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Setting
The Houston Museum District is located in Houston, Texas, and is roughly bordered by Texas State Highway 288, Hermann Park, U.S. Route 59 and the Texas Medical Center. It sits near Main Street and across from the main entrance to Rice University.
The area includes museums, cultural centers and community organizations, along with parks and other institutions such as Hermann Park and the Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research.
A Walkable Cultural Area
The district is described as both walkable and bikeable. Its sidewalks are wide and maintained, and museums, restaurants and other attractions are close to one another.
Four METRORail stops serve the district, including one named for the Museum District. The area is also accessible from I-69/U.S. 59, State Highway 288 and Main Street.
Museums and Access
The Houston Museum District includes 21 museums and related institutions, with combined attendance of about 7 million visitors each year. The institutions promote art, science, history and culture.
All member museums provide free times or free days, and 11 are free all the time. Thursdays are especially busy because of free museum hours at several institutions, including the Children’s Museum of Houston, The Health Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
How It Developed
The district’s beginnings go back to 1977, when community members sought better access to area museums. In the late 1970s, the area needed road improvements and beautification, and it was considered unsafe for pedestrians and cyclists.
The effort grew into the Montrose Project in the mid-1980s and then became the Museum District Development Association of Houston. The City of Houston formally recognized the Museum District in 1989. The original organization dissolved in 1994, and the Houston Museum District Association was founded in 1997.
Public Improvements and Neighborhood Life
Organizations connected with the district have worked on community improvement projects, tree planting, sidewalk planning, esplanade design, public transportation, police support and cultural events.
The Museum Park Neighborhood Association serves nearby houses roughly bound by Texas State Highway 288, Hermann Park, Main Street and Alabama Street. Apartment and condominium communities are also in the area, with residents within walking distance of institutions such as the Houston Zoo, Miller Outdoor Theatre, Hermann Park and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
What it is like
Houston’s Museum District is in central Houston, with the Museum Park Super Neighborhood just south of Downtown, bounded by Highway 59/Interstate 69, Almeda Road, Hermann Park and Main Street. It is described as a walkable community with historic old homes, new low- and high-density residential development, medical facilities, businesses and cultural institutions. Founded in 1987, the Houston Museum District includes 21 institutions focused on art, history, science, spirituality and more.
Homes and housing
Museum Park Super Neighborhood 66 is just south of Downtown Houston, bounded by Highway 59, Almeda Road, Hermann Park and Main Street. The area is described as a walkable community with historic old homes, new residential development at both low and high density, thirteen museums and cultural institutions, medical facilities and businesses; it was recognized on 5/18/2010 and is active.
Sources: Houston Museum District (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA); houmuse.org; houstontx.gov