Few "Green Book" sites remain in Houston
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Pages of "Green Book" guides that include Houston businesses that were deemed safe for Black travelers. Photo courtesy of New York Public Library
Not many hotels and restaurants in Texas welcomed Black people before the Civil Rights Act of 1964. (And even after that it was sometimes dicey.)
Driving the news: Before Black History Month ends, we're looking at what became of the local venues listed in the "The Negro Motorist Green Book."
- The guides were published from 1936 to 1966 with information about businesses Black travelers could safely visit during the Jim Crow era.
Why it matters: These sites — and the vacant lots that used to house them — are a reminder of how recently segregation was legal and what history has been preserved.
Zoom in: Houston had about a dozen listings in the "Green Book" guides that were deemed safe for Black people.
- Some years just mentioned hotels, while some editions included barbershops, drug stores, restaurants, taverns and nightclubs, per an Axios review of the New York Public Library digital archive.
Flashback: The "Green Book" guides received renewed attention thanks to the eponymous movie that won an Oscar in 2019.
State of play: Most of the buildings appear to be vacant or deteriorated, though a few places remain:
The Mingo Motel, now the Best Reed Motel at 4749 Reed Road, was featured in several editions of the guides.
- In 1959, the motel paid for an ad that called itself the "South's largest and most luxurious motel," highlighting amenities such as air conditioning, central music, TV, radio, room service and a restaurant.
The Eldorado Ballroom, which was spelled "El Dorado" under the nightclub section in 1955, is undergoing renovations.
- The venue, founded in 1939 and located at 2310 Elgin St., was a popular music and community venue that featured upscale blues and jazz performances by touring stars and local talent, according to the Texas State Historical Association.
- Once restored, the ground floor will feature a café, local market, and community gathering and meeting spaces. The ballroom upstairs will once again be a live music venue, according to Project Row Houses.
Rolston, sometimes spelled "Ralston's," was a drug store at 3318 Lyons Ave. and is now a liquor store.
- The building was reportedly a one-stop-shop drugstore that anchored Fifth Ward, Toya Levi, the co-founder of the Green Book Project, told ABC 13.