In 1924, Edward Lilo Crain platted Southside Place, a 329-lot subdivision on the soggy prairie just west of bustling downtown Houston. Ahead of his time, Crain combined the roles of real estate investor, developer, and builder, establishing Southside Place with prefabricated catalog homes. The neighborhood�s most defining attribute, however, is the 1.5-acre park Crain created as its geographic and civic center. This thoughtful early attempt at city planning made Southside Place the first Houston subdivision to provide a swimming pool, tennis court, clubhouse, and park for the private use of residents.
Authors Kate McCormick and Kris Holt have lived in Southside Place for 20 years. Kate is a board member of Preservation Houston and a cofounder of the Southside Place Preservation Project. The sensitive restoration of her 1937 home earned her a 2011 Good Brick Award. Kris is a civic leader and a real estate agent with Greenwood King Properties. She has collected and archived photographs of most of the original homes in Southside Place, chronicling the architectural transformation of the city over time. The majority of images in this book are from the generous contributions of current and former residents, the City of Southside Place, and the authors� private collections.