Houston Museum District

A direction sign in the Museum District

The Houston Museum District commonly known as, “The Museum District,” is an association of museums, galleries, cultural centers and community organizations located in Houston, Texas, dedicated to promoting the arts, sciences, and cultural amenities of the area.

The Houston Museum District currently includes 18 museums that recorded a collective attendance of over 8.7 million in 2007. All of the museums offer hours with free admission, and 11 of the museums are free all the time.^[1]

Bordered roughly by Rice University, the Neartown area and Texas Medical Center, the Museum District specifically refers to the area located within a 1.5-mile radius of the Mecom Fountain in Hermann Park. The Museum District is served by four stops on the METRORail, one specifically named for it and is easily accessible from US 59, State Highway 288 and Main Street.

Museum District Red Line southbound station

Museum District Red Line northbound station

The beginnings of the Museum District are found in 1977, when it became apparent that some action needed to be taken to provide easier access to the museums of the area. This call for community improvement evolved into the non-profit Montrose Project by the mid-80s but changed into the Museum District Development Association of Houston (MDDAH) shortly thereafter. Based on the works of this organization, the Museum District was formally recognized by the City of Houston in 1989. The founding organization was dissolved in 1994, but the Museum District is now under the auspices of the Houston Museum District Association, founded in 1997.

The Museum District attracts visitors, students and volunteers of all ages, backgrounds, and ethnicities to learn about and celebrate art, history, culture, and nature around the world.

History

In the late 1970s, the area currently including the Houston Museum District had fallen into disrepair, badly needing attention from local, county and state governments to improve roads and beautify the area, then unsafe for pedestrian traffic and cyclists.

The Houston Museum District began as a grassroots community movement in 1977 led by Alexandra R. Marshall whose concept was to create a pedestrian-friendly district with the Museum of Fine Arts, at the intersection of Bissonnet Street and Montrose Boulevard, as its core. In such a strongly vehicle-oriented city, and one which to this day retains the title of the largest city in the United States without zoning, this was fairly progressive.

The Museum District Development Association of Houston proposed a multi-phase plan to beautify and make more pedestrian-friendly the area located between Allen Parkway, Buffalo Bayou and Hermann Park. It took advantage of the opportunity to create in Houston an area of vital urban importance, similar to the French Quarter in New Orleans, St. Germain in Paris, and Georgetown in Washington, DC.

Since its creation, the numerous efforts of the Houston Museum District organizations have included community improvement projects, tree planting, sidewalk planning, construction and expansion, esplanade design, development and beautification, establishment of public transportation to and from the area, police support and various cultural events

The Montrose Association, the Museum Area Municipal Association, the South Main Civic Association, the Cultural Arts Center of Houston and TALA (Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts) all played a part in the development and subsequent success in the creation of the Houston Museum District.

Timeline

• 1977: Concept formulated, area associations involved.
• January 1986: Montrose Project incorporated.^[2]
• July 1986: Montrose Project becomes the Museum District Development Association of Houston.^[3]
• March 1987: MDDAH gains 501(c)3 status.^[4]
• May 1988: “Raiders of the Lost Art” event held to raise funds and awareness of the District.^[5]

City of Houston Museum District Resolution

• September 1989: The Museum District receives a Clean Houston Honorable Mention in the Proud Partners Awards for its Museum District Improvement program.^[6]
• September 1989: Business leaders, museum directors and members gathered to sign a coalition agreement supporting a City of Houston Resolution creating an official Museum District.^[7]
• October 18, 1989: The area along Montrose Boulevard, from Allen Parkway to Hermann Park was designated by the City of Houston City Council and Mayor Kathryn Whitmire as the official Museum District of Houston.
• 1990: The Cultural Arts Council of Houston, now known as Houston Arts Alliance published The Cultural Guide to Houston, a guide book of Houston which included maps of each cultural center in the city, including a map of the Museum District.
• December 1991: MDDAH helped host the 5th Annual Christmas and Hanukkah in Neartown, with a tree lighting, caroling and a Children’s Parade and Festival. (see program here).
• May 1992: “Savor the Flavors” benefit held for the Museum District, highlighting 23 local restaurants. (see program here).
• 1994: The organized abandonment/dissolution of the 501(c)3 Museum District Development Association of Houston. Records were handed off to the South Main Center Association for further collaboration and development within the community.
• November 1996: Shepherded by the South Main Center Association, now South Main Alliance, the organizations of the Museum District joined together to publish a brochure, promoting the Museum District, which included new member museums.
• January 1997: Eleven institutions reincorporated the Houston Museum District Association as a 501(c)3 corporation. Five new museums joined in 2002 and two more in 2007.

