Five new properties in Houston were added to its protected landmark list Dec. 11, according to a Dec. 18 news release.

In a nutshell

Houston City Council approved the designations of five historic properties, all located within the city of Houston, which span three City Council districts. The five landmarks include:

• Dr. and Mrs. Robert A. Johnston House, 7 Shadow Lawn St., Houston
• Swift and Company Packing Plant, 612 Waverly St., Houston
• The John S. Stewart House, 109 Stratford St., Houston
• Delco House, 807 North Loop, Houston
• Battelstein’s, 806 Main St., Houston

Landmarks and protected landmarks are historic properties that the city of Houston has officially recognized for their outstanding historical, cultural or architectural significance. There are currently over 307 landmarks and 182 protected landmarks in Houston, according to the news release.

Some context

A building, structure or site must meet at least one of the eight listed criteria set by the Houston Archaeological and Historical Commission to become a landmark. Listed criteria includes how significant a site is related to its surrounding history, culture, community, architecture or resources.

If a structure is approved as a protected landmark, it becomes protected from demolition, eligible for historic tax exemption and allows the owner to reduce parking requirements by 40%.

Dr. and Mrs. Robert A. Johnston House

According to the designation report, the landmark is located at 7 Shadow Lawn St., and it was built in 1928 and owned by Dr. and Mrs. Johnston for nearly 50 years until the early 1970s. Dr. Johnston was a prominent physician in the Houston medical community specializing in obstetrics and gynecology.

The Johnston House is located within the Shadow Lawn Historic District, one of a series of private enclave neighborhoods developed in the 1920s, according to the Houston Planning & Development Department. An enclave is a group or area that is distinct from the rest of the community.

The house was designed by architect Vance Phenix, with the house being built in the Georgian, or Colonial Revival, style. The style was popularized in the early 1900s, and houses in this style are typically rectangular, with symmetrical facades and front entrances that are emphasized with small porches or pediments, according to the designation report.

Swift and Company Packing PlantSwift and Company Packing Plant at 612 Waverly St. was purchased by Swift & Company in 1904, according to the designation report. Swift & Company was one of the "Big Five" meatpacking companies in the United States during the 19th and 20th centuries, and by the 1970s it was one of the largest industrial corporations nationwide, according to the report.

The John S. Stewart HouseLocated at 109 Stratford St. in the Avondale neighborhood, the house was owned by John S. Stewart, Sr., a prominent attorney whose paternal uncle founded the Stewart Title company in Galveston, which is still in business, according to the designation report. The Avondale neighborhood attracted many of Houston's most influential citizens of the time, such as Ross Sterling, the founder of Humble Oil Company, who subsequently served as governor of Texas from 1931-32. The home is a two-and-a-half story building in Neoclassical style; it retains its design, materials and workmanship; and is one of the city's earliest homes built for speculative purposes, according to the report.

The Delco HouseOwned by Nelson and Pauline Delco, the home was built in the 1930s and located at 807 North Loop in the Independence Heights community, one of the first Black municipalities in Texas, founded in 1915. Today the community remains predominately African American and was nationally recognized as the Independence Heights Residential Historic District in 1997.

The home is an example of the historic homes constructed in the community at the height of prosperity and growth during 1910-40, according to the designation report. The Independence Heights community is under threat due to area development, freeway expansion projects and gentrification, according to the report. The Delco House is the fourth city of Houston landmark in the historical Independence Heights helping to preserve the community’s history and cultural heritage.

BattelsteinA 10-story high-rise building located on 806 Main St. and completed in 1950, it functioned as a high-end department store until the 1980s, according to the designation report. The architecture of the building represents a melding of natural and man-made materials, such as limestone and aluminum, that are reflective of Houston's mid-century modern period post-World War II, according to the report.

What they're saying

Barton Kelly, a six-year resident of the Heights, spoke on behalf of the property owners of the Swift and Company Packing Plant during a Nov. 19 City Council meeting and said the plan is to "beautify" and make these buildings safer for future purposes.

"Our plan at Swift is to beautify what you see today which are buildings in need of a lot of love, to make these buildings, one of which is [from] 1917, safer and to revive what is currently abandoned into new places where people can work and people can dine," Kelly said.

Amy Vonbokel, a resident of Independence Heights, voiced her support in preserving the Delco House during the Nov. 19 City Council meeting. She said she has neighbors who are grandchildren to Black Americans who moved across the U.S. to help develop Houston, and she believes it's important to keep their stories alive.

"We have these small houses getting torn down and in their place are these new townhomes going up. And as the houses disappears, the stories disappears," Vonbokel said. "This story is very important not just to me and my neighbors, but to the city of Houston."