Some neighborhood news that has us all a little worried.
Photo by Djmaschek, Creative Commons license
Heights Christian Church, a community gathering place for more than a century, is selling its historic property and merging with another congregation.
Rev. Amber Mattingly, the pastor at the church at 1703 Heights Blvd., said Tuesday that dwindling membership and financial resources prompted church leaders to vote in early February to merge with First Christian Church, which operates across from Rice University at 1601 Sunset Blvd. Mattingly said the decision also was made to move out of the property on Heights Boulevard, which includes educational buildings as well as Lambert Hall, a 95-year-old performing arts venue that is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The 42,600-square foot property, which covers the block between 17th and 18th streets on the west side of Heights Boulevard, was listed for sale about two weeks ago, according to Mattingly, who said the church brought in a grief counselor to help its 14 members cope with the development.
“Even though it was a good decision, there’s a lot to be mourned,” she said.
Leonard Wilkin, the board chair for Heights Christian Church, did not immediately respond to a Tuesday voicemail seeking comment. Mattingly said the leadership at the church, founded in 1912, intends to find a buyer that will continue to use the property in service to the community.
As for the fate of the tenants of the property, including a Spanish-speaking congregation, an art studio, a ballet studio and a nonprofit opera company, that remains unclear. Mattingly said the organizations that rent space at Heights Christian Church have been asked to vacate by the end of July.
Opera in the Heights, which has conducted performances at Lambert Hall since 1996, said in a statement released Friday that it is in “ongoing conversations with several venue operators in Houston to explore our options for next season.” The nonprofit opera company said it also is considering organizing a town hall meeting among its supporters, either in person or virtually, to discuss its next steps.
Lambert Hall is one of those places that makes the Heights what it is. We’re not regular opera-goers, but we’ve seen several Opera in the Height performances there. Both of our girls attended the Art on the Boulevard after school program with the delightful Miss Naomi for years – quite a few of the works they produced are still on display in our house. I don’t know what’s in store for this location, and I totally understand why the church, which suffered greatly during the pandemic, felt the need to do what it’s doing, but it’s hard to see this news and not feel a bit anxious about what comes next. I wish everyone involved all the best, and I hope that whoever buys this property has an appropriate amount of respect for it.
The Heights used to be called the “town inside the city.” But now, it is known as the city of town homes. The neighborhood was featured in Country Living magazine about 15 years ago, but has been on a steady blandification. The short sighted Houston and county government, hungry for more tax money, allow developers to run wild, building four or six tall houses on a lot that once had only one house. Meanwhile, more impervious ground which is the cause of increased flooding. The descent accelerated about four years ago when HEB hired Texas Petition Strategies to create the “Heights Beverage Coalition” to repeal the dry law, and, of course, with Pandemic Pandemonium, some more small businesses packed it in. Now, 19th Street, which once had four art galleries and an antique shop in every other building, is now down to one antique store. I would also be interested to see the change in the racial makeup of the Heights over the past 25 years.