HOUSTON, Tx – In Houston`s traditionally African-American Third Ward neighborhood, Project Row Houses combines art with community revival.
“Our goal is to be able to preserve as many opportunities for people to live here who already live here as possible, but also to hold on to the identity of the neighborhood as a traditional African-American neighborhood,” said project founder Rick Lowe.
Twenty years ago, Lowe and six other artists took 22 small, shotgun houses that most people thought should be torn down and created a project combining art with sustainability. Some of the houses are offered for residents, some hold art exhibits, and some provide housing for single mothers.
The brilliance of Lowe`s concept and art project became a milestone in reshaping the community.
“Then other changes are happening from the outside with other people buying real estate and beginning to develop on the edges and it’s slowly pushing the neighborhood in a new direction,” said Lowe.
The visionary Lowe dreams of the historical importance being sustained in 3rd Ward.
“People will know of this area as being a cultural hub for African-American history and culture, so they`ll be able to come here and see some of the historic architecture and see some newly constructed facilities that are housing things that deal with African-American history and culture,” said Lowe.