Fifth Ward, Houston

File:EvergreenNegroCemetery.JPG

In its initial history, the Fifth Ward had many ethnic groups. Large numbers of the residents were Irish and Jews; the latter had fled pogroms in Russia and Eastern Europe, and lived mostly in the eastern parts, while the former lived mainly in the north. Richard West of the Texas Monthly characterized the early Fifth Ward as being "prosperous".West, Richard. "[http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/only-the-strong-survive/ Only the Strong Survive]" ( {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201014156/http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/only-the-strong-survive/ |date=2016-02-01 }}). Texas Monthly. Emmis Communications, February 1979. Volume 7, No. 2. ISSN 0148-7736. START: p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=7S0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA94 94]. CITED: p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=7S0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA95 95].

After the American Civil War, newly freed slaves began settling in the sparsely settled area. In 1866, it became the Fifth Ward and an alderman from the ward was elected to Houston's City Council. By the mid-1880s, it was virtually all black, home to working-class people who made their livings in Houston's eastside ship channel and industrial areas or as domestics for wealthy Houstonians. Mount Vernon United Methodist Church, founded in 1865 by a former slave, is the oldest church in the ward. Five other churches are over a hundred years old. Also home to the famous "Island of Hope (Anderson Memorial Temple) COGIC" the oldest Pentecostal church in Fifth Ward. Over the years it had been home to the city's minority and immigrant population.{{Citation needed|date=March 2009}} Additional waves of Irish people, as well as Germans and Italians settled the Fifth Ward.West, Richard. "[http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/only-the-strong-survive/ Only the Strong Survive]" ( {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201014156/http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/only-the-strong-survive/ |date=2016-02-01 }}). Texas Monthly. Emmis Communications, February 1979. Volume 7, No. 2. ISSN 0148-7736. START: p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=7S0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA94 94]. CITED: p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=7S0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA98 98].

In the late 1800s the Fifth Ward community threatened to secede from the city of Houston twice, in 1875 and 1883. Complaints about inadequate municipal services, including fire and police services, lighting, sanitation, and drainage, occurred during this time period. The 1875 secession complaint asked for the paving of streets and upgrades to the utility system. The city government ameliorated the 1883 complaints by establishing a drawbridge at San Jacinto Street that crossed the Buffalo Bayou. It paved parts of Odin Avenue, now known as Lyons Avenue, in brick in the 1890s. The pavement ended two blocks after the residence of Mayor of Houston John T. Browne.West, Richard. "[http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/only-the-strong-survive/ Only the Strong Survive]" ( {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201014156/http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/only-the-strong-survive/ |date=2016-02-01 }}). Texas Monthly. Emmis Communications, February 1979. Volume 7, No. 2. ISSN 0148-7736. START: p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=7S0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA94 94]. CITED: p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=7S0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA105 105].

File:Great Fifth Ward Fire.jpg

On February 21, 1912, with stiff Northern winds blowing in, the largest fire in Houston's history began. This fire became known as the "Great Fifth Ward Fire". The strong winds spread the fire as embers set wood-shingled roofs on fire. It consumed a church, school, 13 industrial plants, eight stores, and 119 homes, mostly located in the Fifth Ward. There were no deaths, but there was over $3 million in property damage.The largest fire in Houston's history began at half past midnight on February 21, 1912. It was the Great Fifth Ward Fire. The night was cold because of a stiff norther blowing in. The fire started in an abandoned house at the corner of Hardy and Opelousas. Gale-force winds carried embers southward igniting dozens of wood-shingle roofs. By dawn, the fire had spread all the way to Buffalo Bayou. It had jumped the bayou where the fire was finally stopped. Destroyed in the wake of the Fifth Ward conflagration was a church, a school, 13 industrial plants, eight stores, and 119 dwellings. Value of the property loss exceeded $3-million. Miraculously, no one died in the conflagration nor was severely injured.-------------------- Houston Fire Museum - Houston, Texas. (n.d.). . Retrieved November 17, 2010, from http://www.houstonfiremuseum.org/1910_1915.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722145926/http://www.houstonfiremuseum.org/1910_1915.html |date=2011-07-22 }}

In the post-World War I period the neighborhood makeup changed as a wave of African-Americans settled the Fifth Ward. The housing density increased as families put more people in each building in order to pay their rent. The buildings, occupied by too many people, began to deteriorate. Some Jewish people remained as landlords, but most of them moved away, with many of them going to New York City, including The Bronx; and Long Island.

Before desegregation the community housed African-Americans of all occupations and income levels. The community was known as the "bloody Fifth" because of some highly publicized violent incidents in the neighborhood; Michael Berryhill of the Houston Press stated that the Fifth Ward was not as blighted in the 1940s as it was during the 1990s.Berryhill, Michael. "What's Wrong With Wheatley?." Houston Press. April 17, 1997. [http://www.houstonpress.com/1997-04-17/news/what-s-wrong-with-wheatley/2 2]. Retrieved on March 31, 2009. Robb Walsh of the Houston Press described the 1930s era Fifth Ward as "one of the proudest black neighborhoods" in the US; more than 40 black-owned businesses were along Lyons Avenue in the Fifth Ward at that time.Walsh, Robb. "The Nickel Burger." Houston Press. October 31, 2002. [http://www.houstonpress.com/2002-10-31/restaurants/the-nickel-burger/ 1]. Retrieved on July 25, 2009.

In the post-World War II period a large number of black migrants, many of them from Louisiana and some from East Texas and other areas in the Deep South, settled the Fifth Ward. The community became characterized by poverty since many of these migrants were unable to get non-menial jobs.

In 1949 Brown & Root began buying land in the Fifth Ward for its headquarters.West, Richard. "[http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/only-the-strong-survive/ Only the Strong Survive]" ( {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201014156/http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/only-the-strong-survive/ |date=2016-02-01 }}). Texas Monthly. Emmis Communications, February 1979. Volume 7, No. 2. ISSN 0148-7736. START: p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=7S0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA94 94]. CITED: p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=7S0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA175 175].

When Interstate 10 was built, it went through the Fifth Ward, dividing the community.{{cite news|author=Rodriguez, Lori|url=https://www.chron.com/news/article/Some-fear-historic-black-neighborhoods-are-losing-2014193.php|title=Some fear historic black neighborhoods are losing identity|newspaper=Houston Chronicle|date=2001-07-15|access-date=2019-06-04}}

The city government established some pocket parks and added pavement, gutters, and curbing to several streets in the southernmost part of the Fifth Ward in the period 1964-1974, during the term of Mayor of Houston Louie Welch.West, Richard. "[http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/only-the-strong-survive/ Only the Strong Survive]" ( {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201014156/http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/only-the-strong-survive/ |date=2016-02-01 }}). Texas Monthly. Emmis Communications, February 1979. Volume 7, No. 2. ISSN 0148-7736. START: p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=7S0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA94 94]. CITED: p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=7S0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA176 176].

