2111 State

By 1893 there was a dwelling on the lot, and the 1907 Sanborn map shows a 1-story ell-wing cottage at 2111 State. In 1905 Charles Holm bought the house. His older brother John Holm lived across the street at 2108 State, and for a while the two brothers had a business together selling groceries, and also hay, grain, and feeds. Both brothers were German immigrants, and they lived on State St. until about 1921.

In the 1924 Sanborn map 2111 State is a 2-story house with a 2-story porch on the NE corner. It is probably an expansion of the original 1-story house, and the transformation probably took place between 1905 and 1920 while the owner was Charles Holm.

The Charles Holm family moved to the Woodland Heights in about 1921. While they lived in the Sixth Ward, their house served as a central place for family events, and they were very involved in the neighborhood. Charles Holm married Celestine Meyer, born in Texas but of German descent, and they attended church at Trinity Lutheran on Houston Ave, but like many families from the neighborhood, the Holm family moved to the Woodland Heights in the 1920's. While the Woodland Heights today would not be considered the suburbs, at the time it was, and families moving to neighborhoods like the Woodland Heights was just the beginning of suburban flight as transportation became easier for Houston residents.

In 2011 Reliant Energy chose the house for an experimental refitting project intended to make older homes in the neighborhood more energy efficient. Placing solar panels and making other improvements to houses in historic protected neighborhoods proved to be challenging. The panels were to be remain completely out of site from the street while still being located in an appropriate place for catching the sun’s rays.

For additional historical details click here.