 1896, people started settling in, putting down roots, planting gardens, arguing over fence lines. And among those settlers were members of existing Odd Fellows lodges who looked around their new neighborhood and thought: we need our own.

So in 1905, a group of Odd Fellows residing in Houston Heights petitioned the Grand Lodge of Texas to charter a lodge right there in their area. The lodge took root. In their very first year-end report, they already boasted 43 members.

And these were not just any 43 people. Among their ranks was William G. Love, the first mayor of Houston Heights and the namesake of Love Elementary School.

There was Hugh Cook Colley, noted civil servant. And George Hawkins, who holds a particular distinction: one of the first Houstonians to own an automobile. Think about that the next time you're stuck in traffic on the 610.

But the lodge's story is also one of making do. At first, they rented meeting space in the Wallace and Johnson building on 19th at Ashland. Then in 1906, the Odd Fellows joined up with the Knights of Pythias and together they built Fraternal Hall on 12th at Yale.

A joint effort, a proud accomplishment. And then, in 1911, an electrical fire destroyed it. So the lodge picked themselves up and found a room over member Fred Dexter's general store on 17th at Rutland.

For the next dozen years, that is where they met. A room above a general store. Not grand, but faithful.

Then came February 1923. The Heights Odd Fellows Hall Association purchased a lot on 14th, just east of Heights Boulevard, and construction began on a two-story building. They dedicated it on April 28, 1923.

The first floor holds offices, informal spaces, and a kitchen. The formal lodge meeting room is upstairs, where it belongs. The exterior is dressed in a variegated brick veneer, with door and window openings accented by contrasting brick trim.

Roof brackets on the front, exposed rafter ends along the sides, the whole building echoing the craftsman-style bungalows of the Houston Heights neighborhood around it. And here is the part that lands quiet but lands hard. Today, the Odd Fellows still host regular meetings in that same building.

The one dedicated on April 28, 1923. The one that has served them for a century. Some things in Texas get built to last, and some things in Texas get built by people stubborn enough to make sure they do.

What the marker says

The Independent Order of Odd Fellows is a fraternal organization that has been in Texas since 1838. After the City of Houston Heights was incorporated in 1896, it did not take long for members of existing Odd Fellows lodges to settle there. In 1905, a group of Odd Fellows residing in Houston Heights petitioned the Grand Lodge of Texas to charter a lodge in their area. As the Houston Heights area grew, so too did the lodge, becoming one of the most active Odd Fellows lodges in the Houston area. They boasted 43 members in their first year-end report. Members included William G. Love, first mayor of Houston Heights and the namesake of Love Elementary School; Hugh Cook Colley, noted civil servant; and George Hawkins, one of the first Houstonians to own an automobile. At first, the lodge rented meeting space in the Wallace & Johnson building on 19th at Ashland. In 1906, members of the Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias jointly built "Fraternal Hall" on 12th at Yale, but it was destroyed by an electrical fire in 1911. For the next dozen years, the lodge met in a room over member Fred Dexter's general store on 17th at Rutland. In February 1923, the Heights Odd Fellows Hall Association purchased a lot on 14th just east of Heights Blvd. and began construction of a two-story building, which was dedicated on April 28, 1923. The first floor contains offices, informal spaces, and a kitchen; the formal lodge meeting room is upstairs. The exterior of the building features a variegated brick veneer with door and window openings accented by contrasting brick trim. Decorative features such as roof brackets on the front of the building and exposed rafter ends along the sides echo the many craftsman-style bungalows in the Houston Heights. Today, the Odd Fellows still host regular meetings in the same building that has served them for a century. RECORDED TEXAS HISTORIC LANDMARK - 2021