New Hope Housing: Brays Crossing

Location
Lawndale / Wayside Houston, TX
Type
Single Room Occupancy (SRO)
Size
65,000 SF
Completed
2010

New Hope Housing Brays Crossing in Houston’s East End elevates and dignifies single room occupancy (SRO) housing by offering its 149 residents quality, affordable housing that contributes to its neighborhood. The community is a redevelopment of the derelict HouTex Inn, a 1964-vintage motel built to house NASA contractors. The seven buildings are organized around five courtyards and two gardens that stretch the length of the property. The project's most prominent features are four powder-coated steel murals by Chicana artist Carmen Lomas Garza that enliven the 500-foot-long sound wall along the adjacent freeway. Based on Mexican cultural themes, the murals are a nod to the neighborhood’s Hispanic heritage.