File:HOUSE IN THE FIFTH WARD OF HOUSTON, TEXAS. THIS IS ONE OF A SERIES OF 21 BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHS. THEY DOCUMENT... - NARA - 557633.jpg.|left]]

Desegregation led middle class African-Americans to move to the suburbs. By the 1970s the Fifth Ward lost a significant part of its population, and many houses were boarded-up. Many area businesses were vacant and the area had many vacant lots with overgrown plants. In 1974 Whit described the neighborhood as "one of Houston's poorest ghettos".Canning, Whit. "Go You Wildcats, Go!" Texas Monthly. Emmis Communications, February 1974. Vol. 2, No. 3. ISSN 0148-7736. START: p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=GywEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA80 80]. CITED: p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=GywEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA83 83]. In the 1970s and 1980s the Fifth Ward became notorious throughout Houston for the violence perpetrated in the community."Grogan, Paul S. Comeback Cities: A Blueprint for Urban Neighborhood Revival. [https://books.google.com/books?id=o5sbdWh_B8IC&dq=Fifth+Ward+Storefront&pg=PA74 74]. Ernest McMillan, a community activist and contributor to the Fifth Ward Enrichment Program, said in a 1987 Houston Chronicle article that "One of the differences between this neighborhood and one like River Oaks is that they have lots of support and all kinds of resources available. Here in the Fifth Ward it's the exact opposite: These people have no resources at all. There's one clinic, one library, no YMCA, very few activities, and the community is very fragmented. It's not the kind of environment that helps a child excel."Karkabi, Barbara. " As of December 2024, please note there is no longer a library in Fifth Ward. [http://www.fwepinc.org/downloads/FamilyMatters.pdf FAMILY MATTERS/Program Helps Young Men Develop, Make Choices]" ({{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090107021345/http://www.fwepinc.org/downloads/FamilyMatters.pdf |date=January 7, 2009 }}). Houston Chronicle. Sunday January 4, 1987. LifeStyle 1.

As of 1979 the median income in the Fifth Ward was $5,030 (${{inflation|USD|5030|1979|r=2}} adjusted for inflation), 25% of Fifth Ward residents had high school diplomas, and 34% of Fifth Ward residents lived below the poverty line. The respective citywide averages were a median income of $9,876 (${{inflation|USD|9876|1979|r=2}} adjusted for inflation), a percentage of those with high school diplomas of 52%, and a poverty line percentage of 10%. By 1979 only a few Italian American families remained in the Fifth Ward. By that year, black flight from the Fifth Ward to Kashmere Gardens, South Park, Sunnyside, and Trinity Gardens had occurred.West, Richard. "[http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/only-the-strong-survive/ Only the Strong Survive]" ( {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201014156/http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/only-the-strong-survive/ |date=2016-02-01 }}). Texas Monthly. Emmis Communications, February 1979. Volume 7, No. 2. ISSN 0148-7736. START: p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=7S0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA94 94]. CITED: p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=7S0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA170 170].

West wrote in 1979 that about 90% of the Fifth Ward was characterized by "physical ugliness" and "poverty" while there are some middle class "pockets of affluence" that do not have physical indications of troubled neighborhoods. At the time the Fifth Ward was more dense in terms of population than most Houston neighborhoods. The average Fifth Ward housing density was 9.14 and there were 30.5 persons per residential acre, while Houston's citywide average density and persons per residential acre were 4.98 and 14.4, respectively. In addition, 21% of city blocks had no drainage systems, while 39% had open ditches and 40% had storm sewers. West stated that the Fifth Ward's physical character was not like that of Harlem in New York City or Roxbury in Boston. In 1974 Whit Canning of Texas Monthly stated that the Fifth Ward was characterized by a "project-type apartment complex", "narrow streets" and "small stores". West wrote that the Fifth Ward had its environment "out in the open, on the street" and that it had "more barbershops, pawnshops, churches, loose dogs, abandoned buildings, bars, broken windows" while there were "fewer sidewalks, streetlights, fire hydrants, culverts, curbs, parks, jewelers, museums, libraries, garbage trucks."

In 1970 metal manufacturer Moncrief-Lenoir Manufacturing Company planned an urban renewal project, spending $10 million to buy {{convert|20|acre|ha}} of land along Lyons Avenue's western end, but nothing was built by 1979. It was scheduled to be one of the largest urban renewal projects in the United States.

Between 1990 and 2000 the Hispanic population of the Fifth Ward increased from around 19% of the population to around 31% as Hispanics in the Houston area moved into majority black neighborhoods.Rodriguez, Lori. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20110522122358/http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2005_3866881 SHIFTING DEMOGRAPHICS / Latinos bringing change to black neighborhoods / Newcomers are finding acceptance comes gradually]" (). Houston Chronicle. Monday May 2, 2005. A1. Retrieved on February 4, 2009. In the same period, the black population of the Fifth Ward declined by 3,286 as majority African-American neighborhoods in Houston had declines in their black populations.

In 2000 the median annual income was $8,900. 62% of its residents lived below the poverty line. 9 of 10 school-aged children qualified for free or reduced lunches. The commercial streets had several empty buildings and vacant lots. Lisa Gray, a journalist in the Houston Press, stated in a 2000 article that the existing businesses "run mostly to dingy mom-and-pop operations, grim little grocery stores and cheerless liquor stores. There's no McDonald's, no Fiesta, no Target, no Wal-Mart. It's turf where national chains fear to tread."Gray, Lisa. "[http://www.houstonpress.com/2000-11-09/news/not-your-standard-issue/ Not Your Standard Issue]." Please note there is a McDonalds and a Fiesta as of 2024 in Fifth Ward. McDonald's is on Caroll Oliver Way named after the owner of the McDonald's that was murdered. Houston Press. November 9, 2000. Retrieved on July 25, 2009. Gray added that the words "new" and "nice" were not often associated with the Fifth Ward, while "at-risk," "crime," and "poverty," were. Walsh said that the Fifth Ward in 2002 was "in much better shape" than it was in the 1970s; he added that while the Fifth Ward is "hardly a garden spot," the Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation took many steps to improve the community including assisting low income borrowers in finding loans, encouraging architects to develop "innovative designs" for low income housing, and bringing commercial building projects into the Fifth Ward.Walsh, Robb. "The Nickel Burger." Houston Press. October 31, 2002. [http://www.houstonpress.com/2002-10-31/restaurants/the-nickel-burger/ 2]. Retrieved on July 25, 2009.

Japhet, a section of the Fifth Ward at Emile Street at Clinton Drive (two blocks east of Hirsch Road/Waco Street), was the Houston Press 2004 "Best Hidden Neighborhood." The article stated "Say the words "Fifth Ward" to most Houstonians, and they'll think crime, poverty and desperation." The article added that Japhet is "more like a village than anything else -- fragrant organic gardens are everywhere, bursting with vegetables, fruits and flowers, and the whole neighborhood comes together for a big party every full moon.""[http://www.houstonpress.com/bestof/2004/award/best-hidden-neighborhood-31655/ Best Hidden Neighborhood (2004)]." Houston Press. Retrieved on November 23, 2008.

In 2007 the Fifth Ward was one of several Houston neighborhoods with a high concentration of felons.Fehling, Dave. "[http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou071010_ac_excons.158eec8dc.html The ex-cons next door] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012222314/http://www.khou.com/topstories/stories/khou071010_ac_excons.158eec8dc.html |date=October 12, 2007 }}." KHOU-TV. Retrieved on January 29, 2009. During that year a debate regarding the ownership of the historic Evergreen Negro Cemetery in the Fifth Ward continued.Guy, Andrew. "[http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2007_4286951 BLACK HISTORY MONTH / An uneasy slumber / Development may be the key to saving many of Houston's historical black cemeteries]." Houston Chronicle. Sunday February 18, 2007. Star 1. Retrieved on December 22, 2009. Some Hurricane Katrina evacuees also moved from Southwest Houston and lived in other parts of Houston such as the Fifth Ward.{{cite web | last=Johnson | first=Nicole | title=Worldandnation: Houston's 5th Ward finds kinship with poor evacuees | website=sptimes.com | date=February 21, 2014 | url=http://www.sptimes.com/2005/09/06/Worldandnation/Houston_s_5th_Ward_fi.shtml | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221185205/http://www.sptimes.com/2005/09/06/Worldandnation/Houston_s_5th_Ward_fi.shtml | archive-date=February 21, 2014 | url-status=dead | access-date=November 15, 2018}}

