River Oaks, Houston
River Oaks is a residential community located in the center of Houston, Texas, United States.
[3] The community is home to River Oaks Country Club, which includes a golf course designed by architect Donald Ross and redesigned in 2015 by Tom Fazio.
This firm acquired two large tracts west of Houston totalling 360 acres for the purpose of developing a subdivision.
[9] Advertised as a "distinguished experiment in fine living," River Oaks became a national model for community planning.
[1] Homes along Kirby Drive were restricted to American Colonial or English Tudor style architecture.
After World War II, as Houston experienced its greatest growth, River Oaks became a haven for the wealthy of the city.
[15][16] River Oaks has been the subject matter of scholarly studies, primarily because its significant contributions to Houston's history and development as an elite suburban community.
[citation needed] River Oaks was the home of Jeff Skilling before he began serving a 25-year prison sentence for his involvement in the Enron scandal.
[20][21] Formerly a county schoolhouse, the building is currently the administrative center for the River Oaks Garden Club.
[22] In 2011 Bloomberg Businessweek ranked River Oaks as the seventh most expensive housing blocks in the United States.
[citation needed] River Oaks Boulevard, a road that runs through the center of the community, is lined on both sides by mansions and estates located away from the street.
Its design, with arcs of retail space on either side of West Gray Avenue, was considered a model for future development.
[12][34][35] Portions of the historic shopping center were demolished in September 2007 to redevelop the site for a bookstore and parking garage.
[39] The Houston Ballet headquarters, training facilities and pre-professional school, the Ben Stevenson Academy, were located on West Gray near the River Oaks Shopping Center until 2012.
The Houston Business Journal said "Pumpkin Park provides outstanding resources for neighborhood children – a wonderful playground, community center and the Summer Enrichment Program offering youngsters sports activities and crafts classes.
[60] Laura Nathan-Garner, author of the second edition of the Insiders' Guide to Houston (2012), wrote that "Many children in [River Oaks] attend [Lamar]".
[63] By that year several new families had established themselves in River Oaks and many of them were interested in sending their children to public school.
Some magnet parents opposed, believing that the River Oaks program would reduce racial diversity at the school.
Students who are eligible for HISD's preschools may attend any Early Childhood Center in Houston ISD for free.
[73] The replacement library, costing $6.2 million, has twice the staff and two and one half times the size of the previous facility.
[74] The 21,000 square feet (2,000 m2) library, designed by Jackson & Ryan Architects, houses over 60,000 books and is the first city LEED-certified facility.
The exterior was designed to match visual cues of buildings in the surrounding area, such as the River Oaks Baptist Church and School.
The Emily Scott and Joseph Wood Evans Clock Tower, a part of the library's exterior, includes a garden book archive and works of art.
The River Oaks Buzz is a monthly magazine mailed free of charge to all residents and focuses on the community.
Houston Fire Department operates Station 3 at 3735 West Alabama at Cummins, near River Oaks.
The Texas Department of Public Safety classifies the force as a guard, alarm, and investigation company.
[85] Each super neighborhood represents a group of civic clubs, places of worship, businesses, and other institutions and community interests.
[96] In January 2009 the USPS announced that it will put the River Oaks Post Office property up for sale.
[95] In October of that year the USPS announced that it, for now, will not sell the River Oaks and Melcher post offices.
[96] Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO) operates bus services in and around River Oaks.