Founding members

According to 1st board meeting notes (Oct 4, 1986):

Directors:

• Alexandra Marshall, Chairman
• Ora Harrison, President
• Lyn Mathre
• Jan Chism
• John B. Honeycutt
• Barbara Brown
• Jill Hafner
• Nancy Hinckley
• Candyce Rylander
• Dr. William Shiffick

^[8]

Ex-Officio members

• Peter Marzio, Director, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
• Truett Latimer, Director, Houston Museum of Natural Science
• Jane Jerry, Director, The Children's Museum
• Paul Winkler, Director, The Menil Collection
• Suzanne Delehanty, Director, The Contemporary Arts Museum
• Don Piercy, Director, The Museum of Print History
• Harla Kaplin, Director, Houston Fotofest, Inc.
• Jean Caslin, Director, Houston Center for Photography

Participating civic leaders at founding

• Marty Reiner, Executive Director, South Main Center Association
• Kathy Hanns, Director, The Art League of Houston
• Sarah Brunon, President, Neartown Association
• Gail Ramsey, President, Neartown Business Alliance
• Barry Moore, President, Museum Area Municipal Association
• Mimi Walker, President, Westmoreland Civic Association
• Burt Nix, President, Greater Montrose Business Guild
• Andrea di Bagno, Representative, Audubon Civic Club
• Jan Cato, Representative, Shadowlawn Civic Club
• Dr. Joseph McFadden, University of St. Thomas
• Dr. John Lancaster, Pastor, First Presbyterian Church
• Don Olson, Director, Parks and Recreation Department, City of Houston

^[7]

Current museum members

Byzantine Fresco Chapel Museum

• Buffalo Soldiers National Museum
• Byzantine Fresco Chapel Museum
• Children's Museum of Houston
• Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
• Czech Cultural Center Houston
• The Health Museum
• Holocaust Museum Houston
• Houston Center for Contemporary Craft

Cockrell Butterfly Center at the Houston Museum of Natural Science

• Houston Center for Photography
• Houston Museum of Natural Science
• Houston Zoo
• The John C. Freeman Weather Museum
• The Jung Center Of Houston
• Lawndale Art Center
• The Menil Collection
• The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
• Rice University Art Gallery
• The Rothko Chapel

Parks and other institutions

• Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research
• Hermann Park

Map of Museum District

Map of Museums in the Museum District

Funding

Originally, funding was completely based on private sources—association member dues and members’ donations. Later, with growing awareness of the MDDAH and their work, funding came from numerous other sources.

Today, total operating budgets for the member museums exceed $80 million, funded almost completely from revenues and private donations. Museum District funding includes approximately $1.5 million in Hotel Occupancy Tax funds from the City of Houston and the Houston Arts Alliance; contributions from all participating museums; foundation support from The Houston Endowment, Inc.; The John P. McGovern Foundation; The Wortham Foundation, Inc.; The Brown Foundation, Inc.; Susan Vaughan Foundation, Inc.; and corporate support from KHOU-TV Channel 11, KUHT-TV (PBS), the Houston Chronicle, Texas Monthly, Exxon, and Cadillac.^[1]

Programs

Something is happening almost every day of the week and often in the evenings at the member museums in the Museum District.

Museum District Day

During the annual Museum District Day, museums offer free general admission and shuttle service for visitors in order to raise awareness of the District. In 2009, there were seventeen participating museums with over 66,000 visits. Museum District Day 2010 is Scheduled for Saturday, September 25.

