University Oaks, Houston

University Oaks is a subdivision in southeast Houston with approximately 240 homes located adjacent to the University of Houston. It is bounded by Wheeler Avenue to the north, South MacGregor Way to the south, Calhoun Road to the east, and Cullen Boulevard to the west.[1]

Subdivision sign
An entrance into University Oaks on Wheeler Avenue

History

University Oaks was first platted in 1939 and the land that the subdivision occupies was formerly owned by Ben Taub.[2] The original deed included a racial covenant that restricted homeowners from selling or leasing their houses to any groups other than "the Caucasian race." It was last renewed in 1980. In 1984 the homeowners association had over 150 members. During that year the United States Department of Justice sued the subdivision to force it to remove the racial covenant, which was deemed illegal by the 1968 Fair Housing Act. The defendants were John Baust, the civil club president, and Anita Rodeheaver, the Harris County Clerk. In the lawsuit papers, the subdivision argued that deleting the racial covenant would jeopardize the other provisions from the original deed.[3]

In 2006, the University of Houston announced increased development plans—including one to blend low-rise residence halls with the University Oaks subdivision. Doug Erwing, who was at the time the president of the University Oaks Civic Club, announced support for plans to increase retail offerings and added that he would prefer redevelopment that fit with the neighborhood such as lower-rise dormitories as opposed to high rise dormitories.[4]

Education

Houses in the neighborhood are zoned to Houston Independent School District (HISD) schools. The community is within Trustee District IV, represented by Paula M. Harris as of 2009.[5]

Some residents are zoned to Lockhart Elementary School while others are zoned to Peck Elementary School.[6][7] All residents are zoned to Cullen Middle School and Yates High School.[1][8][9]

By Spring 2011 HISD planned to consolidate Lockhart and Turner, with a new campus in the Lockhart site.[10] By the same time frame HISD also plans to consolidate Peck and MacArthur elementary schools, with the replacement campus on the Peck site.[11] Residents were previously zoned to Ryan Middle School.[12] In 2013 it closed, with students rezoned to Cullen.[13]

Government and infrastructure

The Harris Health System (formerly Harris County Hospital District) designated the Martin Luther King Health Center in southeast Houston for the ZIP code 77004. The designated public hospital is Ben Taub General Hospital in the Texas Medical Center.[14]

Transportation
UH South/University Oaks

The METRORail Purple Line UH South/University Oaks railway station serves the neighborhood.

Notable residents
  • Guy Lewis, former University of Houston men's basketball coach[15]
  • Elizabeth Brown-Guillory, distinguished Professor of Theatre and Associate Provost/Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at Texas Southern University
  • Case Keenum, NFL Quarterback

References
  1. "University Oaks." Harris County. Retrieved on April 5, 2009.
  2. Home page." University Oak Civic Club. Retrieved on April 5, 2009.
  3. "Justice Dept. sues to bar racial covenants in deeds." Los Angeles Times at The Telegraph-Herald. December 10, 1984. Retrieved on October 18, 2011.
  4. Tresaugue, Matthew. "UH embarks on ambitious makeover / Plan to create sense of belonging includes housing, shops, restaurants." Houston Chronicle. Sunday December 17, 2006. A1. Retrieved on April 5, 2009.
  5. "Trustee Districts Map Archived 2012-07-11 at the Wayback Machine." Houston Independent School District. Retrieved on November 11, 2008.
  6. "Lockhart Elementary Attendance Zone." Houston Independent School District. Retrieved on May 3, 2018.
  7. "Peck Elementary Attendance Zone." Houston Independent School District. Retrieved on May 3, 2018.
  8. "Cullen Middle Attendance Zone." Houston Independent School District. Retrieved on May 3, 2018.
  9. "Yates High School Attendance Zone." Houston Independent School District. Retrieved on May 3, 2018.
  10. "Board Approves School Closings and Consolidations Archived 2011-09-28 at the Wayback Machine." Houston Independent School District. November 14, 2008.
  11. Mellon, Ericka. "HISD trustees voting today on school mergers / 4 elementaries would become 2 if proposals OK'd." Houston Chronicle. Thursday September 11, 2008. B2. Retrieved on April 5, 2009.
  12. "Ryan Middle Attendance Zone Archived 2007-06-30 at the Wayback Machine." Houston Independent School District. Retrieved on April 5, 2009.
  13. Mellon, Ericka (March 7, 2013). "HISD will close Ryan, tables plan to merge two high schools". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved March 14, 2013. Ryan, the district's smallest middle school with 263 students, will close at the end of this academic year. The students will attend Cullen, which is 4 miles away.
  14. "Clinic/Emergency/Registration Center Directory By ZIP Code". Harris County Hospital District. November 19, 2001. Archived from the original on November 19, 2001. Retrieved April 8, 2021. - See ZIP code 77004. See this map for relevant ZIP code.
  15. Stancill, Nancy (August 26, 1987). "Lewis runs afoul of UH garbage masher". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved January 20, 2010.

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