Westbury Square

Westbury Square was a distinctive shopping center and mixed-use development in southwest Houston, Texas. Located on approximately 7.5 acres near Chimney Rock Road and West Bellfort Avenue in the Westbury neighborhood, it was developed by Ira Berne and opened in 1962 as part of Westbury Section 3. The project occupied land left over from the subdivision's development and became one of Houston's most memorable retail environments of the 1960s. Berne conceived the center after traveling in Europe, particularly Italy. He admired the way European towns combined varied façades, pedestrian lanes, public plazas, cafés, shops, and residences in a compact setting. Working with architect William F. Wortham Jr., he translated those impressions into a Houston shopping center organized around a circular piazza and fountain. The complex featured brick walkways, irregular pedestrian alleys, antique-style street lamps, a clock tower, and buildings with different historical architectural treatments. Shops occupied the ground floors, while some upper floors contained apartments and offices. Its walkable layout and mixed-use character made it an unusual departure from the automobile-oriented commercial development common in postwar Houston. At its height, Westbury Square attracted visitors from across southeast Texas and Louisiana. The tenant mix included specialty retailers, import shops, clothing stores, gift and stationery merchants, a florist, a perfume shop, jewelry stores, an ice cream parlor, restaurants, a pizza establishment, a preschool, and other small businesses. Notable tenants included The Candle Shop, Cargo Houston Importers, The Chemist Shop, Cromwell's, The Gallery, The Gay Dot, Holland House, Rumpleheimer's, Turrentine's Needlecraft, and Village Inn Pizza Parlor. Cargo was later viewed as an early example of the kind of import-focused retail associated with Pier 1. The center also hosted public programming, including Christmas choir performances, glass-blowing demonstrations, art festivals, and an annual discount event known as the 'lemon sale.' The development became a social and cultural destination as well as a retail center. Its apartments were occupied by some merchants and younger urban residents, and its pedestrian public spaces created an environment that contemporary observers compared with a small European village, a theatrical set, or an early lifestyle center. Buildings were also used in a production of A Streetcar Named Desire. In retrospect, architectural commentators regarded Westbury Square's combination of shopping, dining, residences, offices, and public space as remarkably forward-looking. Its decline began after The Galleria opened in Houston in 1970. The newer enclosed mall attracted shoppers and tenants with larger-scale retail, entertainment, and climate-controlled interiors. Westbury Square also suffered from limited visibility, the absence of major anchor tenants, changing conditions in the surrounding neighborhood, and Houston's dependence on automobile travel. The city's 1980s oil bust further weakened the property, and the center never regained its earlier prominence. The original owner entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 1988. The property subsequently passed through other ownership, including McDonnell-Douglas Financial Corp. and landlord Alfred Antonini. By the mid-1990s only a small number of shops remained. A Home Depot store was developed on part of the site, destroying the original circular plaza and fountain while leaving a portion of the complex intact. In the early 2000s, the remaining property contained antique shops and small independent businesses, and local merchants formed the Westbury Square Merchants Association to explore preservation and revival. Proposed ideas included a farmers' market, arts programming, and new neighborhood-oriented businesses, but no sustained restoration followed. The remaining buildings deteriorated substantially during the 2000s and early 2010s. Buildings 1 and 5 were removed in February 2014 following a long-running dispute involving a city repair-or-demolish order. In 2015, plans were announced to demolish the remaining structures and redevelop the land as a gated residential community of approximately 110 homes. Westbury Square is therefore remembered primarily as a lost Houston landmark: an ambitious, romantic, pedestrian-oriented retail environment whose design anticipated later lifestyle centers but whose business model could not withstand Houston's changing retail landscape.

Westbury Square originated as an unusual response to a leftover parcel in the Westbury subdivision. Developer Ira Berne had not initially decided what to build on the land, but his travels through Europe gave him the concept for a shopping center modeled on the atmosphere of Italian and other European towns. He was particularly interested in varied façades, pedestrian streets, public gathering places, and the relationship between shops and upper-floor residences. Berne collected photographs and notes during his travels and commissioned architect William F. Wortham Jr. to turn those impressions into a Houston development. Completed in 1962, the center was arranged around a circular piazza and fountain. Its buildings used an intentionally picturesque mixture of European and historical architectural references, while brick lanes, street lamps, a clock tower, and irregular alleys created a village-like environment. Retail units occupied the first floors, with apartments and offices above some shops. The project stood out in a city whose commercial development was generally designed around cars and large parking areas. Its compact, walkable plan made it both a shopping destination and a place for strolling, dining, socializing, and community events. During the 1960s and early 1970s, Westbury Square was widely regarded as one of Houston's premier shopping destinations. Its specialty-oriented tenants included importers, gift shops, clothing stores, jewelers, florists, restaurants, an ice cream parlor, a perfume shop, a children's boutique, and a private school. The center also presented seasonal and cultural activities, such as choir performances, glass-blowing demonstrations, art festivals, and the annual lemon sale, in which merchants offered discounted goods from back-alley booths. Its atmosphere attracted both shoppers and residents, including some store owners who lived in the apartments. The center's competitive position weakened after The Galleria opened in November 1970. Tenants and shoppers were drawn to the new enclosed mall, whose scale, climate control, entertainment, and anchor-store format were difficult for a small open-air center to match. Westbury Square also had practical disadvantages: it was not easy to find, lacked major anchor tenants, and depended on a surrounding neighborhood that entered a period of social and economic change. The Houston oil bust of the 1980s further damaged local retail conditions. By the end of that decade, the original owner had entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Ownership later included McDonnell-Douglas Financial Corp. and Alfred Antonini. By 1995, only a handful of businesses remained. A Home Depot store was built on part of the property, removing the central plaza and fountain and changing the site's visual identity. Some of the original buildings survived, but the center no longer operated as a cohesive destination. In 2002, the remaining businesses and property manager created the Westbury Square Merchants Association. They explored preservation and revival measures, including a large farmers' market, gardening classes, arts education, antiques, food businesses, and other independent tenants. These efforts reflected continuing local affection for the center, but they did not produce a durable redevelopment. The surviving structures became increasingly deteriorated. In 2010 they were offered for sale, with brokers acknowledging that a purchaser might demolish them. Buildings 1 and 5 were removed in February 2014 under an agreement with the City of Houston after a prolonged repair-or-demolish matter. In July 2015, plans were announced for demolition of the remaining buildings and construction of a gated community of roughly 110 homes. Westbury Square's legacy lies in its design and cultural memory. It is often described as an early lifestyle center: a mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented retail environment that anticipated later developments in Uptown Houston and suburban master-planned communities, even though it ultimately failed to survive Houston's changing retail economics.

