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City of Bellaire [TX] historical records

 Collection
Identifier: MS 0703
Finding aid note: Stored offsite at the Library Service Center and require 24-hour notice for retrieval. Please contact the Woodson Research Center at 713-348-2586 or woodson@rice.edu for more information.

Scope and Contents

The City of Bellaire [TX] historical records contains reports, documents, meeting minutes, correspondence, publications, audio-visual materials related to municipal issues such as planning and zoning, economic development, elections, and parking.

Dates

  • Creation: Majority of material found within 1949 - 2017

Conditions Governing Access

This material is open for research.

Stored offsite at the Library Service Center and require 24-hour notice for retrieval. Please contact the Woodson Research Center at 713-348-2586 or woodson@rice.edu for more information.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish material from the City of Bellaire [TX] historical records must be obtained from the Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library.

Historical Note

The city of Bellaire, Texas, is surrounded by Houston, West University Place, and Southside Place in southwest Harris County. William Wright Baldwin, acting as president of the South End Land Company, founded Bellaire and Westmoreland Farms after purchasing the 9,449-acre Rice Ranch in 1908. Baldwin was a native of Iowa and nationally known as vice president of the Burlington Railroad. The development was six miles from Houston on the eastern edge of the Rice Ranch, so named for former owner William Marsh Rice. Promotional advertising in 1909 explained that Bellaire was named for the area's Gulf breezes, but Baldwin may have named it for Bellaire, Ohio, a town served by his railroad. By 1910 Baldwin had invested over $150,000 in capital improvements to turn the treeless prairie into an attractive location for residences and small truck farms. From the site to Main Street in Houston he constructed Bellaire Boulevard. He also incorporated the Westmoreland Railroad Company to build an electric streetcar line down the center of the boulevard. The streetcar, known as the "Toonerville Trolley," operated from December 12, 1910, until bus service replaced it on September 26, 1927. In 1910 horticulturist Edward Teas was induced to move his nursery from Missouri to Bellaire Boulevard to implement landscaping plans drawn by landscape architect Sid Hare. A Bellaire post office opened in 1911.

Bellaire is zoned for residential, commercial, and light industrial sections. High-rise office buildings are located along Loop 610, but Bellaire is largely known as a residential city. Zoning and land-use controversies, long the stuff of Bellaire politics, led to a recall of the mayor and three councilmen in 1977. A resurgence in new residential construction began in the late 1980s following a liberalization of the city's traditionally strict zoning policies.

By 1968 Bellaire had fifteen churches and one synagogue. Leading community organizations included the Bellaire-Southwest Houston Chamber of Commerce (now part of the Houston Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce), the Bellaire Historical Society, Friends of the Bellaire Library, Friends of Bellaire Parks (now Patrons for Bellaire Parks), and the Bellaire Women's Civic Club. In 2017 there were three private schools and several public schools operated by the Houston Independent School District. Local publications included the Bellaire Examiner, the Village & Southwest News, and Bellaire Buzz magazine. City management is noted for its police and fire protection, library, public works, parks and recreation facilities, and an office for senior services. The population was 19,872 in 1960, 13,842 in 1990, and 16,855 in 2010. By 2016 the population grew to an estimated 18,584.

Handbook of Texas Online, Jeffrey D. Dunn, "BELLAIRE, TX," accessed July 24, 2018, http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/heb05.

Extent

30 Linear Feet (27 boxes + map drawer)

0.097 Gigabytes (Nearline access: MS0703aip_001 (0.097 GB))

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The City of Bellaire [TX] historical records contains reports, documents, meeting minutes, correspondence, publications, audio-visual materials related to municipal issues such as planning and zoning, economic development, elections, and parking.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The collection was donated by Lynn McBee, longtime resident of Bellaire and active in city government and historical groups, on October 5, 2017.

Existence and Location of Copies

Digital files in archival information package format (unique identifier # MS0703aip_001) on nearline server. Contact woodson@rice.edu for access.

Related Materials

See also Bellaire Historical Society records, MS 643.

Processing Information

An inventory of the collection was provided by the donor. This inventory was used to organize materials alphabetically by subject. Due to water damage, some documents were removed from the collection. Some items were scanned and saved as PDFs. Please see Sub-series: Elections for more infomation on accessing this material.

Title
Guide to City of Bellaire [TX] historical records, 1949-2017
Status
Unprocessed Addenda
Date
2018
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Woodson Research Center, Rice University, Houston, Texas Repository

Contact:
Fondren Library MS-44, Rice University
6100 Main St.
Houston Texas 77005 USA
713-348-2586