Upper Kirby
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Upper Kirby is a commercial district in Houston, Texas, United States.
Upper Kirby contains many businesses, including restaurants. Upper Kirby is east of the Greenway Plaza, southwest of Montrose, north of the city of West University Place, and south of River Oaks.
Upper Kirby is considered to be in an area west of South Shepherd Drive, east of Buffalo Speedway, north of Bissonnet Street, and south of Westheimer Road.[1]
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[edit] History
The River Oaks Garden Club Forum of Civics, located in Upper Kirby, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as the "Forum of Civics" on October 13, 1988.[2][3] Formerly a county schoolhouse, the building is currently the administrative center for the River Oaks Garden Club.[4]
The Texas Legislature created the Harris County Improvement District #3, also known as the Upper Kirby Management District, which governs the Upper Kirby area.[1] In 1999 the Houston city council created the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone 19, which covers 15 acres.[5]
In 2006 the Upper Kirby district plans to establish a "teen center" at Richmond at Wake Forest geared towards students at Lamar High School, Lanier Middle School, St. John's School, and other Upper Kirby schools and schools near Upper Kirby. Funding issues have delayed establishment of the center.[6]
[edit] Economy
Several businesses are located in the district. The studio for KTRK-TV ABC 13, the ABC station for the Houston area, is located at 3310 Bissonnet Street.[7][2] A Pakistan International Airlines booking office is in Suite 805 at 3730 Kirby Drive. [8]
Constructed in 1939, the historic Alabama Theatre was a primary entertainment venue of the district until it was closed and later reopened as a Bookstop bookstore.
[edit] Government
[edit] Local government
The Upper Kirby Management District is headquartered in Suite 250 in the Upper Kirby District Center at 3015 Richmond Avenue.[9]
Upper Kirby is a part of the Houston City Council District C.[10] As of 2008 Anne Clutterbuck represents the district.[11]
The community is within the Houston Police Department's Central Patrol Division[12], headquartered at 61 Riesner.[13]
[edit] Federal and state representation
Two Harris County precincts, 3 and 4, serve sections of Upper Kirby.[14] As of 2008 the precincts are represented by Steve Radack and Jerry Eversole, respectively.[14][15] Patrol services are contracted to the Harris County Precinct 1 Constable's Office.[1]
Upper Kirby is in Texas's 7th congressional district.[16]
[edit] Parks and recreation
The Upper Kirby YMCA Extension is located in Upper Kirby [1] [2]. Upper Kirby is also home to Houston's Levy Park, which features a community garden, a softball field, and a dog park.
[edit] Education
[edit] Primary and secondary schools
Lamar High School, a public secondary school, and St. John's School, an independent K-12 school, are located in Upper Kirby.
Residents in Upper Kirby are zoned to schools in the Houston Independent School District.[2] Gulfton is divided between Trustee District V, represented by Dianne Johnson as of 2008, and Trustee District VII, represented by Harvin C. Moore as of 2008.[17] Johnson will no longer serve as a board member after 2009.[18]
Several elementary schools, including Poe,[19] River Oaks,[20] and West University serve sections of Upper Kirby.[21] Lanier Middle School and Pershing Middle School serve separate sections of Upper Kirby.[22][23] Pin Oak Middle School is an option for Pershing-zoned residents.[24] All of Upper Kirby is zoned to Lamar High School.[25]
A private school, St. John's School, is in Upper Kirby.
[edit] Public libraries
The community is served by the Adele B. Looscan Neighborhood Library of Houston Public Library.[26] The current Looscan Branch building opened in September 2007. The former Americans with Disabilities Act non-compliant library, which was established in 1956, closed on August 27, 2005 and was demolished in February 2006.[27]
The previous Looscan branch had around 61,000 visitors in the fiscal year 2005. The original plans for Looscan called for the library to get a 5.37 million renovation. An Upper Kirby group proposed a new site near the Upper Kirby YMCA. Around that period the group Friends for Neighborhood Libraries began raising funds.[28] The replacement library, with a cost of $6.2 million, had twice the staff and two and one half times the size of the previous facility. Friends of Neighborhood Libraries had raised one million dollars in four months, and around 2.5 million in total to help fund the new library; the group spent about 30,000 dollars for the expenses.[26]
[edit] Media
The Houston Chronicle is the area regional newspaper.
The River Oaks Examiner is a local newspaper distributed in the community.[29]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c "Harris County Improvement District #3." Upper Kirby. Retrieved on December 10, 2008.
- ^ a b c "Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone - 19." Upper Kirby. Retrieved on December 10, 2008].
- ^ National Register Information System, National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service. Retrieved April 11, 2007.
- ^ "The Forum." River Oaks Garden Club. Retrieved on December 11, 2008.
- ^ "Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone #19." City of Houston. Retrieved on December 10, 2008.
- ^ Mulvihill, Jim. "Upper Kirby plans flood relief / While residents hope for other projects, funds remain scarce." Houston Chronicle. July 27, 2006. ThisWeek 1.
- ^ "Jobs at ABC13." KTRK-TV. Retrieved on December 10, 2008.
- ^ "Contact Us." Pakistan International Airlines. Retrieved on December 10, 2008.
- ^ "Contact Us." Upper Kirby. Retrieved on December 10, 2008.
- ^ "COUNCIL DISTRICT MAPS > DISTRICT C." City of Houston. Retrieved on December 10, 2008.
- ^ "City Council." City of Houston. Retrieved on May 10, 2008.
- ^ "Crime Statistics for Central Patrol Division." City of Houston.
- ^ "VOLUNTEER INITIATIVES PROGRAM - Citizens Offering Police Support." City of Houston.
- ^ a b "Precinct Maps : All Precincts." Harris County, Texas. Retrieved on December 10, 2008.
- ^ "Harris County Precinct 4." Harris County, Texas. Retrieved on December 10, 2008.
- ^ "Congressional District 7." National Atlas of the United States. Retrieved on December 10, 2008.
- ^ "Trustee Districts Map." Houston Independent School District. Retrieved on November 11, 2008.
- ^ "HISD TRUSTEE DISTRICT V." Houston Chronicle. October 19, 2009. Retrieved on October 20, 2009.
- ^ "Poe Elementary School Attendance Zone." Houston Independent School District. Retrieved on May 31, 2009.
- ^ "River Oaks Elementary School Attendance Zone." Houston Independent School District. Retrieved on May 31, 2009.
- ^ "West University Elementary School Attendance Zone." Houston Independent School District. Retrieved on May 31, 2009.
- ^ "Lanier Middle School Attendance Zone." Houston Independent School District. Retrieved on May 31, 2009.
- ^ "Pershing Middle School Attendance Zone." Houston Independent School District. Retrieved on May 31, 2009.
- ^ "Pin Oak Middle School." The Southwest District. Houston Independent School District. February 14, 2002. Retrieved on May 31, 2009.
- ^ "Lamar High School Attendance Zone." Houston Independent School District. Retrieved on May 31, 2009.
- ^ a b Downing, Margaret. "Judging Books and Their Covers." Houston Press. August 21, 2007. 1. Retrieved on August 11, 2009.
- ^ "Adele B. Looscan Branch Replacement," Houston Public Library. Retrieved May 23, 2008.
- ^ Downing, Margaret. "Judging Books and Their Covers." Houston Press. August 21, 2007. [hhttp://www.houstonpress.com/2007-08-23/news/judging-books-and-their-covers/2 2]. Retrieved on August 11, 2009.
- ^ "About Us." Examiner News.
[edit] External links
- Upper Kirby website
- Kirby All Stars - A Kirby Coalition project in Upper Kirby
