| During
these years, Houston's population broke the quarter-million mark,
and with the growth came big-city headaches like traffic and amenities
like traffic lights. Financier Jesse Jones and other leaders helped
the city endure the Great Depression by pooling bank resources
to keep weak institutions from failing. And as the Depression
wound down, Houstonians joined the rest of America in meeting
an even greater challenge — World War II. |
 |
| In 1925,
Hermann Hospital, now the Cullen Pavilion, stood alone where the
Texas Medical Center would rise decades later. The hospital adjoins
Hermann Park, which is on property donated to the city by George
H. Hermann in 1914. |
| 1926:
The Central Library, later named after the system's first librarian
— Julia Ideson, replaced the Carnegie Library built in 1904 at
McKinney and Travis. The Ideson Building now serves as an annex to
the Central Library, built in 1975. |
The Carnegie Library around 1905. |
 |
The
Central Library today. |
| The
Museum of Fine Arts was built in 1924. |
 |
 |
1928:
Buff Stadium was completed as home to the Houston Buffs, a St. Louis
Cardinals farm club. The stadium was on the Gulf Freeway where Finger
Furniture is now. |
| 1928:
Thanks to Jesse Jones' political manipulations, the Democrats held
their national convention in Houston and nominated New York Gov. Al
Smith as their presidential candidate. Sam Houston Hall was built
for the convention. In 1936, the wooden hall was razed to make way
for Sam Houston Coliseum and Music Hall, which was demolished last
year. |
Inside Sam Houston Hall in 1928. |
 |
Sam
Houston Hall in 1936. |
 |
Sam Houston
Coliseum and Music Hall opened in 1937.
|
 |
1929:
Jesse Jones completed construction of the 35-story Gulf Building,
now the Chase Bank Building, which remained the city's tallest until
1963. The Gulf lollipop topped the building from the mid-'60s until
1973. |
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