Setting
Memorial is located west of Downtown Houston, northwest of Uptown, and south of Spring Branch. The City of Houston-defined Memorial Super Neighborhood is bordered by Buffalo Bayou on the south, Barker Reservoir on the west, Westview on the north, and the Memorial Villages to the east.
The area takes its name from Memorial Drive, an east-west arterial road that runs through it. West Memorial also overlaps with part of the Energy Corridor along Eldridge Parkway and the Katy Freeway.
Neighborhood Character
Memorial includes forested residential areas along Buffalo Bayou, with a range of architectural styles. Mid-century modern homes are especially associated with the area, including in Memorial Bend, which was first developed in 1955 and is noted for its large collection of mid-century modern houses.
The area also contains major office and retail developments. Memorial City, Town & Country Village, and CityCentre are among the large developments located in or near Memorial.
Growth and Development
Before Houston annexed Memorial, the area included large country estates and farmland. Houston annexed Memorial gradually between the 1950s and the 1980s.
Growth in the Houston metropolitan area during the 1960s brought new subdivisions to Memorial, including Nottingham Forest, Westchester, and Fonn Villas.
Retail and Mixed-Use Districts
Memorial City Mall underwent a $600 million renovation from 1999 to 2003. The mall and nearby Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center are now part of a mixed-use district with office towers, hotels, and apartments.
Town and Country Mall, built in the 1980s, was razed in 2005 and replaced by CityCentre, a walkable mixed-use district. Town & Country Village remains near Memorial Bend.
Bayou, Reservoirs, and Parks
Addicks Reservoir led to the relocation of the town of Addicks to the western edge of the area, while Barker Reservoir was created west of Memorial and Buffalo Bayou was channelized from State Highway 6 to Beltway 8.
The western two-thirds of Memorial is bordered on the south by Terry Hershey Park, a linear park along Buffalo Bayou between Barker Reservoir and Beltway 8. Other public parks in Memorial include Bendwood Park near Town and Country Village and Nottingham Park near Tully Stadium.
Flooding During Hurricane Harvey
In August and September 2017, parts of Memorial near Buffalo Bayou and its tributaries experienced severe flooding during Hurricane Harvey. High water levels in Addicks Reservoir and Barker Reservoir led the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to increase releases into Buffalo Bayou, flooding low-lying neighborhoods near Terry Hershey Park and in the Memorial Villages.
Buffalo Bayou’s high water made several major roads impassable, including Texas State Highway 6 and portions of Interstate 10. The sunken stretch of the Sam Houston Tollway near CityCentre was submerged for a week and sustained significant damage.
What it is like
Memorial is Houston Super Neighborhood 16, recognized on 12.15.2009, with approximate boundaries of Interstate 10 to the north, incorporated villages to the east, Buffalo Bayou to the south and State Highway 6 to the west. It is described as one of Houston’s most prestigious neighborhoods, heavily wooded, with residential development beginning in the 1950s and housing ranging from mass-produced homes to million-dollar estates.
Sources: Memorial, Houston (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA); houstontx.gov