In 2020 a survey concluded that 43% of area families had at least one member diagnosed with cancer.{{Cite web|url=https://www.fox26houston.com/news/43-percent-of-fifth-ward-families-have-a-cancer-diagnosis-survey-says|title = Several Fifth Ward families have a cancer diagnosis; nearby rail yard blamed|date = 21 January 2020}}

In 2015 the Greater Fifth Ward Super Neighborhood had 19,687 residents. 48% were Black, 46% were Hispanic, 4% were White, and 1% each was Asian and others. In 2000 the super neighborhood had 22,211 residents. 63% were non-Hispanic black, 35% were Hispanic, and 1% were non-Hispanic white; the percentages of non-Hispanic Asians and others were zero.{{cite web|url=https://www.houstontx.gov/planning/Demographics/docs_pdfs/SN/55_Greater_FifthWard.pdf|title=Super Neighborhood Resource Assessment No. 55 Greater Fifth Ward|publisher=City of Houston|access-date=2019-08-14}}

In 1870 16% of the African Americans in Houston lived in the Fifth Ward, and in 1910 21% of the African Americans in Houston lived in the Fifth Ward.{{cite journal|author=Ponton, David III|url=https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/ddf5/81930ff6c4c637391c5559438e06563f97bb.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190809171605/https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/ddf5/81930ff6c4c637391c5559438e06563f97bb.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=2019-08-09|title=Criminalizing Space: Ideological and Institutional Productions of Race, Gender, and State-sanctioned Violence in Houston, 1948-1967|date=2017-03-03|page=32|s2cid=158691542}}

{{Multiple image

| direction = vertical

| image1 = FifthWardMultiService.JPG

| alt1 = A photograph of the Fifth Ward MultiService Building

| caption1 = Fifth Ward Multi-Service Center

| image2 = HFD19Station.JPG

| caption2 = Fire Station No. 19 and Training Center

| image3 = PeavyCenterFiftHWard.JPG

| caption3 = John Wesley Peavy Sr. Senior Citizens Center

}}

Greater Fifth Ward is currently located in City Council Districts B and H.{{Cite web |title=Super Neighborhood 55 - Greater Fifth Ward |url=https://www.houstontx.gov/superneighborhoods/55.html |access-date=2024-03-18 |website=www.houstontx.gov}} As of 2024, Tarsha Jackson represents District B and Mario Castillo Jr. represents District H.[https://www.houstontx.gov/council/maps.html] https://www.houstontx.gov/council/maps.html

The community is served by the Houston Police Department Northeast Patrol Division,"[http://www.houstontx.gov/police/cs/beatpages/northeast.htm Crime Statistics for Northeast Patrol Division]." City of Houston. Retrieved on November 23, 2008. headquartered at 8301 Ley Road. The Fifth Ward Storefront is located in Suite 200 at 4300 Lyons Avenue."[http://www.houstontx.gov/police/vip/vip_cops.htm VOLUNTEER INITIATIVES PROGRAM - Citizens Offering Police Support]." City of Houston. Retrieved on September 23, 2008.

The Houston Fire Department operates Station 19 Fifth Ward, a part of Fire District 19,"[http://www.houstontx.gov/fire/firestations/index.html Fire Stations]." City of Houston. Retrieved on May 8, 2010. on 1811 Gregg Street.[http://www.firehouse19.com/ Home Page]. Fire Station 19. Retrieved on November 23, 2008. The station first opened in 1925 at the corner of Gregg and New Orleans. The current location opened in 1979 at the opposite side of the intersection."[http://www.houstontx.gov/fire/firestations/station19.html Fire Station 19] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100529202841/http://www.houstontx.gov/fire/firestations/station19.html |date=2010-05-29 }}." City of Houston. Retrieved on May 8, 2010. In 1979 it had the highest number of fire and ambulance, beating, cutting, dead on arrival, emergency birth and other obstetric, false alarm, sickness and shooting calls of any Houston fire station.West, Richard. "[http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/only-the-strong-survive/ Only the Strong Survive]" ( {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201014156/http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/only-the-strong-survive/ |date=2016-02-01 }}). Texas Monthly. Emmis Communications, February 1979. Volume 7, No. 2. ISSN 0148-7736. START: p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=7S0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA94 94]. CITED: p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=7S0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA171 171].

The Harris Health System (formerly Harris County Hospital District) designated the Ripley Health Center for the ZIP code 77020. The designated public hospital is Ben Taub General Hospital in the Texas Medical Center.{{cite web|url=http://www.tmc.edu/hchd/LOCATE.HTM|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011119141023/http://www.tmc.edu/hchd/LOCATE.HTM|url-status=dead|archive-date=2001-11-19|title=Clinic/Emergency/Registration Center Directory By ZIP Code|publisher=Harris County Hospital District|date=2001-11-19|accessdate=2021-04-08}} - See ZIP code 77020. [https://www.harrishealth.org/SiteCollectionDocuments/community-assessment/pregnancy-birth-data/2012/infant-mortality-rate-2012.pdf See this map for relevant ZIP code].

The Houston Housing Authority (HHA) operates several public housing properties in the Fifth Ward. The include Kelly Village and Kennedy Place."[http://www.housingforhouston.com/housing-programs/housing-communities/kelly-village.aspx Kelly Village] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005182546/http://housingforhouston.com/housing-programs/housing-communities/kelly-village.aspx |date=2011-10-05 }}." Houston Housing Authority. Retrieved on October 16, 2011. "3118 Green Houston, Texas 77020""[http://www.housingforhouston.com/default.aspx Home]." ({{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111011174857/http://www.housingforhouston.com/default.aspx |date=October 11, 2011 }}). Houston Housing Authority. Retrieved on October 16, 2011. "[...]located at 3100 Gillespie in Houston's historic Fifth Ward,[...]" Kennedy Place first opened as a 60 unit development in 1982. The HHA used $7.8 million, including some federal stimulus funds, to redevelop the housing. The demolition of the old Kennedy Place began on December 28, 2009."[http://www.housingforhouston.com/kennedy-place-redevelopment.aspx Kennedy Place Redevelopment] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005185959/http://housingforhouston.com/kennedy-place-redevelopment.aspx |date=2011-10-05 }}." Houston Housing Authority. Retrieved on October 16, 2011. In January 2011 the new Kennedy Place opened, with 108 units (20 one bedroom, 58 two bedroom, 23 three bedroom, and 4 four bedroom). It also once had Kelly Court, which was the second-ever Houston housing project that admitted African-Americans.

In 2002, open ditches were the predominant form of drainage of water in the Fifth Ward.Snyder, Mike and Matt Schwarz. "[http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2002_3600610 Living in Neglect / Hasty annexation left a legacy of blighted neighborhoods]." Houston Chronicle. Sunday November 17, 2002. A1. Retrieved on February 19, 2010.

The Fifth Ward is in Texas's 18th congressional district."[http://nationalatlas.gov/printable/images/preview/congdist/tx18_109.gif Congressional District 18] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081002111411/http://nationalatlas.gov/printable/images/preview/congdist/tx18_109.gif |date=2008-10-02 }}." National Atlas of the United States. Its representative as of 2021 is Sheila Jackson Lee.

