Home & Art
A hippie slice of Houston gets its day: Flavorful, tree-hugging neighborhood highlighted
Threaten one tree and risk ruffling the feathers of a whole community.
It wasn't long ago that East Montrose residents banded together to save a magnanimous oak tree that shades a darling, hidden pocket park at 700 Bomar St. When locals saw that the proposed construction of a number of townhouses could endanger the mature canopy that's perched in Peggy Shiffick Park, they did something about it.
That's what East Montrose is all about.
"It's a community where people are involved," Catherine Belan, president of the East Montrose Civic Association, says. "People don't come home and hide behind their front doors. They share, they are doers, they want to be active in making sure we keep the essence of East Montrose thriving."
"It's a flavorful neighborhood."
East Montrose — with boundaries of West Gray on the north, Fairview on the south and east of Montrose to Genesee — will welcome visitors for its ninth annual Home Tour and Art Walk, set for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door, $10 for young adults ages 12 to 18 and free for kiddos 11 and under.
"It's a flavorful neighborhood," Laura Caille, secretary of the association, says. "And the best way to get a taste of it is by experiencing what life is like here."
Seven homes and six artist studios will be open. New this year is a foodie component where area restaurants will offer a sampling of what's tasty inside the abodes.
Watch the CultureMap video above to learn more what's brewing inside this charming, hippie slice of Houston history.