Uptown’s History
Uptown’s remarkable history began in the early 1800’s when Texas was a part of Mexico. Stephen F. Austin’s Original 300 Colonists traveled the old San Felipe Trail through what is now the heart of Uptown. This rural flatland was home to early estates and Italian immigrant families growing vegetables along Post Oak Boulevard. Following WWII, visionaries, such as William Farrington, Gerald D. Hines and Giorgio Borlenghi, began the modern transformation of Uptown into an urban community of uncommon beauty and gracious character.
Discover the remarkable history of Uptown.
Post Oak Boulevard: A Texas Legacy
1838 William White Land Grant
1873 Birds Eye View of Houston
1917 Soldiers marching near Camp Logan
1953 Grand Opening of KPRC-TV on Post Oak Road
1956 Post Oak Road Drive In Screen Tower
1965 Post Oak and Westheimer
1981 Post Oak Road changes to Post Oak Boulevard
1985 Street lights installed on Post Oak Boulevard
1995 Post Oak pedestrian arch
2009 Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park Dedication
In December 2009, the Uptown Houston Board of Directors honored the man responsible for the creation of the Waterwall Park and much of Uptown’s beautiful skyline, by naming this Houston landmark, the “Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park.”
The Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park continues to be maintained by Hines through a public / private partnership with its owner, the Uptown Houston Development Authority. The Gerald D. Hines Waterwall Park has been and will continue to be the centerpiece of Uptown Houston which seamlessly blends business with pleasure, energy with grace and style with substance.