The city operates the Fifth Ward Multi-Service Center at 4014 Market Street,"[http://www.houstontx.gov/health/MSC/fifthwardmsc.htm Fifth Ward Multi-Service Center]." City of Houston. Accessed October 27, 2008. The city multi-service centers provide several services such as child care, programs for elderly residents, and rental space."[http://www.houstontx.gov/health/MSC/ Multi-Service Centers]." City of Houston. Accessed October 27, 2008. in proximity to Interstate 10. The center, operated by the Houston Department of Health and Human Services, houses ten agencies, including the Fifth Ward Branch Library, American Red Cross, Harris County Juvenile Probation Program, Mayor's Citizens' Assistance Office, Neighborhood Centers Inc., and Fifth Ward Head Start. The center opened in 1977 so that various social services supporting the Fifth Ward would be located in one place.Hughes, Kim. "[http://www.chron.com/neighborhood/heights-news/article/Work-begins-on-Fifth-Ward-Multi-Service-Center-1905621.php Work begins on Fifth Ward Multi-Service Center projects]." Houston Chronicle. Tuesday October 17, 2006. Retrieved on June 13, 2012. It was built for $1 million (equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|1000000|1977}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}}), and by 1979 it had a day care, a juvenile probation center, a housing counseling center, an employment center, a health clinic, a library, a senior citizen service center, and other services, provided by nine agencies. In 2005 the multi-service center served 65,000 people.

In a 2001 bond election voters approved an expansion and renovation of the multi-service center. On October 12, 2006 the city of Houston began the first phase of a renovation and expansion project for the center. The first phase, $3.4 million, included an addition of {{convert|16000|sqft|sqm}} of space to the center; the expansion would include a classroom with computers for information technology purposes, a community food pantry, a demonstration kitchen used for holding cooking classes, community meeting conference space, a community event multi-purpose room, and community program administration offices. The city scheduled completion for September 2007. The city scheduled the start of the second phase, a $2 million renovation project of the original {{convert|25000|sqft|sqm|adj=on}} structure, after the end of the first phase.

The Department of Health and Human Services also operates the John Wesley Peavy Sr. Senior Citizens Center, adjacent to the Multi-Service Center. It was named after John Wesley Peavy Sr., an East Texas native who served as a precinct judge in the area."[ftp://ftp.legis.state.tx.us/bills/74R/billtext/html/house_concurrent_resolutions/HC00001_HC00099/HC00099I.HTM H.C.R. No. 99]." ([ftp://ftp.legis.state.tx.us/bills/74R/billtext/doc/house_concurrent_resolutions/HC00001_HC00099/HC00099F.DOC Alternate]) State of Texas. Retrieved on August 31, 2012.

West stated that possible reasons why the business climate in the Fifth Ward was poor, according to different people in the Fifth Ward, include a lack of effort to get investment from White people, the construction of freeways that cut off parts of the Fifth Ward, a lack of investment in the appearance of businesses, white persons leaving the Fifth Ward and taking capital, and the closing of the Lyons Avenue exit off of the Eastex Freeway, the eastern portion of U.S. Route 59 in Houston. West also stated that black flight contributed to the decline in Fifth Ward businesses.

As of 1979 most businesses in the Fifth Ward were personal service affairs common to other low income neighborhoods in the United States, such as pawnshops, funeral parlors, bars, barbershops, cleaners, cafes, and liquor stores. As of 1979 Mack Hanna, a black man from Houston, owned the Standard Savings Association, the only financial institution in the Fifth Ward.

In 2011 Jarvis Johnson, a member of the Houston City Council, said "The Fifth Ward is void of jobs. There aren't any commercial grocery stores. There aren't any places where young people can get a job."Kever, Jeannie. "[http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Number-of-residents-in-poor-Houston-neighborhoods-2249405.php Number of residents in poor Houston neighborhoods doubles]." Houston Chronicle. Thursday November 3, 2011. Retrieved on November 3, 2011.

File:KBRClintonDrive.JPG offices on Clinton Drive]]

KBR maintained offices in a {{convert|138|acre|ha}} campus on Clinton Drive,Eriksen, Helen. "[http://blogs.chron.com/insidekaty/archives/2008/04/will_kbr_ditch.html Will KBR ditch its Houston headquarters for Katy suburbia?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081018222657/http://blogs.chron.com/insidekaty/archives/2008/04/will_kbr_ditch.html |date=2008-10-18 }}." Houston Chronicle. April 30, 2008. Retrieved on January 13, 2009."[http://www.kbr.com/news/2006/corpnews_061115.aspx KBR Announces Pricing of Its Initial Public Offering] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100102023433/http://kbr.com/news/2006/corpnews_061115.aspx |date=2010-01-02 }}." KBR. November 15, 2006. Retrieved on July 25, 2009.Dawson, Jennifer. "Plan for Clinton Drive stirs East End interest." Houston Business Journal. Friday February 5, 2010. [http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2010/02/08/story14.html?b=1265605200^2840541 1]. Retrieved on February 8, 2010. [http://assets.bizjournals.com//story_image/692801.jpg Image] - "The property just east of downtown is bounded by Clinton on the north, extends to Hirsch on the east, spreads to Buffalo Bayou on the south, and stretches almost to Jensen on the west." within the boundaries of the East End and the Fifth Ward."[http://www.greatereastend.com/map/map.swf Map] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711123846/http://www.greatereastend.com/map/map.swf |date=2011-07-11 }}." Greater East End Management District. Retrieved on March 8, 2010. This property was along the Buffalo Bayou. As of December 2010 KBR no longer operates this office."[http://www.kbr.com/About/Locations/ Locations] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101203023420/http://www.kbr.com/About/Locations/ |date=2010-12-03 }}." KBR. Retrieved on December 26, 2010.

The KBR office complex was the former headquarters of Brown & Root."[https://web.archive.org/web/19980131194736/http://www.halliburton.com/bar/more/location/offices/office.htm Offices]." Brown & Root. January 31, 1998. Retrieved on September 15, 2009. "Brown & Root, Inc. 4100 Clinton Dr. Houston, Texas 77020" Brown and Root began buying land in the Fifth Ward in 1949. It initially acquired {{convert|79|acre|ha}}, then it acquired an additional {{convert|58|acre|ha}}.

By 2001 Halliburton owned the Clinton Drive campus. In August of that year Halliburton announced that it would consolidate 8,000 local employees to office space in Westchase. Halliburton planned to relocate around 2,000 employees from Clinton Drive and the industrial facilities would have been relocated to a location that was, in that month, undetermined. Sanford Criner, a principal at real estate brokerage Trione & Gordon, suggested that gentrification would turn what would have been the former Clinton Drive facility into entertainment, residential, or retail use, and that the facility would not have been redeveloped for office space usage.Sarnoff, Nancy. "[http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2001/08/13/story7.html Halliburton move could create hole in Houston's office market]." Houston Business Journal. Friday August 10, 2001. Retrieved on November 11, 2009. In December 2001 Halliburton canceled its plans to relocate employees to Westchase. Nancy Sarnoff of the Houston Business Journal said that it made more sense for the company to lease existing space instead of constructing new office space in times of economic downturns.Sarnoff, Nancy. "[http://houston.bizjournals.com/houston/stories/2001/12/24/newscolumn3.html Downtown up, Westchase down as Halliburton postpones project]." Houston Business Journal. Friday December 21, 2009. Retrieved on November 11, 2009.

In 2010 KBR announced that it will vacate the Clinton Drive campus and move the 1,600 employees who work at the Clinton Drive office to the KBR offices in Downtown Houston. The company will then conduct an environmental cleanup of the Clinton Drive site.

Two majority-Hispanic (as of 2001) communities, Denver Harbor and Northside, are on either end of the Fifth Ward.

"Big Tree," a tree in an area where Interstate 10 and U.S. Route 59 (Eastex Freeway) now intersect, historically has been the center of activity in the Fifth Ward and was in proximity to the terminus of the streetcar line.

Lyons Avenue serves as a primary road in the Fifth Ward. In 1979 West wrote that Lyons Avenue, named after saloon owner John Lyons, served as the "Soul Street" of Houston, declaring it equivalent to 125th Street in Harlem, 47th Street in Chicago, South Street in Philadelphia, Seventh and T in Washington, D.C., Tremont Street in Boston, and Springfield Avenue in Newark, New Jersey. In the 1920s the Lyons family owned many businesses along the street, originally named Odin Avenue after the first bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, John Mary Odin. The street received its current name in 1927. In pre-desegregation Fifth Ward, Lyons and Jensen were primary commercial avenues.Pando, p. 33.

