HOUSTON – The Allies of Freedmen’s Town and Freedmen’s Town Conservancy are raising money to renovate and preserve one of the last remaining historic homes in the area.
The home is located at 1609 Saulnier Street, and on Saturday organizers hosted an open house event.
Organizers need to raise $250,000 to save this home and keep it in Freedman’s Town for generations to come.
The house was built in 1928 and has so much history.
“It may seem like an eyesore, and it has some wear and tear but it has been through every Hurricane and storm that every home in the City of Houston has been through. It’s still standing, so for that we are proud,” Zion Escobar said.
Escobar serves as the Executive Director of the Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy. She says the project is already 50% funded but needs support and donors.
“$10, $20, $100. A hundred folks giving $100 is a big push towards our remaining $250,000 goal,” she said.
The home is part of Freedmen’s Town, a historically Black community that was settled by formerly enslaved people after the Emancipation Proclamation in 1865. There are now less than 50 structures remaining in the area.
Once the home has been purchased, it will be given landmark status, renovated, and would become affordable housing within the Freedmen’s Town Historic District for the first time.
“I’ve come into this community several times, and I’ve seen some of the changes that are happening. To see this kind of come from an idea and to almost being at the finish line is exciting, and we ask that you continue to support until we get to the finish line,” Dr. Ashley Allen, Executive Director of the Houston Community Land Trust said.
If you would like to visit the historic home or make a donation, click here.