Hiram Clarke, Houston
[2] The community originally consisted primarily of middle-class white residents, many of whom worked in the Texas Medical Center.
[4] In 1998, the area advocacy group South Houston Concerned Citizens Coalition received nonprofit status, so it could apply for grants to fund neighborhood projects and organize homebuyer fairs and community festivals.
Carol Christian of the Houston Chronicle said that the Windsor Village United Methodist Church was a primary factor.
[7] The area is included in the Five Corners District, which was drawn by the 80th State Legislature, and is associated with a twelve year Service and Improvement Plan scheduled to run through 2022.
Matt Schwartz of the Houston Chronicle said "Even with dues of $50 a year, enforcing restrictions with letters from attorneys or lawsuits can quickly drain resources.
[11] Other subdivisions in the Hiram Clarke area include: Hiram Clarke is 5 miles (8.0 km) southwest of NRG Stadium and NRG Park (previously Reliant Stadium and Reliant Park),[13][14] about a 13 minute commute.
[14] Mimi Swartz of Texas Monthly said in 2006 that, compared to Meyerland, Hiram Clarke was "a world away from its comforts" and that "the ranch houses were much smaller, the windows had bars, and weeds choked the front yards.
Originally named the South Post Oak Multi-Service Center, it had a price tag of $10 million.
[20] Mayor of Houston Bill White, other city politicians, and other community figures attended the groundbreaking ceremony on Friday October 12, 2007.
[21] It was the City of Houston General Services Department's pilot project in combining several municipal functions in one site, lowering construction, design, and land acquisition expenses.
Sheila Savannah, the bureau chief of the City of Houston Department of Health and Human Services, said that the demographics of Hiram Clarke, with its mix of families and older, long-time inhabitants, made the community well-suited for a multi-service center.
[25] The METRO hired Del E. Webb Construction Services, a Phoenix, Arizona-based company to build the transit center.
In the northern hemisphere spring of 1983, the staff of METRO examined the plans for the construction, then in-progress, and recommended a series of changes.
But because METRO demanded the changes, Webb had to perform work out of sequence, costing the company time and money.
"[28] In 2005 Dick Weiss of the New York Daily News described Hiram Clarke as "run-down" and "drug-infested".
[29] In 2005 Jennifer Floyd Engel of the Fort Worth Star Telegram referred to Weiss's assessment and added that Hiram Clarke was "written off as ghetto by almost everybody else.
"[29] Mimi Swartz of Texas Monthly said in 2006 that 76% of deaths occurring in Hiram Clarke were associated with "destructive habits" including alcohol dependency and drug abuse.
Ananiaz Johnson, a 1989 graduate of James Madison High School quoted in a Houston Chronicle article, said that "It's named after our area because it's popular here.
"[32] Johnson referred to Shuntel Coco, a Houston Community College School of Cosmetology student.
[34] One of his most notable albums, The Hiram Clarke Hustler (2009) describes his experiences from living there as well as mentions some of the local landmarks.
[37] Before the opening of Hines-Caldwell, Red Elementary School in Willowbend served a section of the Hiram Clarke area.