As of 1979 the intersection of Lyons Avenue and Jensen Drive was called "Pearl Harbor" due to many violent incidents occurring there.West, Richard. "[http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/only-the-strong-survive/ Only the Strong Survive]" ({{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201014156/http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/only-the-strong-survive/ |date=2016-02-01}}). Texas Monthly. Emmis Communications, February 1979. Volume 7, No. 2. ISSN 0148-7736. START: p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=7S0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA94 94]. CITED: p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=7S0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA170 170]-[https://books.google.com/books?id=7S0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA171 171].

The southern edge of the Fifth Ward, along the Buffalo Bayou, housed farms in its early history before becoming a host of slums and the city dump by the 1920s. Cleanup of this area began when Brown and Root began establishing its headquarters in the late 1940s.

The {{convert|359|acre|ha|adj=on}} Englewood Rail Yard, located in the eastern end of the Fifth Ward, is {{convert|4.5|mi|km}} long.West, Richard. "[http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/only-the-strong-survive/ Only the Strong Survive]" ( {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201014156/http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/only-the-strong-survive/ |date=2016-02-01}}). Texas Monthly. Emmis Communications, February 1979. Volume 7, No. 2. ISSN 0148-7736. START: p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=7S0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA94 94]. CITED: p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=7S0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA178 178]. In 1979 Englewood Radar Yard was the largest rail yard in the Southern United States. The rail yard is now owned by Union Pacific Railroad, which merged with the previous owner, Southern Pacific, in 1996.{{Cite web |title=Chronological History |url=http://www.up.com/up/heritage/history/chronology/index.htm |access-date=2024-04-19 |website=www.up.com |language=en}}

The rail yard was the location of a now-defunct wood preservation plant which is a continued source of creosote contamination to the neighborhood. This plant, as of 1979, gives a distinct odor that caused area Mexican Americans to name it el Creosote.West, Richard. "[http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/only-the-strong-survive/ Only the Strong Survive]" ( {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201014156/http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/only-the-strong-survive/ |date=2016-02-01}}). Texas Monthly. Emmis Communications, February 1979. Volume 7, No. 2. ISSN 0148-7736. START: p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=7S0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA94 94]. CITED: p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=7S0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA179 179].

In 2019 the Texas Department of State Health Services conducted of a study of an area in the Fifth Ward around Lavender Street, near a creosote facility of a former rail yard, where cancer rates were higher than normal.{{cite web|author=Miles, Jason|url=https://www.khou.com/article/news/health/possible-cancer-cluster-in-houstons-fifth-ward-getting-more-attention-following-state-study/285-9f9cb53a-f231-46c0-9ad5-6a19d2ca05fa|title=Possible 'cancer cluster' in Houston's Fifth Ward getting more attention following state study|work=KHOU|date=2019-12-23|access-date=2019-12-26}}

{{main|Frenchtown, Houston}}

File:OurMotherofMercyChurchHouston.JPG]]

In 1922, a group of Louisiana Creoles organized the Fifth Ward community of "Frenchtown," which contained a largely Roman Catholic and Creole culture."[http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hrfvg FRENCHTOWN, TEXAS]." Handbook of Texas. The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 forced many Creoles to leave Louisiana, and they settled the Frenchtown area. When new residents no longer moved to Frenchtown, the neighborhood culturally merged with the greater Fifth Ward.

File:MountVernonChurchHoustonTX.JPG

Lisa Gray, a journalist for the Houston Press, stated in a 2000 article that the Fifth Ward has an overall sense of history and a "small-scale, deep-rooted personal history, the way that, in the middle of the city, lives are intertwined in a small-town way." Many families from the area had lived in the Fifth Ward for several generations.

In previous eras, African-Americans of all social classes lived in the Fifth Ward; African-American professionals patronized businesses. After the end of segregation, African-American professionals began to patronize other neighborhoods, and members of the African-American middle class moved out of the Fifth Ward.

The north-south Southern Pacific Transportation Company railroad tracks separate the Fifth Ward from Denver Harbor. David Benson, an assistant to Harris County Commissioner El Franco Lee, described the railroad line as "a semi-permeable membrane." In the 1990s many Fifth Ward African-Americans went into Denver Harbor to shop at the area supermarket and stores, while the Denver Harbor Hispanics rarely entered the Fifth Ward.Berryhill, Michael. "What's Wrong With Wheatley?." Houston Press. April 17, 1997. [http://www.houstonpress.com/1997-04-17/news/what-s-wrong-with-wheatley/3 3]. Retrieved on March 31, 2009.

Richard West of the Texas Monthly wrote in 1979 that within the Fifth Ward one's personal status "is determined less by what you have than by personal qualities of wit and style and by what you know of the power structure of the street".West, Richard. "[http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/only-the-strong-survive/ Only the Strong Survive]" ( {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201014156/http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/only-the-strong-survive/ |date=2016-02-01 }}). Texas Monthly. Emmis Communications, February 1979. Volume 7, No. 2. ISSN 0148-7736. START: p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=7S0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA94 94]. CITED: p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=7S0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA99 99].

Mount Vernon United Methodist Church, founded in 1865, is the community's oldest church, and the Fifth Ward has six churches that, as of 2011, are over 100 years old. Kate Shellnutt of the Houston Chronicle said that the historic church facilities "have been community strongholds."Shellnutt, Kate. "[http://blog.chron.com/believeitornot/2011/05/fifth-ward-pastor-marks-anniversary-at-historic-church/ Fifth Ward pastor marks anniversary at historic church] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110731082445/http://blog.chron.com/believeitornot/2011/05/fifth-ward-pastor-marks-anniversary-at-historic-church/ |date=2011-07-31 }}." Houston Chronicle. May 25, 2011. Retrieved on May 26, 2011.

In 1979 the largest church in the Fifth Ward was the Pleasant Grove Baptist Church, with 5,600 members.

The Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church, completed in 1930 by Creoles for Creoles, serves as a social center for the Frenchtown neighborhood.Rust, Carol. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20080416012617/http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1992_1038510 FRENCHTOWN/Snatches of French, a whiff of boudin and the joyous zydeco beat still define this refuge of Houston's Creoles]" (). Houston Chronicle. February 23, 1992. Lifestyle, 1.

File:WheatleyHighSchoolHoustonTX.JPG|left]]

File:YMCPAHouston.JPG (former campus)|left]]

Area students attend schools in the Houston Independent School District. {{As of|1997}} even though most of the Fifth Ward and the adjacent Denver Harbor neighborhood are zoned to the same high school, the areas are represented by different board members.

