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First Montrose Commons

History and Culture

First Montrose Commons was designated as an historic district in June 2010. The designation was based on its value as a visible reminder of Houston’s development, from 1900–1941; its identification with notable residents; and its architecture.

Significant Buildings

• Kaufhold House, 4104 Greeley, was constructed around 1900. It is the oldest building in the district and was part of the original Kaufhold property, which included a small dairy farm. It is now the Robin’s Nest Bed and Breakfast Inn.
• Cochran-Hofheinz House, 3900 Milam, was built in 1912 for Owen Cochran, the president of First National Bank. It was purchased in 1956 by former Houston mayor Roy Hofheinz. Hofheinz moved his offices to the house. That is where he created the Houston Sports Association and first discussed the concept of the Astrodome.
• Julia Baker Carson House (also known as Lucia House), 3904 Brandt, is an excellent example of Neoclassical/Colonial Revival architecture. Built around 1913, it is one of the few surviving quarter-block mansions from the Bute Addition. This home was endangered by years of neglect, but after the First Montrose Commons Historic District was designated in 2010, the house was fully restored.
• Dr. John Hoskins Foster House, 320 Branard, was built in 1912. It was designed by the renowned Houston architect Birdsall P. Briscoe. It is one of the purest interpretations of Prairie architecture in Houston.
• Rosie Kalle Borden House, 619 Sul Ross, was built in 1918 in the Prairie style. Borden and her two children moved into the house after the death of her husband, businessman Henry L. Borden.

Notable Residents

• Edgar Odell Lovett was a mathematics professor who taught at universities in America and Europe. In the early 1900s, he became the head of the Department of Mathematics and Astronomy at Princeton University. Woodrow Wilson was the president of Princeton. Wilson would go on to be President of the United States. He recommended Lovett to be the first president of Rice University. Lovett served in that position from 1912 until his retirement in 1946.
• Dr. John Hoskins Foster was a prominent Houston physician. He was president of the Texas Medical Association.
• Owen L. Cochran was Houston’s postmaster in the late 1800s. He went on to become the president of First National Bank. The bank was founded by his father-in-law, Benjamin A. Shepherd, in 1866. At one time, it was one of the largest banks in Houston.
• Roy M. Hofheinz was a lawyer, Texas Congressman, and Harris County Judge – all by the time he was 25 years old. Hofheinz served as mayor of Houston in the 1950s. He is perhaps best known for developing the Astrodome. The Astrodome was the world’s first domed sports stadium. It opened in 1965.