There's nothing more fun than buying yourself some everyday glamourous jewelry for the City of Houston's 188th Birthday. Look splendid and shop for a great cause...Houston's history museum. The party in store is happy hour time 4- 6 p.m. at 714 Yale Street. Come model jewelry with us and enjoy sweets, sips, and balloons. RSVP to info@heritagesociety.org.

Can't make the party? SHOP ONLINE THESE TWO DAYS: Your unique giveback code is GIVEBACK-HBMZF and will be live from Wednesday, 8/28 - Thursday, 8/29. 1) Code MUST be entered at the time of checkout to calculate 20% giveback to The Heritage Society. 2) The giveback code cannot be combined with another code.

What is a SIP? Explore Houston’s interesting places and history on these guided tours with subject matter experts! See Interesting Places (SIP) is an adventure that highlights Houston sites. 

Discover the Old World Charm of The Beaconsfield with Stephen Fox

Wednesday, November 8

6 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Our exploration guide is architectural and historical subject matter expert Stephen Fox. Fox is an architectural historian and a Fellow of the Anchorage Foundation of Texas. He is a lecturer in architecture at Rice University and the University of Houston. Fox is the author of the Houston Architectural Guide (2023), published by the American Institute of Architects, Houston Chapter. He is also the author of The Architecture of Birdsall P. Briscoe.

Our Destination -

The Beaconsfield is a 7-story high residential building with 18 lofts built in 1911 and is listed on the US Interior Department’s National Register of Historic Places.  The Beaconsfield has a rich history, visible in its architectural design. It lies at 1700 Main Street, touted as the first high-rise complex in Houston. The building retained its facade, including the 11′-12′ beamed ceilings, gas fireplaces, most of the original hardware, and the original elevator (still operated by the doorman).  It has an attended lobby with an Old World setting complete with French doors and arched stained-glass panels.

IN-STORE EVENT

Friday, August 18, 714 Yale Street, Heights Mercantile, 5-7 p.m.

ONLINE SHOPPING EVENT

KendraScott.com, August 18 & 19. Code GIVEBACK-ENUSI

Everyone, are you ready for some summer shopping fun? Join us for a fabulous event at Kendra Scott in the Heights for wine, champagne, macarons, and a salute to the woman-owned and Texas-based business Kendra Scott in honor of National Non-Profit Day and Women’s Equality Day. Kendra Scott is donating 20% of all proceeds from the in-person and online shopping event to THS. We will highlight how this Texan retail guru has given back to society and are grateful for this partnership and your support.

The Heritage Society presents Legendary Houston, 1960s Love Street Light Circus Feel Good Machine, on Friday, April 21 at 6:30 p.m. in The Ballroom at Bayou Place. Jillian Jopling and Peter McGillivray are the Gala Chairs and past gala honorees. C. C. and Duke Ensell are Honorary Chairs for this year’s event. Brandon Weinbrenner, Master of Ceremonies is Associate Producer & Casting Director at Alley Theatre.

1960s Love Street Light Circus Feel Good Machine Gala is a night to celebrate a decade that brought about radical change. Innovative changes in clothing styles, changes in music, changes in culture, and most important to this night is the change in nightclub styles. Love Street Light Circus Feel Good Machine quickly became a hot spot for psychedelic nightlife in Houston and remained so for many years and transformed Allen’s Landing/Market Square. It was famous for bands such as 13th Floor Elevators, Moving Sidewalks, and ZZ Top made their debut there in 1969. Guests will enter our lounge, reminiscent of the legendary “Zonk Out Room”, to the sounds of a Psychedelic Trio while feasting on themed hors d’oeuvres and colorful beverages. There will be a brilliantly curated Art Gallery Auction with selections donated from the collection of Christy and Lou Cushman. The main event will relive the era with hit songs by the David Caceres Band. A dance contest will be featured, and a Dancing King and Dancing Queen will be crowned. Wear your best interpretation of the 1960s psychedelic era clothing!

Your support of the gala provides support for The Heritage Society’s programming such as school tours, exhibits, lectures, educational videos, and fun-filled family events. We operate ten historic houses, museum gallery, and a collection of more than 23,000 historical items. Help us bring Houston history to life!

