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Commission reclassifies 320 E. 20th in Heights East from 'contributing' to 'non‑contributing'
Summary
The HAHC accepted staff's recommendation and the director's endorsement to reclassify 320 East Twentieth Street in the Houston Heights East Historic District from contributing (or potentially contributing) to non‑contributing based on documentary evidence of a 1945 construction date and inconsistency with the district’s period of significance.
The Houston Archaeological Historical Commission on Sept. 11 voted to amend the classification of 320 East Twentieth Street (sometimes referenced on maps as 320 West Twentieth in presentation materials) in the Houston Heights East Historic District from contributing (or potentially contributing) to non‑contributing.
Staff presentation: Planner Yasmin Arslan told the commission that archival records, including a Harris County block‑book permit record and a staff site visit, show the building was constructed in 1945. The original district inventory and the Heights East designation (cited by staff) had earlier labeled the property as potentially contributing (PC), likely because of an earlier assumed construction date or material appearance; staff and the director concluded the 1945 construction date places the building outside the district’s stated period of significance.
Public comment and rationale: Mark Standridge, representing the applicant, presented aerial photos and historic context and argued the property’s building form, later construction date and commercial character were inconsistent with the defining bungalow, Craftsman and early‑20th‑century examples in the district. He also noted the site sits on a commercial corridor edge with non‑contributing adjacent buildings and that the building’s scale, setback and architectural elements are unlike the district’s contributing resources.
Commission action: Following discussion and questions of staff, a motion to accept staff’s recommendation passed; one commissioner abstained during the vote. The commission’s action changes the property’s inventory classification and will affect how future alteration or demolition requests for the site will be reviewed under the Heights East guidelines and Chapter 33 criteria.
What the reclassification means: A non‑contributing designation generally means the property is not considered part of the period‑of‑significance fabric that defines the district’s historic character. Reclassification affects how the Planning Department and the commission evaluate COAs and may change the prescriptive guidelines applied to future work on the property.
Sources: Staff presentation by Yasmin Arslan, the applicant’s presentation, the district inventory and the city’s Height East designation referenced in staff materials, and the Sept. 11 HAHC roll call and vote.