• 2015

  Demolition and residential redevelopment announced

  [1]Westbury Squareen.wikipedia.org

  Plans are announced to remove the remaining structures and develop a gated community of about 110 homes.

• 2014

  Buildings 1 and 5 are removed

  [1]Westbury Squareen.wikipedia.org

  Two remaining buildings are removed following an agreement with the City of Houston concerning a repair-or-demolish order.

• 2002

  Westbury Square Merchants Association is established

  [1]Westbury Squareen.wikipedia.org

  Remaining tenants and the property manager organize preservation and revival efforts, including proposed markets and cultural programming.

• 1995

  Part of the site is redeveloped for Home Depot

  [1]Westbury Squareen.wikipedia.org

  A Home Depot store is developed on part of the property, eliminating the original central plaza and fountain.

• 1988

  Original owner files for Chapter 11

  [1]Westbury Squareen.wikipedia.org

  The original owner enters bankruptcy protection amid the center's long-term commercial decline.

• 1970

  The Galleria opens and competition intensifies

  [1]Westbury Squareen.wikipedia.org

  The opening of Houston's Galleria contributes to tenant movement and declining traffic at smaller centers including Westbury Square.

• 1962

  Westbury Square opens

  [1]Westbury Squareen.wikipedia.org

  The mixed-use shopping center opens in southwest Houston with specialty shops, apartments, offices, pedestrian lanes, a piazza, and a fountain.

• 1960

  European-inspired concept developed

  [1]Westbury Squareen.wikipedia.org

  Developer Ira Berne developed the concept for a Houston shopping center influenced by European and especially Italian architecture and public spaces.

A destination-oriented, European-inspired shopping village combining specialty retail, dining, public events, apartments, and offices in a walkable setting.

• Retail · 1962

  Specialty retail shops

  Westbury Square's principal offering was a collection of small specialty retailers rather than a single branded product line. Shops sold gifts, stationery, fine china, imported goods, clothing, perfume, jewelry, flowers, needlecraft supplies, and children's merchandise. Named tenants included The Candle Shop, Cargo Houston Importers, The Chemist Shop, Cromwell's, The Gallery, The Gay Dot, Holland House, the Jewel Chest, Turrentine's Needlecraft, and Joan Flake.

• Food and entertainment · 1962

  Dining and leisure businesses

  Restaurants and leisure venues helped position the center as a place to spend time rather than simply make a purchase. The tenant mix included Rumpleheimer's ice cream parlor, Village Inn Pizza Parlor, Mario's Italian restaurant, and later independent food businesses. Public events, a fountain, pedestrian lanes, and seasonal activities reinforced the destination character.

• Real estate · 1962

  Mixed-use shopping environment

  The development itself was the core offering: a walkable two-story environment combining retail on lower floors with apartments and offices above. Its circular piazza, brick paths, varied façades, clock tower, and antique-style lamps created a European village atmosphere uncommon in Houston's postwar commercial landscape.

• 2002Westbury Square Merchants Association revival effort

  Houston, Texas

  The property manager and remaining tenants organized a preservation and revitalization effort. Ideas included a farmers' market with local produce, children's gardening instruction, arts education, additional independent shops, and community-oriented programming.

  Outcome. The initiative generated local interest and new small-business activity, but did not prevent continued deterioration or later demolition plans.

  Source

• 2015

  Residential redevelopment planStrategy

  Background

  The remaining buildings had deteriorated and previous revival efforts had not restored the center's commercial viability.

  Action taken

  Plans were announced to demolish the remaining structures and use the site for a gated residential community of approximately 110 homes.

  Aftermath

  The announcement marked the effective end of efforts to preserve Westbury Square as an operating shopping center.

  Source

• 2014

  Removal of buildings under city order agreementOther

  Background

  Two structures were involved in a longstanding dispute concerning their condition and a City of Houston repair-or-demolish order.

  Action taken

  Buildings 1 and 5 were removed under an agreement with the city.

  Aftermath

  The surviving historic fabric was further reduced, accelerating the loss of the original complex.

  Source

• 1995

  Partial redevelopment for Home DepotStrategy

  Background

  Westbury Square had lost much of its former retail traffic, and only a limited number of tenants remained. Home Depot sought to use part of the site for a large-format hardware store.

  Action taken

  Part of the center was redeveloped for Home Depot, resulting in the destruction of the original circular plaza and fountain while leaving some structures standing.

  Aftermath

  The project preserved a portion of the physical footprint but ended the integrity of Westbury Square's original central design.

  Source

1. 1Westbury Squareen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Merchants on mission to revive Westbury Squarebizjournals.com