Select tickets
Montrose began with a plan for gracious suburban living: landscaped boulevards, comfortable houses and modern conveniences, all within easy reach of downtown. Generations of Houstonians made something more of it. Houses became apartments and studios, businesses became gathering places, and people found opportunities to create, organize and build a life together. Their overlapping stories made Montrose a crossroads and one of the neighborhoods that gives Houston its character.
Join Preservation Houston Programs and Communications Director Jim Parsons for an illustrated exploration of that history, from the development of Montrose Place in 1911 to the larger area we know today. Historic photographs and maps reveal how the neighborhood grew, how transportation and commerce reshaped its streets, and how an aging suburb offered new possibilities to students, artists and musicians.
We’ll follow the growth of major arts institutions and an LGBTQ community whose influence extended far beyond the neighborhood. Along the way, we’ll consider what survives through successive waves of redevelopment—and how buildings, personal memories and shared experiences help us understand what Montrose has meant to generations of Houstonians.
This talk is adapted from a presentation prepared for the Montrose Redevelopment Authority/Montrose TIRZ in October 2026.
Event format
This virtual program will be presented live via Zoom. Registrants will receive the link and instructions for joining by e-mail.
Registration and pricing
Registration is free for Preservation Houston and Pier & Beam members and $10 for non-members. Please register online by 12 p.m. Tuesday, January 12.
Can’t join us live?
All registrants will receive access to a recording of the full program, so you can watch at a time that works for you.