Community Service

Stately Trees Find a New Home in Maplewood
Southwest News
January 2, 2001

When construction started on Crescent Real Estate's latest development in downtown Houston, 5 Houston Center, company officials were faced with a decision. What could be done with the beautiful oak trees lining the existing sidewalk on the new 27-story office tower? Being environmentally conscious and aware, Crescent started to work immediately on the safe uprooting and relocation of the trees.

First, Crescent contacted the Maplewood South/North Civic Association, Trees for Houston, and the City of Houston Urban Forestry Department to discuss a strategy and destination for the procedure. Then Maplewood Civic Association selected an esplanade, located at South Braeswood , across from Fondren Middle School, as an ideal new home for the trees. Next came the task of moving the trees - which proved to be a difficult task as the trees were approximately 14 inches caliper and 25 to 30 feet tall. Each of the 15 trees took approximately five hours to dig up with an 87-inch spade, then each was loaded onto a truck and transported, one by one, 10 miles to their final destination. The entire procedure took a week to complete.

"This was an excellent opportunity for Crescent to give back to our community and help contribute to the beauty and environment of Houston," said Frank Staats, general manager of Houston Center. "We couldn't have done it without the help of Grace Heckler of the Maplewood civic association, Kathy Lord with Trees for Houston, Houston City Council member Mark Goldberg, and Waymon Moore with Fondren Middle School. They all pitched in with us to make sure these trees were saved." The cost of moving the trees was shared by Crescent and Maplewood South/North.

Grace Heckler of Maplewood South/North responded, "We are very grateful that Crescent had a vision to save the trees rather than destroying them. It started with an idea that required a great deal of planning and it wasn't an easy task, but it was well worth it. I have had numerous phone calls from people in Maplewood and the HISD commending us on our efforts. The trees look magnificent, and we are so proud that we had the opportunity to team up with Crescent and be a part of saving these beautiful oaks."

Animal Kingdom Houston Humane Society Holiday Store
Open Monday - Friday from 10am - 2pm selling pet supplies, novelty items and treats with proceeds benefiting the Houston Humane Society.
Visit www.houstonhumane.org for details on the organization.

SPCA Mobile Adoption Days
The Houston Area Young Lawyers Association hosts a mobile adoption day at The Shops At Houston Center mall 4 times a year allowing for the adoption of almost 75 pets each year.
Visit www.houstonspca.org for details on the organization.

Houston Fire Department Community Storefront
Each Wednesday every month, the Houston Fire Department sends representatives to Houston Center's retail mall at lunch to the community storefront where they distribute fire safety information. Twice a year, the HFD Calendar Men visit the mall to sign calendars with the proceeds benefiting charity.