Sharpstown, Houston, Texas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sharpstown is a master-planned community in southwest Houston, Texas. It was one of the first communities to be built as a master-planned, automobile centered community and the first in Houston. Frank Sharp, the developer of the subdivision, made provisions not only for homes but also for schools, shopping and recreation areas. While this model has been duplicated countless times in the past fifty years, at the time it was quite revolutionary, attracting national media attention. The development was dedicated with much fanfare on March 13, 1955.
Contents |
[edit] Overview
The residential architecture in Sharpstown consists of post–World War II bungalows, modern and traditional homes. The materials used in building these homes were of sound quality and have withstood the wear and tear of the baby boomer generation as well as the test of time.
Robindell, a small neighborhood within Sharpstown is built of homes similar to that of Memorial Bend. Robindell also has an L-shaped neighborhood swimming pool. The first pool manager was a neighbor, J.W. Puryear. College men from Georgetown University were recruited to take lifeguarding jobs at the pool each summer. The lifeguards trained the neighborhood children to be racing swimmers and took many ribbons at Houston swimming competitions.
The Baskin Robbins Ice Cream store stood at the corner of Beechnut and Bissonnet since the 1960s, and is still a favorite place to get a cone on a hot summer day.
Sharp also donated a 300-foot-wide strip of land through the development to the state of Texas for construction of the Southwest Freeway (U.S. Highway 59). This routing ensured easy access from Downtown Houston to homes in the neighborhood, as well as to Sharpstown Center (1961), Houston's first air-conditioned, enclosed shopping mall.
Sharpstown was affected by the Sharpstown scandal. The scandal combined with a set of apartment complexes that became run-down ensured that Sharpstown became a neighborhood surrounded by crime by the 1990s. However, with Sharpstown's close-in location, there is renewed interest in revitalizing the neighborhood. In 2005, median home prices in Sharpstown had roughly doubled since 2000.
The City of Houston instituted the current nine city council districts in 1979. Sharpstown has been districted in District F since 1980. District councilmembers elected to the Houston City Council have been past presidents of the Sharpstown Civic Association - John Goodner (1980-1993), Ray Driscoll (1994-1999), Mark Ellis (2000-2003), and M.J. Khan (2004-present).
Like most Houston neighborhoods, the diversity of its population has increased over time. It has a significant number of persons of Asian descent, especially, Chinese and Vietnamese.
Sharpstown has a little league team called "Bayland Park Little League" (formerly Sharpstown Little League).
[edit] Fire service
The Houston Fire Department operates the Fire Station 51 Sharpstown at 6902 Bellaire Boulevard at Bintliff.
[edit] Police service
The neighborhood is served by two Houston Police Department patrol divisions.
- Areas north and west of U.S. Route 59 are served by the Westside Patrol Division [1].
- Areas south and east of U.S. 59 are served by the Fondren Patrol Division [2].
[edit] Education
[edit] Colleges and universities
Houston Baptist University is located in Sharpstown.
[edit] Primary and secondary education
[edit] Public schools
Sharpstown is served by several schools in the Houston Independent School District.
Bonham, Neff, McNamara, and Sutton Elementary Schools serve Sharpstown. Ed White Elementary School serves several subdivisions around Sharpstown Middle School.
From there, pupils progress to either Jane Long Middle School (any student zoned to Long may apply to Pin Oak Middle School's regular program) or Sharpstown Middle School, followed by Sharpstown High School.
Sharpview Elementary School was temporarily established at 7734 Mary Bates in order to relieve some Sharpstown-area elementary schools; Sharpview opened fall 2000 and closed in spring 2004. Plans to establish a permanent reliever elementary and/or middle school are, as of 2006, on hold [3].
[edit] Private schools
Sharpstown also has three private schools. St. Francis de Sales Catholic School (grades K-8), Strake Jesuit College Preparatory and Saint Agnes Academy, are located in Sharpstown.
[edit] Public libraries
The area is served by Walter Branch of Houston Public Library.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
 |
City of Houston History | Geography | Economy | Culture | Politics | Architecture | Transportation | Education | Houstonians |
|---|---|
| Areas | Downtown | Uptown | Texas Medical Center | Midtown | Neartown | Museum District | Upper Kirby | Greenway Plaza | Rice Village | Westchase | Greenspoint |
| Communities | Acres Homes | Addicks | Aldine | Alief | Braeburn | Braeswood Place | Clear Lake City | Genoa Township | Harrisburg | Houston Heights | Independence Heights | Inwood Forest | Kingwood | Maplewood | Memorial | Meyerland | Northshore | Oak Forest | River Oaks | Sharpstown | South Park | Spring Branch | Sunnyside
|
| Enclaves | Bellaire | Bunker Hill Village | Hedwig Village | Hilshire Village | Hunters Creek Village | Piney Point Village | Southside Place | Spring Valley | West University Place |