Elementary schools in the Fifth Ward and serving sections of the Fifth Ward include Charles H. Atherton,"[https://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/TX01001591/Centricity/Domain/32468/boundarymaps/Atherton_ES.pdf Atherton Elementary Attendance Zone]." Houston Independent School District. Retrieved on April 14, 2019. Blanche Kelso Bruce,"[https://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/TX01001591/Centricity/Domain/32468/boundarymaps/Bruce_ES.pdf Bruce Elementary Attendance Zone]." Houston Independent School District. Retrieved on April 14, 2019. Dogan,"[https://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/TX01001591/Centricity/Domain/32468/boundarymaps/Dogan_ES.pdf Dogan Elementary Attendance Zone]." Houston Independent School District. Retrieved on April 14, 2019. and Nathaniel Q. "Nat" Henderson."[https://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/TX01001591/Centricity/Domain/32468/boundarymaps/Henderson_NQ_ES.pdf N. Q. Elementary Attendance Zone]." Houston Independent School District. Retrieved on April 14, 2019. Sherman Elementary School, outside of the Fifth Ward, serves a portion."[https://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/TX01001591/Centricity/Domain/32468/boundarymaps/Sherman_ES.pdf Sherman Elementary Attendance Zone]." Houston Independent School District. Retrieved on April 14, 2019. {{As of|2019}} due to the proximity of Interstate 45, Bruce Elementary experienced noise pollution and twice the amount of asthma compared to the HISD average. About 99% of the students were black or Hispanic.{{cite web|author=Ahmed, Amal|url=https://www.texasobserver.org/more-highways-more-problems/|title=More Highways, More Problems|work=Texas Observer|date=2019-08-21|access-date=2020-04-20}}

Some areas are zoned to John L. McReynolds Middle School in Denver Harbor,"[https://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/TX01001591/Centricity/Domain/32468/boundarymaps/McReynolds_MS.pdf McReynolds Middle Attendance Zone]." Houston Independent School District. Retrieved on April 14, 2019. and some areas are zoned to Lamar Fleming Middle School, north of the Fifth Ward."[https://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/TX01001591/Centricity/Domain/32468/boundarymaps/Fleming_MS.pdf Fleming Middle Attendance Zone]." Houston Independent School District. Retrieved on April 14, 2019. Phillis Wheatley High School in the Fifth Ward serves almost all of the Fifth Ward,"[https://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/TX01001591/Centricity/Domain/32468/boundarymaps/Wheatley_HS.pdf Wheatley High School Attendance Zone]." Houston Independent School District. Retrieved on April 14, 2019. while Northside High School (formerly Jefferson Davis High School) serves a small portion of the Fifth Ward."[https://www.houstonisd.org/cms/lib2/TX01001591/Centricity/Domain/32468/boundarymaps/Northside_HS.pdf Northside High School Attendance Zone]." Houston Independent School District. Retrieved on April 14, 2019. Young Men's College Preparatory Academy, an all-boys middle and high school, is in the Fifth Ward.[https://www.houstonisd.org/Domain/22433 Home]. Young Men's College Preparatory Academy. Retrieved on April 14, 2019. "1700 Gregg St. Houston, TX 77020"

YES Prep Fifth Ward, a state charter school, is in the Fifth Ward. It was founded in 2011."[http://yesprep.org/Campus-Fifth-Ward/topic/campus_home/ Welcome to YES Prep Fifth Ward] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120531113205/http://yesprep.org/Campus-Fifth-Ward/topic/campus_home/ |date=2012-05-31 }}." YES Prep Public Schools. Retrieved on June 12, 2012. "Address:

1305 Benson St. Houston, TX 77020" Northwest Preparatory Academy, a state charter school, is in the Fifth Ward."[http://www.nwpreparatory.com/downloads/2010nwprepapp.pdf Student Enrollment Package] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425071753/http://www.nwpreparatory.com/downloads/2010nwprepapp.pdf |date=2012-04-25 }}." Northwest Preparatory Academy. Retrieved on October 16, 2011. "1305 Benson Houston, Texas 77020"

A Kindergarten through 8 Roman Catholic school called Our Mother of Mercy School, the school of the Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, was in the area.{{cite web | title=Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston / School Page / Our Mother of Mercy School - Houston | website=archgh.org | date=May 17, 2008 | url=http://www.archgh.org/SchoolPages/schoolpages-new/ourmotherofmercy-houston.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517030153/http://www.archgh.org/SchoolPages/schoolpages-new/ourmotherofmercy-houston.htm | archive-date=May 17, 2008 | url-status=dead | access-date=November 15, 2018}} It closed in Spring 2009."[http://www.archgh.org/newsevents-RSS-020609-CathSchoolAnnounce-ArchAnnouncement.htm Archdiocesan Announcement Catholic Schools Plan]{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}." Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. February 5, 2009. Retrieved on February 6, 2009. The school was consolidated with St. Francis of Assisi School in Kashmere Gardens,Murphy, Bill. "[http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6250005.html Four Catholic schools to be closed in Houston]." Houston Chronicle. February 6, 2009. Retrieved on February 7, 2009. which closed in 2020.{{cite web|url=https://www.click2houston.com/news/local/2020/04/22/4-houston-area-catholic-schools-forced-to-close-due-to-cataclysmic-pandemic/|title=4 Houston-area Catholic schools forced to close due to 'cataclysmic' pandemic|publisher=KPRC|date=2020-04-22|access-date=2020-05-30}}

Smith Education Center first opened in 1913. Crawford opened in 1917. Bruce opened at 713 Bringurst in 1920. Davis opened in 1926."[http://www.houstonisd.org/HISDConnectDS/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=0afe09c28afc3110VgnVCM10000028147fa6RCRD&vgnextchannel=2e2b2f796138c010VgnVCM10000052147fa6RCRD School Histories: the Stories Behind the Names] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710153727/http://www.houstonisd.org/HISDConnectDS/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=0afe09c28afc3110VgnVCM10000028147fa6RCRD&vgnextchannel=2e2b2f796138c010VgnVCM10000052147fa6RCRD |date=July 10, 2011 }}." Houston Independent School District. Retrieved on September 24, 2008. On January 31, 1927 Wheatley first opened in the former McGowan Elementary School building."[https://web.archive.org/web/20030322121415/http://hs.houstonisd.org/wheatleyhs/history/ History]." Wheatley High School. March 22, 2003. Retrieved on July 19, 2009. A school which was originally a county school was relocated to 2011 Solo Street in 1927; in 1929 it was renamed after Charles H. Atherton. The building later known as Carter Career Center opened in 1929. Wheatley received a new facility in 1949. A school was named after Nathaniel Q. Henderson in 1956. McReynolds opened in 1957. Fleming opened in 1968. In 2006 much of Wheatley High School had been rebuilt. Bruce moved to a new facility at 510 Jensen Drive in 2007.

By Spring 2011 Atherton Elementary School and E.O. Smith Education Center (K-8) were consolidated with a new K-5 campus in the Atherton site. By Spring 2011 Crawford Elementary School, a campus in the Fifth Ward, and Sherman Elementary School, a campus outside of the Fifth Ward, were consolidated, with a new campus in the Sherman site."[http://www.houstonisd.org/HISDConnectDS/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=56f6c8debd79d110VgnVCM10000028147fa6RCRD&vgnextchannel=de4b2f796138c010VgnVCM10000052147fa6RCRD Board Approves School Closings and Consolidations] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928224811/http://www.houstonisd.org/HISDConnectDS/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=56f6c8debd79d110VgnVCM10000028147fa6RCRD&vgnextchannel=de4b2f796138c010VgnVCM10000052147fa6RCRD |date=September 28, 2011 }}." Houston Independent School District. November 14, 2008. As of Spring 2011 Atherton is located in the previous Concord Elementary School/North District office building."[http://es.houstonisd.org/athertones/ Atherton's Homepage] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110402233850/http://es.houstonisd.org/AthertonES/ |date=2011-04-02 }}." Charles H. Atherton Elementary. Retrieved on March 5, 2011. "Atherton Elementary will be temporarily located at 5426 Cavalcade (formerly Concord Elementary & HISD North Region Office) while the building of the "new" Atherton Elementary is underway." Fifth Ward middle school students previously zoned to Smith were rezoned to Fleming and McReynolds."[http://dept.houstonisd.org/ab/schoolboundarymaps/EOSmithMS.pdf E.O. Smith Middle Attendance Zone] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090227005743/http://dept.houstonisd.org/ab/schoolboundarymaps/EOSmithMS.pdf |date=February 27, 2009 }}." Houston Independent School District. Retrieved on January 21, 2009.

