Houston Lost and Unbuilt (review)

Houston, Texas, has lost much of its historic architecture. Steven Strom writes, "The destruction of buildings on this scale has been seen before as the result of massive wars; in Houston, however, the pursuit of money and the new and "modern" has had an nearly the same devastating effect on the city's built environment as World War II had on cities such as Berlin, Warsaw, and Tokyo" (1).

The publication of Houston Lost and Unbuilt resulted from two articles the author previously published in a Houston architecture magazine, one chronicling historic commercial and civic buildings that have been demolished in Houston, and another presenting a number of major Houston building projects that were planned but reached only the conceptual stage. The author's main goal in writing the book was to document Houston's abysmal record of historic preservation in the hope that "this book's audience will be moved to help salvage Houston's remaining historic architecture" (vii). The book contains a collection of photographs and drawings with commentary on the background and history of an eclectic assortment of lost buildings, and also, like his second article, has a section featuring a variety of projects which were planned but never built.

In the "Lost Houston" section, Strom argues that Houston, with its decades-long obsession with modernity and progress, has sacrificed its architectural past, and as a result the city is "neither comforting to longtime residents, nor particularly interesting to new arrivals" (7). Unlike in most American cities, the wanton destruction of historic buildings did not slow after the close of the urban renewal decades of the 1950s-1970s, but has continued, even though citizens have protested demolitions such as the loss of the Shamrock Hotel in 1987 and the destruction of the Village Theater in 1994. Even Houston's modernistic Astrodome built in 1965 has been threatened with the wrecking ball. Strom posits that the loss of so many significant historic landmarks, such as auditoriums, libraries, theaters, hotels, and department stores used by hundreds of thousands of Houstonians over the years, has diminished public memory, a sense of place, and a sense of community.

The book reveals a history that has been largely lost on the streets of Houston. By describing and showing images of Jim Crow segregation, such as the Colored Carnegie Library; lost elegance, such as Theatre Row; and architectural curiosity, such as the Humble Oil and Refining Filling Station Number Four, Strom unlocks historical realities that are hidden by newer facades within the city itself. Whereas in more intact cites such as New Orleans, one can learn local history by experiencing actual historic landmarks, Houston requires resources such as Strom's book to bring its history to light. Houston Lost and Unbuilt also has a section on significant demolished building interiors, which broadens the book's ability to conjure up the past of a city that has lost so much.

The "Unbuilt Houston" section of the book explores the Houston that could have been. Unbuilt projects range from the ugly (the massive Houston Center), to the potentially sublime (the art deco Sterling Hotel), to the impractical (a proposed Monorail System). While interesting, I feel that including unbuilt projects detracts from the book's overall mission, which is to inspire Houstonians to preserve what historic architecture they have left. Overall, Houston Lost and Unbuilt is an interesting, well researched, and valuable resource for anyone interested in Houston's history and its lost architectural heritage.