Educators Open House

Each year, museums in the District host an open house for area teachers (public, private and home-school teachers) to experience the museums and learn about school programs available at the museums. Teachers receive continuing education credits for attending the 3 one hour presentations & prize drawings. Museum Educators Open House 2010 is scheduled for Saturday, January 23.

Cultural collaborations

The District has taken a leadership role in seeking collaborative opportunities with the Theater District, Miller Outdoor Theatre, the reorganized Houston Arts Alliance and city-wide cultural organizations to foster greater public awareness of Houston’s cultural attractions.

Public issues

The District plays an ongoing role in forming responses to public concerns and opportunities that include transportation improvements, signage, visitor information, area beautification, flood control and urban planning considerations. The HMDA also serves as an intermediary, which fosters an ongoing dialogue among the museums in the district to maintain continuing interest and visitation in the area.

Leadership

Susan Young, Executive Director, Houston Museum District Association
Michael Young, Programs Director, Houston Museum District Association ^[1]

Education

The Houston Public Library Clayton Library, Center for Genealogical Research is located in the Museum District. The genealogical collection, originally housed in the Julia Ideson Building in Downtown Houston, moved to the William Clayton Home, a Georgian-style house built in 1917, in the Museum District in 1968. A site for a new building, adjacent to the Clayton Home, was purchased in 1986. The new building, which was built in 1988, was designed to complement the Clayton Home.^[9] The city implemented a $6.8 million renovation project for the Clayton Home and the guest house and carriage house on the property in the 2000s. The city planned to renovate the property so it would meet LEED standards.^[10] The city installed an elevator in the guest house so the building could be used as an administrative office. The carriage house received an addition so it could function as a 100 person conference room. The Clayton site can accommodate one plenary session and four breakout meetings, which would be required for a national genealogical conference. The Houston Business Journal awarded the renovation as the best historic renovation for its 2009 Landmark Awards.^[11]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "HMDA Fact Sheet" (PDF). Houston Museum District Association. http://www.houstonmuseumdistrict.org/default/Fact%20Sheet%202008.doc. Retrieved 2009-04-07. 
2. ^ "Acceptance of Montrose Project Articles of Incorporation" (PDF). Houston Museum District Association. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ArticlesOfIncorporationMontroseProject.pdf. Retrieved 2009-11-05. 
3. ^ "HMDDA Acceptance of Articles of Incorporation" (PDF). Houston Museum District Association. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HoustonMuseumDistrictArticlesOfIncorperation.pdf. Retrieved 2009-11-05. 
4. ^ "501(c)3 Approval" (PDF). Houston Museum District Association. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HMDDA501c3Status.pdf. Retrieved 2009-11-05. 
5. ^ "Raiders of the Lost Art Program" (PDF). Houston Museum District Association. http://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:HoustonMuseumDistrictRaidersOfTheLostArt1of2.pdf. Retrieved 2009-11-06. 
6. ^ "Museum District Clean Houston Award" (PDF). Houston Museum District Association. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MDDAHCleanHoustonAward.pdf. Retrieved 2009-11-06. 
7. ^ ^{a b} "Museum District Coalition Agreement" (PDF). Houston Museum District Association. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HoustonMuseumDistrictCoalitionAgreement.pdf. Retrieved 2009-11-05. 
8. ^ "MDDAH Board Meeting Notes" (PDF). Houston Museum District Association. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MDDAH1stBoardNotes1of2.pdf. Retrieved 2009-11-05. 
9. ^ "History of the Clayton Library." Houston Public Library. Retrieved on March 11, 2010.
10. ^ Azevedo, Mary Ann. "Historic center for family tree research growing into 'green' era." Houston Business Journal. Friday December 14, 2007. Retrieved on March 11, 2010.
11. ^ "Best Historic Renovation: Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research." Houston Business Journal. Friday April 10, 2009. Retrieved on March 11, 2010.

External links

Houston portal

• Houston Museum District
• Museum District Walk & Roll Audio Tour