Norhill, Houston

Accessible by both streetcar and auto, Norhill grew with residents at a time when Houston's population was booming and quality housing was in demand for working-class citizens.

"[1] Bungalows in Norhill were commonly built from commercially available plans sold through catalogs such as Ladies' Home Journal or Sears Roebuck and Co. and could be easily constructed on 50 by 100 foot lots.

[1] With rooms that open up to each other and covered porches that provide an outdoor living space, the bungalow was an ideal home for Houston's often warm and humid climate.

As was popular during this time, Norhill homes were often built from a kit shipped directly to the lot containing all of the building materials needed for a particular design.

[1] Today, Norhill remains a “concentrated intact collection of houses built in various bungalow styles, many of which feature low-pitched roofs, simple designs, and trademark porches anchored by brick pillars and tapered wood columns.

[4] Whereas the neighboring Houston Heights has many historic homes with Victorian flourishes, Norhill bungalows are generally distinguished by cleaner lines with minimal ornamentation.

[1] The long green esplanades lend a park-like feel to Norhill Boulevard, a north–south residential street which runs through much of the neighborhood.