By 2011, Young Men's College Preparatory Academy was to open in the current Smith location.Mellon, Ericka. "[http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/education/7332849.html HISD board OKs creation of a school just for boys]." Houston Chronicle. December 10, 2010. Retrieved on December 10, 2010. By 2015 it moved to the former Crawford Elementary School.Mellon, Ericka. "[http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/education/article/Judge-puts-demolition-of-old-Wheatley-building-on-5845993.php Judge puts demolition of old Wheatley building on hold pending trial]." Houston Chronicle. October 24, 2014. Retrieved on January 23, 2015. "The all-boys school is now housed in the old Crawford Elementary on Jensen Street." Its permanent campus is on the site of the former Carter Career Center."[http://defendernetwork.com/news/2014/sep/19/hisd-approves-settlement-wheatleyeo-smith/ HISD approves settlement on Wheatley/E.O. Smith] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151207051619/http://defendernetwork.com/news/2014/sep/19/hisd-approves-settlement-wheatleyeo-smith/ |date=2015-12-07 }}." Houston Defender. September 19, 2014. Retrieved on December 7, 2015.

The Fifth Ward included the DeVry Advantage Academy,"[http://www.houstonisd.org/HISDConnectEnglish/Images/PDF/DeVry_FAQRevised.pdf DeVry Advantage Academy and Contemporary Learning Center at H. P. Carter FAQ’s]{{dead link|date=July 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}." Houston Independent School District. Retrieved on December 2, 2011. a DeVry University-affiliated HISD high school housed in a building that was formerly housing Carter Career Center, an HISD vocational school and pregnant girls' school.[http://hs.houstonisd.org/CarterHS/ Home Page] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080829205207/http://hs.houstonisd.org/CarterHS/ |date=2008-08-29 }}. Carter Career Center. Retrieved on November 23, 2008. DeVry opened in 2011 and closed in 2012.Mellon, Ericka. "[http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/HISD-asks-board-to-shutter-DeVry-Advantage-Academy-3469865.php HISD asks board to shutter DeVry Advantage Academy]." Houston Chronicle. Monday April 9, 2012. Retrieved on June 14, 2012.

Benji's Special Educational Academy, a state charter school near the Fifth Ward,Mellon, Ericka. "[http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7206446.html School defying closure order loses bid for funds]." Houston Chronicle. September 17, 2010. Retrieved on September 18, 2010. merged into Victory Preparatory Academy in 2011;{{cite news|author=Mellon, Ericka|url=https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/education/article/HISD-gives-second-life-to-troubled-charter-school-7249957.php|title=HISD gives second life to troubled charter school|newspaper=Houston Chronicle|date=2016-04-14|access-date=2018-04-07}} that northern campus of V Prep closed in February 2018.{{cite news|author=Carpenter, Jacob|url=https://www.chron.com/news/education/article/Houston-charter-school-Victory-Prep-North-12608016.php|title=Houston charter school Victory Prep North abruptly closing|newspaper=Houston Chronicle|date=2018-02-12|access-date=2018-04-07}}

The Fifth Ward is served by the Houston Public Library Fifth Ward Neighborhood Library."[http://www.hpl.lib.tx.us/fifth-ward-neighborhood-library Fifth Ward Neighborhood Library] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090809004532/http://www.hpl.lib.tx.us/fifth-ward-neighborhood-library |date=2009-08-09 }}." Houston Public Library. Retrieved on July 20, 2009.

Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation is a nonprofit community-based agency located in Houston’s historic Fifth Ward community. In 1989, community civic leaders, business owners, ministers and educators came together in the interest of community improvement. The organization has operated under the same name since its inception. The Fifth Ward Enrichment Program operates afterschool programs.Pando, p. 37. Community Partners operated community services in the Fifth Ward.{{Cite web |url=http://www.fwepinc.org/downloads/DadsInvolvement.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2008-11-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090107011934/http://www.fwepinc.org/downloads/DadsInvolvement.pdf |archive-date=2009-01-07 |url-status=dead }} The Human Organizational Political and Economic Development, Inc. was established in the summer of 1967 by Methodist minister Reverend Earl Allen and operated a Black Arts Center, the Roxy Theater and published the Voice of Hope. John de Menil had been instrumental in providing funding, and the organization encountered financial difficulty's after de Menil's 1973 death. The Emergency School Aid act provided $164,000 in September 1978, and the National Endowment of the Arts stated that it would give a grant of $15,000 one month later.West, Richard. "[http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/only-the-strong-survive/ Only the Strong Survive]" ( {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201014156/http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/only-the-strong-survive/ |date=2016-02-01 }}). Texas Monthly. Emmis Communications, February 1979. Volume 7, No. 2. ISSN 0148-7736. START: p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=7S0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA94 94]. CITED: p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=7S0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA174 174]. Habitat for Humanity built Fifth Ward houses beginning in 1991, with the first on Rowley Street.

File:FinniganParkHoustonTX.JPG

Finnigan Park and Community Center, operated by Harris County Precinct One, is located at 4900 Providence. The park has a lighted sports field, a swimming pool, lighted tennis courts, a .65 mile hike and bicycle trail, and a playground. The community center has an indoor gymnasium, a weight room a kitchen and a computer room."[http://www.houstontx.gov/parks/cc-finnigan.html Finnigan Community Center] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090525002836/http://www.houstontx.gov/parks/cc-finnigan.html |date=2009-05-25 }}." City of Houston. Retrieved on July 17, 2009. It was named after the person who donated the land for the park in 1939, Annette Finnigan.{{cite web|url=https://www.houstontx.gov/parks/parksites/emancipationpark.html|title=Emancipation Park|publisher=City of Houston|access-date=2020-05-11}} In May 2011 the city announced that it is closing Finnigan Pool."[https://abc13.com/archive/8139570/ Houston budget plan includes city service changes] ." KTRK-TV. Thursday May 19, 2011. Retrieved on May 21, 2011.

The Swiney Community Center, operated by the City of Houston is located at 2812 Cline. The center has a playground and an outdoor basketball pavilion."[http://www.houstontx.gov/parks/cc-swiney.html Swiney Community Center] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080604132021/http://www.houstontx.gov/parks/cc-swiney.html |date=2008-06-04 }}." City of Houston. Retrieved on July 17, 2009.

The city will establish the Fifth Ward Future Park at 4700 Clinton, 77020."[http://www.houstontx.gov/parks/ourparks/ourparksA-F.html Our Parks A-F] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903054948/http://www.houstontx.gov/parks/ourparks/ourparksA-F.html |date=September 3, 2011 }}." City of Houston. Retrieved on December 30, 2011.

The Julia C. Hester House serves as a settlement house and community center."[http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/ynj02 Julia C. Hester House]." Handbook of Texas. Retrieved on October 27, 2009. As of 1979 it offers youth activities and community services, and it is a part of the United Fund. It was originally known as Houston Negro Community Center of the Fifth Ward, but it received its current name before its opening. A biracial committee established the center in 1943 to improve the education, health, and welfare of Fifth Ward residents. It originally used rented facilities on Lyons Avenue, before moving into a $150,000 building on Solo Street in 1949; the center has occupied the Solo Street building since then. West wrote that in the Fifth Ward the Hester House "is as much an institution as Wheatley High."

The Northeast Family YMCA serves residents of the Fifth Ward.McTaggart, Brian. "[http://www.chron.com/sports/astros/article/Fernandez-fails-to-bolster-status-with-Astros-1980962.php Fernandez fails to bolster status with Astros]." Houston Chronicle. April 3, 2004. Retrieved on July 17, 2013. "The Northeast Family YMCA was built in 1960 and services 370 households from the neighborhoods of the Fifth Ward, Scenic Woods, Fontaine, Settegast, Lakewood, Wood Glen, Shady Timbers and Riverwood."

