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Saturday, April 19, 2025 • Vol. 70 • No. 16
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Coalition of 11th Street businesses calls on mayor to maintain redesign amid concerns over possible rollback of current infrastructure, safety features By STEFANIE THOMAS editor@theleadernews.com A coalition of small businesses and community groups along 11th Street has formally urged Mayor John Whitmire and the Houston City Council to preserve recent street improvements that transformed the thoroughfare into what they call “a thriving, vibrant, and safe corridor.” In a letter dated April 7, 2025, the group warns that reversing the changes— particularly the protected bike lanes and two-lane configuration installed
in 2023—would risk both public safety and the financial well-being of local businesses. According to a press release from “I Love 11th,” a neighborhood advocacy group and event organizer, the corridor’s makeover has brought an influx of pedestrians, runners, and cyclists. Merchants say foot traffic has grown, and the district’s offerings now include neighborhood festivals and community events. “What was once a high-speed, dangerous thoroughfare is now a thriving and safe corridor,” said Gerald
Fuentes, Board Member of A Tale of Two Bridges and lead organizer of the I Love 11th Neighborhood Festival. “We witness more residents and visitors walking, biking, running, shopping, dining, rollerblading, pushing strollers, connecting with neighbors, and enjoying community events.” In their letter to Mayor Whitmire, business owners and residents cite Council Members Abbie Kamin, Castillo, and State Representative Morales in supporting the new configuration. They emphasize the value of retaining the protected bike lane, continuing plans for
Applications now open for fall Bayou City Arts Festival
PLANTING HOPE Photos by Stephanie Shirley
TOP: On a beautiful spring morning in the middle of Memorial Park, the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Trees For Houston created an indelible memory for this special little girl. RIGHT: Aria used her wish from the Make-A-Wish Foundation to have 1,000 trees planted.
HAR local housing data by zip code: Housing inventory blooms, sales rebound
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Aria’s selfless use of her wish will bring beauty back to her community for years to come By STEPHANIE SHIRLEY The Leader News Contributor
Pet of the Week: Meet Noodle, a Friends For Life staff favorite
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ArtWorks Circle: Join the group of artists that creates together
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In the early hours of a beautiful spring morning, two organizations were hard at work setting the stage to make one little girl’s dream come true. The local Make-A-Wish Foundation is the Texas and Gulf Coast Chapter located in Stafford. The Make-A-Wish Foundation’s universal mission states, “Together, we create life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses.” The organization kicked off its World Wish month by granting a very unique wish to a very unique little girl. The chapter’s site boasts that over 600 wishes were granted in the last fiscal year and there are engaging stories behind each. Many of the wish requests granted have been in the form of desired objects or opportunities that a child had been wishing or longing for. But, then there have been times that children have chosen to ‘give away’ their wishes.
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Last year after, witnessing all of the damage and destruction caused by the storms, especially to the big neighborhood trees she so loved, 9-year-old Aria’s wish was born. She wanted to use her wish to make 1,000 young trees available to the Houston community to help restore what had been lost. Trees for Houston is a nonprofit based in the Houston Heights. The organization’s stated mission is to plant, protect, and promote trees throughout the greater Houston area. Barry Ward is the organization’s Executive Director. He and Make-A-Wish’s President and CEO Michelle Millwee partnered their time, resources and volunteers to make Aria’s wish a reality. Millwee said, “It’s unimaginable what she wanted to do for our community. It’s not just about the trees; it’s about the longevity of the gift. She’s leaving a multi-generational legacy. When Aria was asked why she re-
By LISA MORALES The Leader News Contributor Beth and Michael Silva, longtime Oak Forest residents and partners in both life and business, are bringing Houston’s creative spirit and entrepreneurial energy to a national audience with their new show, The Houston Collective—the city’s first and only locally hosted series featured on the Emmy-nominated American Dream TV platform. Slated to premiere this May on major streaming platforms like Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Roku, HGTV, and FOX, The Houston Collective spotlights the founders, creators, and cultural shapers who are defining the future of Houston. With a focus on local talent, the series is already in production and will film throughout 2025, blending real estate, lifestyle, and community in a uniquely Houston way. See COLLECTIVE P. 3
quested the specific number (1,000), she shared that it was the ‘biggest’ number she knew of, so it would make the greatest difference.” The seedlings and saplings reserved were of all species that would grow to different sizes and have varying life spans. “Urban trees on the streets of Houston get about 15 years of life on average,” Ward explained. “You get an average of 50 years out of one planted in a yard and, in a park, they can live to two or three hundred years. So, where they are eventually planted will determine that lifespan. See ARIA P. 2
Image courtesy of The Houston Collective
The first episode of The Houston Collective will air in May 2025.
From ‘Bunker’ to Penthouse: The reinvention of 3535 West 12th By CHRIS DAIGLE The Leader News Contributor
Comings & Goings: Check out new businesses around town and find out who’s leaving
See 11TH P. 2
Oak Forest couple brings Houston to the national stage with new Show, “The Houston Collective”
INSIDE.
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a HAWK pedestrian crossing, and maintaining a two-lane flow. District C Council Member Abbie Kamin, whose district includes 11th Street, described the initiative as “the $2.4 million nationally recognized 11th Street Safety Project” that stemmed from “a multi-year process that included extensive community engagement, planning, and studies to address dangerous crossings, high rates of car crashes, and improve safety for all along the corridor.” In an emailed
Rising out of an industrial area just south of Timbergrove is a massive 41.000 square foot structure that suggests a fortress or a temple to drivers along West 12th street. It has an interesting history and a corporate purpose. Once the headquarters of Big Three Industries, a natural gas distributor, it had passed down to two other owners, Air Liquide and Acorian. When a “For Sale” sign appeared in 2017, an amazing case of preparation meeting opportunity took place. Diane and Ray Krueger were always fans of old buildings, living in a bungalow in Montrose for years. Diane manages NuSmile,
the pediatric dental manufacturing company she founded in 1991. Ray manages Ironwood Plantation Ranch. A unique building just down the street at 3535 West 12th began to percolate ideas. “I’d always liked that building, even if it did look different,” Diane said. After 37 years in Montrose, the time was right. After all, Ray and Diane are both native to northwest Houston. “She went to Waltrip and I went to Scarborough.” Ray said. In 2017 the Kruegers decided to acquire the whole building and turn the fourth floor of this mammoth edifice into their full time Houston residence -- not a small feat for this mid-century fortress that was built to last. Everything
had to be brought up to code. Murphy Mears Architects led the way with a new elevator, new wiring and plumbing, restrooms, and fire sprinkler systems for four floors now housing NuSmile and other businesses. “That was the most complicated thing we’d ever done,” Ray said. A building this huge has an interesting provenance. It was designed in 1974 by Karl Kamrath of Mackie and Kamrath. He was a follower of the revolutionary style of Frank Lloyd Wright, easily the most influential designer of the 20th century. Kamrath decided to make 3535 West 12th stand out like none other. This came later in his career, having designed See BUNKER P. 5
Photo by Chris Daigle
Ray and Diane Krueger show off their ambitious renovation of the Big Three building into a dazzling residential penthouse. The project won Preservation Houston’s 2024 Good Brick Award. After four years of diligent planning, the building is part museum and part home.
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