Neighborhood Development
Building Cultural Capital for the Future
“I see them as I walk the Third Ward of Houston, the rhythm of their shadows, the square of the porch three over four like the beat of a visual gospel.”
— Dr. John Biggers
PRH focuses on neighborhood development and revitalization because we understand that Third Ward will thrive and survive only with a dynamic mix of engaged residents, locally-owned businesses, and cultural institutions. While we work to preserve and protect the stories and artifacts of our past, we know their greatest value is in how they build cultural capital for the future.
We foster the creation, development, and support of affordable housing, new businesses, and a wide range of collaborations among our partners in Third Ward.
Business Residency
Our goal is to invite emerging businesses dedicated to serving communities to collaborate with us in supporting a thriving Third Ward. We provide entrepreneurs, creatives, emerging businesses, and innovative organizations with affordable space for up to three years. PRH partners with external organizations including the Emancipation Economic Development Council (EEDC) and Third Ward Cultural District (TWCD) to ensure businesses have the support they need in the early stages of growth.
This program is a response to a community call to action for multigenerational support that provides the infrastructure, guidance and support for residents to thrive within their communities.
Third Ward Cultural District
Harness the power of art and culture
The Third Ward Cultural District, officially created by the Texas Commission for the Arts in September 2020, supports Third Ward residents by activating spaces of healing and creating a haven for the artists most in need of a place to feel safe to create and thrive. Just as important, the Cultural District creates opportunities for visitors from across town and across the globe to participate in this work and connect with the community.
Eldorado Ballroom
A historic venue and center for commerce
Located at 2310 Elgin Street, this historic venue has welcomed generations of Third Ward residents for dancing, celebrations, and special occasions. It will soon undergo a complete rehabilitation that will restore its historic façade and finishes, bring it up to modern accessibility standards, and upgrade all of its operating systems.
Affordable Housing
Placekeeping for legacy residents
Houston suffers from a severe lack of affordable housing. In Third Ward, the shortage has been singularly acute for several generations. Steady rises in property values over the past generation, with a particularly sharp spike that started when Emancipation Park’s historic redevelopment was announced, have created a new wave of displacement for legacy residents.
Community Development
Driving community revitalization and prosperity
During the century after Emancipation, Third Ward by necessity blossomed as a vibrant retail and business community fueled by Black entrepreneurs and business-owners locked out of other parts of the city by the legal segregation of the Jim Crow era.
Architectural Collaborations
Celebrating architectural ingenuity
Artists and architects alike have the ability to dream, to think the unthinkable and give it life. When confronted with a task, architects must employ a vast array of knowledge, talent, and perspective. The same is true of artists.
Help Materialize
Sustainable Opportunities
In Marginalized Communities.