Houston's oldest existing building is the Kellum-Noble House, which was built in 1847, only 11 years after Houston was founded. The Houston Heritage Societys Kimberly Wolfe, Deborah Duty, and Elizabeth Martin showed us around the property, which was outside city limits when Nathaniel Kellum built it. He also owned all the land that is now Sam Houston Park and several businesses including the brickyard that provided materials for this building. The Kellums lived here two years before selling to the Noble Family. Mrs. Noble ran a school here for young ladies, one of the first in Houston. When we set up a school system in 1877, it became the Fourth Ward School.
In 1899, the Nobles sold the land to the City and it became our first municipal park and this building was the park HQ. The Southern plantation-style building was restored in 1958 and is now a museum run by the Heritage Society. The masonry building is sinking, and the group (aided by Sparks Engineering) is planning a full restoration, including a new foundation and architectural finishes like fixing the cracks and the roof. It'll also move mechanical systems into the walls. The team will launch construction after it completes fundraising.
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