The Heritage Society aims to create The Legendary Houston Series, continuing celebrations of our history, culture, enterprise, and spirit. You may view the enclosed reply form or go to heritagesociety.org/gala or contact Laura Woods at 713.655.1912, lwoods@heritagesociety.org with any questions. We are looking forward to seeing you at the 2023 Legendary Houston Gala!

Please join us on Friday, February 17, to hear of the two legendary Houston restaurants that were located at 3755 Richmond Avenue at Timmons Lane. The event starts at 6:30 p.m. and features vignettes about each restaurant. The evening focuses on the Heritage of the location… once the site of Maxim’s and now the site of Tony’s. A gourmet four-course dinner completes the evening.

Tony and Donna Vallone opened Tony’s in a modest location on Sage Road in 1965. In 1972, the Vallones moved to a new location on Post Oak at the urging of his longtime landlord and friend, Gerald D. Hines. It was there that Tony's was firmly ensconced as the go-to restaurant for the rich and famous, thanks in no small part to Houston Chronicle gossip columnist Maxine Mesinger, who'd taken quite a fancy to the place. One of the most memorable nights was a 1982 party in honor of Princess Margaret in Tony's wine cellar, with Governor John Connally teaching the princess to Texas two-step to the accompaniment of live violins. In 2004, the opportunity arose to create a restaurant that truly matched Vallone's ambitions. Vallone had the existing Tony's location built so that “I could have a big kitchen, high ceilings, private dining rooms and do what I wanted to do,” he said. Tony and Donna Vallone changed the dining landscape of Houston forever. (Source: Houston Chronicle)

In 1949, amid the city’s booming economy and population growth, the Peacock Grill opened— giving Houstonians a new kind of culinary experience. Max Manuel and Camille Bermann opened their fine dining establishment in downtown Houston filling the niche for continental cuisine. The name was soon changed to Maxim’s, and a Houston legend was born. Bermann based the new name and the design concept on the world-renowned restaurant Maxim’s de Paris. For over fifty years, Maxim’s provided sophisticated food and dining to its loyal patrons, introducing Houstonians to fine French cuisine and wine. In 1981, the restaurant moved to Greenway Plaza. After Camille’s death, the restaurant closed in 2001. Maxim’s legacy lives on in the many fine dining establishments, especially Tony’s, that have opened their doors in Houston following in the footsteps of Camille Bermann. Camille Bermann’s son, Mark Bermann will give insights of this storied restaurant at the event.

Ticket Information

• Single Ticket: $250

• Table for 8: $2,500

• Table for 10: $5,000

Big Wonderful Thing: A History of Texas

Join author Stephen Harrigan in an interview by the Honorable Ken Wise of the popular podcast “Wise About Texas”.

Co-Chairs: Gwen and Ed Emmett & Angela and Will Cannady

Master of Ceremonies: Frank Billingsley

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6

11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

THE BRIAR CLUB, 2603 TIMMONS LANE

Heritage Award Recipients: To Be Announced Soon

Stephen Harrigan was born in Oklahoma City in 1948 and has lived in Texas since the age of five, growing up in Abilene and Corpus Christi. He is a longtime writer for Texas Monthly, and his articles and essays have appeared in a wide range of other publications as well, including The Atlantic, Outside, The New York Times Book Review, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Conde Nast Traveler, Audubon, Travel Holiday, Life, American History, National Geographic and Slate.

Harrigan is the author of twelve books of fiction and non-fiction, including The Gates of the Alamo, which became a New York Times bestseller and Notable Book, and received a number of awards, including the TCU Texas Book Award, the Western Heritage Award from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, and the Spur Award for Best Novel of the West.

Big Wonderful Thing, a sweeping narrative of Texas from prehistory to the present, was published in 2019 by the University of Texas Press. In a review for The Wall Street Journal, Willard Spiegelman noted that the book is “brimming with sass, intelligence, trenchant analysis, literary acumen and juicy details. . . It is popular history at its best.” And Michael Schaub, in his review for NPR, wrote that “It’s hard to think of another writer with as much Lone Star credibility as Stephen Harrigan. . . Harrigan, essentially, is to Texas literature what Willie Nelson is to Texas music.”