The video above takes you on a late-night walking tour through one of Houston's most overlooked historic neighborhoods — a gated pocket of early 20th-century homes tucked away in the Montrose area. It's a quiet, somewhat spooky stretch of dimly lit streets where Texas history is preserved in the form of 11 individually listed homes on the National Register of Historic Places. David Bridwell stumbled onto this area while spending time in Houston playing music, and the result is a genuinely fascinating look at a side of the city most people never see.
What Historic Homes Are in Houston's Montrose Neighborhood?
This particular cluster of homes dates back to 1907, when the area was first plotted as a neighborhood for Houston's elite. Each of the 11 homes has a plaque from the Texas Historical Commission, and five are designated City of Houston landmarks. The residents who built and lived in these homes were foundational figures in early Houston — civic leaders, state politicians, Texas Supreme Court justices, city council members, prominent judges, attorneys, lumber barons, ranchers, and real estate developers. One family founded a lumber company, and another started an early airport that eventually became part of what we now know as Hobby Airport.
What makes this pocket especially interesting is that these families considered themselves socially distinct from the new oil wealth that flooded into Texas in the early 1900s. They had broader national and international perspectives, and that worldview shows up clearly in the architecture. The homes reflect Tudor Revival, Colonial Revival, Georgian Revival, Neoclassical, and Beaux-Arts styles — a range you don't typically find concentrated in one small area of Houston. This is the last remaining stretch in this part of the city where that kind of early wealth is still physically preserved through these multi-million-dollar properties.
Live Music Connections in Houston
The reason for being in the Montrose area in the first place was live music. David Bridwell performed at a couple of spots during his time in Houston:
- Betsy's — a Houston venue where live music draws a casual, friendly crowd
- Evelyn's Park — a park with its own unique history that hosts outdoor music and community gatherings
Both spots are worth checking out if you're in the area, and Evelyn's Park in particular has some interesting backstory of its own.
Why This Side of Texas History Matters
It's easy to think of Houston strictly in terms of oil money and modern skyline, but neighborhoods like this one in Montrose tell a different story. These homes represent a pre-oil era of Texas wealth built on lumber, land, law, and civic leadership. Walking through this gated area at night, reading the historical plaques one by one, is a reminder that Houston's roots run deeper and stranger than most people realize. If you're someone who digs into the less obvious corners of a city while you're out exploring the Texas music scene, this is the kind of detour that pays off.