East Downtown Houston

• 1. Origins And Early Development

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  In the 1930s, Cantonese immigrants moved to what is now East Downtown Houston. They left Downtown Houston seeking more inexpensive land. The area was then part of the Third Ward. These immigrants opened grocery stores and restaurants. They held Chinese New Year celebrations in the neighborhood. Immigrants from other East Asian countries followed. People from Vietnam began moving into the Chinatown during this period. By the early 1950s, the Chinese Merchants Association relocated to the southeastern edge of Downtown Houston. Many Chinese businesses followed them there. A previous Chinatown in Downtown was replaced with commercial development by the 1970s. The EaDo Chinatown solidified as many Asian immigrants arrived in the 1970s. Lang Yee Bo Bo Woo facilitated development in the old Chinatown during that decade. Traffic increased to Chinatown after Houston Center opened in Downtown. Area newspapers wrote articles about the growing community.

• 2. The Great Relocation And Decline

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  By the late 1980s, increasing numbers of Chinese people lived in suburbs in Southwest Houston. They also settled in Fort Bend County. The Chinatown became geographically hemmed in by surrounding low income African-American and Hispanic neighborhoods. The Downtown area prevented additional growth. Two Chinese religious temples opened south of the old Chinatown in the 1990s. Plans from private entities and city government to promote development were harmed by an economic recession. Anthony Knapp and Igor Vojnovic noted that Old Chinatown had considerable promise into the mid-1990s. The general development plans never materialized. The sewer system was not extensive enough to handle proposed development. One major street connecting the old Chinatown with Downtown closed when the Brown Convention Center expanded. By the 1990s, many East Asian businesses left for the new current Chinatown in southwest Houston. In a the 28th of November 2002 article, John Nova Lomax described the area as silent and godforsaken. He called it no-man's-land that belonged to neither the Warehouse District nor the Third Ward. The name Chinatown was no longer apt by the year 2000.

• 3. Rebranding And Urban Revitalization

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  The district received its current name in the late 2000s. In 2008, the management district asked for suggestions for a new name. Suggestions included the Warehouse District and Saint E after St. Emanuel Street. The district selected EaDo, short for East Downtown. It was one of three most popular suggestions. Dan Nip encouraged people to invest in the Old Chinatown area during the same year. A person could become eligible for an EB-5 visa if they invested $500,000 United States dollars. They also had to create two jobs for ten years. By late 2009, the East Downtown authority began re-branding the district. By 2010, a community of artists began to form in EaDo. Helen Anders wrote that EaDo looks like an art installation with steamshiplike buildings as a backdrop. Skyscrapers lurk in the background while angular new condos sit against low-slung warehouses. Some warehouses remain in use for industrial storage. The opening of BBVA Compass Park and Daikin Park encouraged development. By 2015, many older houses were being replaced by townhouses with wealthier occupants.

• 4. Sports Venues And Infrastructure

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  Shell Energy Stadium is home for the Houston Dynamo and Texas Southern University football team. The stadium sits on land bordered by Texas, Walker, Emancipation and Hutchins streets. BBVA Compass was the first soccer-specific stadium in MLS located in a Downtown area. The stadium seats 22,039 people. It hosts soccer and football events along with concerts and boxing matches. Since 2015, METRORail light rail has served the neighborhood at EaDo/Stadium station. The Green and Purple lines serve this location. The Leeland/Third Ward station serves via the Purple Line. Metropolitan Transit Authority operates bus service through the area. City Council District I covers East Downtown. Station 10 opened in 1894 in what is now East Downtown. The station relocated to its current location in 1985. Harris Health System designated the Ripley Health Center for ZIP code 77003. In 2000, Ripley was replaced by the Gulfgate Health Center. Ben Taub General Hospital remains the designated public hospital in the Texas Medical Center.

• 5. Cultural Landmarks And Religious Sites

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  The Texas Guandi Temple is located in East Downtown. It faces University of Houston across Highway 45. A Vietnamese couple established the temple in 1999. Charles Loi Ngo and Carolyn built it after surviving an aggravated robbery at their store in the Fifth Ward. They believed that Guandi saved their lives during the incident. A Vietnamese refugee named Charles Lee coordinated donations and funding. He stated his motivation was to thank the United States for welcoming him when he arrived in 1978. The temple has perfumed halls and is open to followers of all religions. The Chinese Cultural Center was in the old Chinatown. Governor Dolph Briscoe attended the opening of that facility. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese maintains St. Nicholas Church in East Downtown. It is Houston's oldest black Catholic church. By 2012, the church held Swahili masses due to gaining African immigrant parishioners. A group of Cameroonians serves monthly tailored services through the Assumption Cameroonian Catholic Community. In 2013, the church experienced multiple instances of copper theft. The archdiocese also maintains the Catholic Charismatic Center in EaDo.

• 6. Education And School Histories

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  St. Nicholas Elementary School opened in 1887 at St. Nicholas Church. The school moved with its church to its current location around 1920. A new school building opened on the 8th of September 1931. The previous school building was razed the May 12 before that date. Charles W. Luckie Elementary School served African-Americans in what is now East Downtown. It closed circa 1943. Dodson Elementary School formerly served portions of the community. In 2014, Dodson had about 445 students. The HISD board voted to close Dodson Elementary on the 13th of March 2014 by a margin of 5-4. Terry Grier argued that Dodson needs to close so another school will be located there while its permanent facility is under construction. The Montessori program moved to Blackshear Elementary. Some areas previously under the Dodson zone were moved to the Rusk zone and Lantrip Elementary School zones. Anson Jones Elementary School closed in Summer 2006 after opening in 1892. E.O. Smith Education Center closed after the 2010-2011 school year. Energy Institute High School moved into the former Dodson Elementary School in summer 2014. It relocated to its current Third Ward campus in 2018. Rusk School had a student mobility rate of almost 100% in 1995 due to a large homeless population.