Home > Houston > Areas

Montrose - Houston Hotels .com

Back in 1911, when entrepreneur J.W. Link was promoting Montrose as his new streetcar suburb, "booming" Houston was mostly marketing hype. Link believed in it enough to build his own massive home in Montrose -- which you can still see as the Link-Lee Mansion (Montrose and West Alabama) on the University of St. Thomas campus -- and he was right. Montrose has grown up with Houston, and you can see it in the variety of architectural eras represented on its streets and in the diversity of its people and businesses. Montrose architecture ranges from cozy, restored Craftsman bungalows to the stainless steel Contemporary Arts Museum (5216 Montrose Blvd.) just south of Highway 59. You can shop for antiques and fascinating junk (try Westheimer Antique Flea Market, 733 Westheimer Rd.) and you can sip martinis with the ultra-chic at the Davenport (2115 Richmond Ave.).

Montrose nurtures a lively, diverse population, including many young, upscale Houston residents who appreciate its unusually pedestrian-friendly location and the rich stock of renovated or ready-to-renovate early 20th century homes. Montrose is also known as Houston's gay neighborhood because of Montrose's highly visible cluster of lesbian and gay businesses, as well as its annual Pride Festival and night-time Parade that draw an estimated 1,000 participants and more than 150,000 spectators to the neighborhood each June. Businesses catering to lesbians and gays range from the South Beach dance club (808 Pacific St.) and Chances, four-bars-in-one catering to women (1100 Westheimer), to the Houston GLBT Community Center (3400 Montrose Blvd.), Cousins (817 Fairview St.) and its glittery drag shows, to the popular community watering hole Marys Lounge (1022 Westheimer Rd.).

Another well-established Montrose event is the four-day Houston Greek Festival, an early October tradition for more than 40 years, held at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral (3511 Yoakum Blvd.). The whole family will enjoy the folk dancing, music, films, and -- don't forget -- the food. If you decide to stray, you'll find Montrose shares borders with just about everything else you want in Houston: the Museum District is just south, downtown is to the east, River Oaks is to the west, and Rice University not far away.