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GHPA Walking Tour: The Binz

Presented by Greater Houston Preservation Alliance at Clayton Genealogical Library

September 12, 2010

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On the second Sunday of every month at 2 p.m. (6 p.m. June through September; there is no tour in December), GHPA presents a docent-guided walking tour of an architecturally and/or historically significant area of Houston.

Sunday, September 12: The Binz

Join the Walking Tours Program as we explore one of Houston's lesser-known historic neighborhoods, The Binz. The area was developed in the 1910s and grew along with nearby Rice University; several early Rice administrators and professors built their homes here.

The Binz has included the work of some of Houston's most prominent architects, including the Georgian house that Birdsall P. Briscoe designed for businessman and statesman William L. Clayton. In the 1950s, Clayton and his wife deeded the property to the City of Houston for use as a library, and today, the restored home is part of the Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research.

The neighborhood's pleasant streets appealed to others as well. Architects William Ward Watkin, Alfred C. Finn and Maurice Sullivan all built homes for their families here; unfortunately, only the Sullivan house remains standing today. Among The Binz's other remaining treasures is Houston's first Mormon church: Even though it's no longer used as a church and its origins are hidden by its present use, the Art Deco building remains standing.

Tickets will be sold beginning at 5:30 p.m. (please note the evening tour time for the summer) in front of the Clayton Library, 5300 Caroline St. Admission is $10 per person ($7 for GHPA members and students with valid ID), with a $2 discount for anyone who walks, bikes or takes public transportation to the tour. Free street parking is available in the area, and the tour starting point is a short walk from MetroRail's Museum District station. Reservations are not required. Restrooms will not be available.

If inclement weather threatens on the day of the tour, check the website for up-to-the-minute updates of any tour changes. You can also follow GHPA on Twitter to receive tour updates.

Photo: Clayton house (photo by David Bush).