Houston's River Oaks (Images of America) Paperback – April 29, 2013

A super history of Houston's prestigious neighborhood. It's only flaw is it ends in the late 60s and not through 2013. The homes are much larger built on double lots--tear two houses down and building a new 15,000+ sq. ft. mansion. But, the history is accurate with, I seem to remember, one error, that only one who really knows RO. What makes this subdivision so great is that it is the largest of its kind in the U.S.The only other flaw I found, is that so much history was omitted, but its greatness is the personal touch--pictures of young debs, families, and leisure times at picnics, children in the back yard, and family photos we normally would never would have seen.For me, it was a trip back through history, even if before my time, but the people in the pics are not.I did have to laugh that RO was the place for every man. Well, this is depression days and by every man is a top-notch lawyer, doctor, Company Executive, Banker, oilman and/or successful Wildcatter, then yes, it's the neighborhood for every man. Just a great bit of humor and and a license to advertise a little falsehood. If you can put this into context, in the late 1920s and 1930s, the minimum size lot in "normal" RO (not tall Timbers or Country Club Estates) was .75 acre and price was $10K. Good luck.

An insightful book about the beginnings of an elegant, neighborhood in the early days of Houston. I am a native Houstonian, and loved the book for it's historical account of a place that always was a mystery in my lifetime. 5 stars to the seller!

While interesting, it was a little more fluff than I cared for. However, definitely a must read for any Houstonian.

ONE OF MANY GOOD BOOKS FROM IMAGES OF AMERICA

Looked like my kind of book, but Harvey left it in ruins.

Very interesting. Great read!

If you have lived in Houston, Texas for any length of time, you will have heard people say things like, "You know he lives in River Oaks." or "She grew up in River Oaks." And everyone in Houston knows exactly what community you are referring to and about the rich and powerful people who live there.In her follow-up book to her very successful "Houston: 1860-1900," Ann Dunphy Becker has set her sights on giving the reader a rare and unique glimpse inside Houston's most prestigious neighborhood. "Houston's River Oaks" covers the period from the founding of River Oaks in 1923 until 1970.This is a great book for anyone who ever wanted to peek inside the private lives of the residents of River Oaks to see just what it was like to live there during different periods in its history. Many River Oaks families contributed to the intrigue of this fascinating book with stories and hundreds of photographs of local residents ranging from Mary Thompson to Clark Gable that have never been published before.Like Ann Dunphy Becker's book "Houston: 1860-1900," Arcadia Publishing has also published the 128 page "Houston's River Oaks (Images of America)" by Ann Dunphy Becker with George Murray. K. K. Searle - Texas History Page.