Early advertisements for Memorial Bend shed light on the origins of the neighborhood as well as some of the plans for the development of the surrounding area. Even some original residents of the Bend were not aware that, at one time, developers had proposed damming Rummel Creek to form Lake Rummel.

Listed below are neighborhood-specific advertisements as well as articles related to Memorial Bend. Please note that some of the text is difficult to read as these are printouts of microfiche articles from the 1950s. Recently added is a section titled Forgotten Bend, houses or buildings that have since been demolished.

Advertisements

• Imagine! A Home in the Memorial Area for $16,350, Houston Chronicle, October 25, 1955
• Houston's One and Only Luxury Subdivision Offering a Home on Memorial Drive, Houston Chronicle, December 5, 1955
• Already Giving 53 Homeowners Finer... More Comfortable Living, Houston Chronicle, December 18, 1955
• The Developers of the Beautiful Memorial Area..., Houston Chronicle, March 18, 1956
• Trees... Trees... Trees... Memorial Drive Area, Houston Chronicle, April 29, 1956
• Watch for the Grand Opening of Section 2, Houston Chronicle, June 10, 1956
• For the Finest in Homes!!, Houston Chronicle, August 19, 1956
• For Your Future Home, Houston Chronicle, September 2, 1956
• Worth Celebrating... The First Family Moved into Memorial Bend, Houston Chronicle, September 9, 1956
• Think Before You Buy, Houston Chronicle, September 30, 1956
• Memorial Drive - the Scenic Wooded Wonderland, Houston Chronicle, November 10, 1957
• Memorial Bend: Grand Opening of Section III, Houston Chronicle, June 29, 1958
• Country Living with All Modern Conveniences, Houston Chronicle, July 13, 1958
• Memorial Bend: Home of Prize Winning Contemporaries, Houston Chronicle, February 15, 1959

Articles

• Big Memorial Bend Development Planned, Houston Chronicle, November 7, 1954
  The first article announcing the development of Memorial Bend.
• Utility Firm Investing $295,000 in Equipment, Houston Chronicle, September 4, 1955
  This building was designed by Floyd for Robert Puig, president of Memorial Bend Development Company.
• Memorial Bend Builders Push Big Program, Houston Chronicle, September 25, 1955
  An article describing investment in the neighborhood and the Bend's first couple, Mr. and Mrs. R.E. Gregory.
• Bids Due in January for First Unit of Memorial Shopping Park, Houston Chronicle, December 16, 1956
  The artists' rendering includes the old serpentine wall that, until the winter of 2001, ran along Boheme.
• To Construct Building for Drugstore, Houston Chronicle, November 11, 1959
  A Chronicle article of Don J. Tomasco's pharmacy that would eventually appear in Arts & Architecture.
• Small Pharmacy by Don J. Tomasco & Associates (Page One),(Page Two), Arts & Architecture, October 1961
  The old Interurban Pharmacy, featured in the magazine made famous for its "case study" houses of the 1950s and 1960s, was one of the original tenants of the Memorial Bend Shopping Park. The building is still recognizable today although it has been modified as the home of Gulf States Laundry Machine Company.
• 311 Electra: Houston Architectural Guide - Bill Caudill's home at 311 Electra is listed in the 1999 edition of the Houston Architectural Guide. The listing includes commentary by architectural historian Stephen Fox on Memorial Bend.
• Subdivision Paved in Song - Go Figaro, Houston Chronicle, July 17, 2002 - A recent article on the history of the neighborhood and how our streets were named.
• Where the 50s Were Fabulous, Cite Magazine, Spring 2003
  Due to the large size of Cite Magazine, this driving tour of Memorial Bend had to be divided into four sections for easier viewing. Featured are several notable homes known for their architecture and their former residents. Section One - Section Two - Section Three - Section Four.
• A Time Capsule, Wide Open, JetSet Modern Magazine, September 30, 2003 - a brief article detailing the history and significance of Memorial Bend.
• Clean Lines, Tall Pines make Memorial Bend, Houston Chronicle, October 19, 2003 - An updated article in the Chronicle on Memorial Bend with home prices, trends and other pertinent information.
• Home Page, Atomic Ranch Magazine, Summer 2004 - A listing of a Memorial Bend house in the home page section of Atomic Ranch Magazine, a quarterly publication dedicated to mid-century housing and design
• Memorial Bend Subdivision Expanded City in Style During 1950s - Houston Business Journal, May 27, 2005 - An article on the history and importance of Memorial Bend - great piece!

Forgotten Bend

• 100 Block of Faust - This cul-de-sac was destroyed to make way for the beltway.
• 201 Verdi - Once located on the site of the beltway pumping station.
• 12822 Hansel, Houston Chronicle, June 1, 1958 advertisement.
  This home was demolished to make way for the Beltway
• 12822 Hansel, Houston Chronicle, July 26, 1959 article
  A photo and caption of this long-gone home.

Maps

• 1955 Fire Hydrant Map from Zingery Map Co. - Shows early development of Memorial Bend. One can see that adjacent neighborhoods such as Memorial Plaza, Frostwood and Fonn Villas had yet to have been built.
• 1958 Fire Hydrant Map from Zingery Map Co. - By 1958, one can see that the area had become a thriving residential community with all of the proposed streets in Memorial Bend in place.
• Aerial Photograph - This aerial photograph shows the area prior to the removal of homes along Westbelt and the eventual construction of Town & Country mall. Joske's and the area around Sakowitz are visible and one can also see that, at the time, Westbelt did not connect past Memorial Bend. Neighborhoods such as Walnut Bend (lower left) were not complete. Please note that the added text is, for some reason, difficult to read.
• Pre-Toll Way Layout - This is a map showing the houses that were affected by the building of the tollway.  This is a large file.
• Harris County Appraisal District plot - This is a great map from HCAD. Please Note: The file is quite large... 1MB. It also requires Adobe Acrobat Reader as it is in PDF format.

Nearby Neighborhoods

• Gaywood New Development in Memorial Area, Houston Chronicle, April 10, 1955
  Announcement of the development of 122 homesites in Gaywood
• New Memorial Plaza Projet; 86 Homesites, Houston Chronicle, July 24, 1955
  The announcement of nearby Memorial Plaza and the first house, designed by A. Carroll Brodnax and Charles Sawyer.
• Haven Dedication Set, Houston Chronicle, October 23, 1955
  An article and photograph on the dedication of the old Baptist Haven, once located across from the Lantern Lane Shopping Center.
• Texas Baptist Haven Loved by Old Folks, Houston Chronicle, February 4,1956
  Happy residents talk about life at 12601 Memorial Drive
• Memorial Plaza: Rural Atmosphere, Houston Chronicle, February 26, 1956 advertisement.
• Bendwood, New Spring Branch School, Houston Chronicle, February 9, 1958
  This artists' rendering and caption to announced bids for the construction of Bendwood Elementary.
• Executive of 'Wilchester' Sales Named, Houston Chronicle, November 27, 1960 - Announcing the hiring of an executive to begin work on the 230 acre subdivision
• 30 of 60 Fine Memorial Area Homes Begun, Houston Chronicle, December 18, 1960.  Construction begins in Wilchester

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