File:FifthWardDenverTransitHouston.JPG

Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO) operates bus routes. The agency operates the Fifth Ward/Denver Harbor Transit Center on Lockwood Street."[http://www.ridemetro.org/schedulesmaps/TransitCenter/FifthWard.aspx Fifth Ward Transit Center] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090729010907/http://www.ridemetro.org/SchedulesMaps/TransitCenter/FifthWard.aspx |date=2009-07-29 }}." Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas. Retrieved on July 25, 2009.

Prior to 1952 electric streetcar services were available on Lyons Avenue. Buses with steel wheels used these tracks during the late 1950s.

Greg Carter created the 1997 film Fifth Ward, financed from borrowed money from his mother and an insurance claim, and later made a derivative television show also called Fifth Ward.{{cite web|author=Fletcher, Abner|url=https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/shows/houston-matters/2019/06/12/335065/filmmaker-returns-home-to-direct-the-urban-movie-channels-5th-ward-the-series/|title=Filmmaker Greg Carter Chronicles Life In Houston's Fifth Ward|publisher=Houston Public Media|date=2019-06-12|access-date=2019-06-15}}

Fifth Ward is where the rap group “The Geto Boys” originated from.

The crime novel Act of Love by Joe R. Lansdale is set in the Fifth Ward and tells the story about a fictitious serial killer kalled "The Houston Hacker".

File:FruitsFifthWardHoustonTX.JPG

• 5th Ward Boyz{{cite web | last=Rowland | first=Hobart | title=Ghetto Do-Gooders | website=Houston Press | date=January 25, 1996 | url=https://www.houstonpress.com/music/ghetto-do-gooders-6571809 | access-date=November 15, 2018}}
• John T. Browne, (Mayor of Houston) - As of 1979 his residence was used as an Italian American-owned grocery store, Orlando's Grocery
• Arnett Cobb, saxophonist
• Carl Crawford, professional baseball playerLauber, Scott. "[http://bostonherald.com/sports/baseball/red_sox/view.bg?articleid=1307917&position=0 Deep in the heart of Carl Crawford] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110110032724/http://bostonherald.com/sports/baseball/red_sox/view.bg?articleid=1307917&position=0 |date=2011-01-10 }}." Boston Herald. Friday January 7, 2011. Retrieved on January 13, 2011.
• Alfred C. Finn, architect{{cite book|last=Johnston|first=Marguerite|publisher=Texas A&M University Press|location=College Station|year=1991|title=Houston: The Unknown City, 1836{{endash}}1946|isbn=978-0-89096-476-7|pages=177{{endash}}178}}
• George Foreman - professional boxer and heavyweight champion{{cite web | title=The Official Site of George Foreman | url=http://www.georgeforeman.com/biography | access-date=November 15, 2018 | archive-date=January 13, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160113122017/http://georgeforeman.com/biography | url-status=dead }}
• Geto Boys
• Willie D
• Bushwick Bill
• Scarface
• Illinois Jacquet, jazz musician
• Barbara Jordan, US congressperson and civil rights leader{{cite news|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070621080958/http://images.chron.com/content/news/photos/06/02/08/wards.pdf|archive-date=2007-06-21 |url=http://images.chron.com/content/news/photos/06/02/08/wards.pdf|title=Where the wards are|newspaper=Houston Chronicle|date=September 7, 2004|page=E1}}
• As of 1979 Jordan's parents continued to live in the Fifth Ward.
• Milton Larkin, saxophonist
• Mickey Leland, US Congressperson and community leader
• As of 1979 Leland's parents continued to live in the Fifth Ward.
• Ruth McClendon, state legislator representing a district in San Antonio{{cite web|url=http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/scanned/members/bios/208.pdf|title=Ruth McClendon Biography|publisher=lrl.state.tx.us|access-date=December 10, 2014}}
• James Prince{{cite web | title='It Was Like Flies To Honey': 25 Years Of Rap-A-Lot Records | website=NPR.org | date=2012-02-10 | url=https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2012/01/23/143799814/it-was-like-flies-to-honey-25-years-of-rap-a-lot-records | access-date=2022-11-01}}
• Joe Sample{{cite web | last=Alvarez | first=Olivia Flores | title=The Sample Truth | website=houstonpress.com | date=September 28, 2006 | url=http://www.houstonpress.com/2006-09-28/music/the-sample-truth/1/addComment/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615080846/http://www.houstonpress.com/2006-09-28/music/the-sample-truth/1/addComment/ | archive-date=June 15, 2011 | url-status=dead | access-date=November 15, 2018}}
• Ruth Simmons, president of Prairie View A&M University and former President of Brown UniversityStated in Finding Your Roots, Season 1
• Lonnie Smith, plaintiff of Smith v. AllwrightWest, Richard. "[http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/only-the-strong-survive/ Only the Strong Survive]" ( {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201014156/http://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/only-the-strong-survive/ |date=2016-02-01 }}). Texas Monthly. Emmis Communications, February 1979. Volume 7, No. 2. ISSN 0148-7736. START: p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=7S0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA94 94]. CITED: p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=7S0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA104 104].
• Selvin Young{{cite web | last=Rasizer | first=Lee | title=Experiencing many growth spurts : Broncos : The Rocky Mountain News | website=rockymountainnews.com | date=March 27, 2008 | url=http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2007/nov/19/experiencing-many-growth-spurts/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080327015629/http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2007/nov/19/experiencing-many-growth-spurts/ | archive-date=March 27, 2008 | url-status=dead | access-date=November 15, 2018}}

Fruits of the Fifth Ward, a mural depicting 21 notable individuals who are natives of the Fifth Ward or have connections to the Fifth Ward, was created by Wheatley High School students. Reginald Adams, the executive director of the Museum of Cultural Arts Houston (MOCAH), oversaw the creation of the mural. The project began after the History Channel gave MOCAH a $10,000 grant to create a mural depicting the history of the Fifth Ward.Johnson, Laurie. "[http://www.kuhf.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=18290&security=2390&news_iv_ctrl=1043 Fifth Ward Mural] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721063010/http://www.kuhf.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=18290&security=2390&news_iv_ctrl=1043 |date=2011-07-21 }}." KUHF. Friday October 20, 2006. Retrieved on July 17, 2009. The mural was constructed from February 15 to October 21, 2006."[http://www.mocah.org/projects/fruits/ Fruits of Fifth Ward Mosaic Mural Project]." Museum of Cultural Arts. Retrieved on January 13, 2011. The mural was dedicated on Saturday October 21, 2006. The mural is adjacent to Crawford Elementary School.{{cite web | title=Department news | website=houstontx.gov | date=September 5, 2008 | url=http://www.houstontx.gov/hr/savvypages/archives/winter07/win07_departnews.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080905103302/http://www.houstontx.gov/hr/savvypages/archives/winter07/win07_departnews.htm | archive-date=September 5, 2008 | url-status=dead | access-date=November 15, 2018}}

• History of the African-Americans in Houston

{{Portal bar|Texas|United States}}

• {{cite journal|author=Pando, Patricia|url=http://houstonhistorymagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Fifth-Ward.pdf|title=In the Nickel, Houston's Fifth Ward|journal=Houston History Magazine|date=July 2011|volume=8|issue=3|pages=33–37}}

{{Reflist|2}}

{{Commons category|Fifth Ward, Houston}}

• {{Handbook of Texas|id=hpfhk|name=Fifth Ward, Houston}}
• {{Handbook of Texas|id=hrfvg|name=Frenchtown, Texas}}

{{Fifth Ward, Houston}}

{{Houston, Texas}}

Category:Neighborhoods in Houston