Mapping the River Oaks teardowns

The city of Houston approved nearly 80 demolition permits for homes in the River Oaks area over a two-year period, data show, revealing a flourishing teardown trend in Houston’s toniest neighborhood.

As younger Houstonians move into the neighborhood, they’re razing the grand old estates in favor of shiny new buildings with soaring ceilings, airy kitchens and cavernous wine rooms.

The demolition permits, recorded in 2018 and 2019, are spread among the area’s three main sections: River Oaks, Country Club Estates and Tall Timbers, as well as their adjacent subdivisions.

Two of the homes demolished during this period were Houston historic landmarks. The Tuttle House at 2223 Inwood, built in 1931 in one of the oldest sections of River Oaks, was designed by architect William D. Bordeaux, who was also responsible for Midtown’s 1929 Spanish Revival Isabella Court. The other landmark, the T.J. and Ruth Bettes House at 1059 Kirby Dr., was built in 1928 in the Southern Colonial style by Houston architect Charles Oliver, designer of some 75 homes in River Oaks.

The first owners of the Tuttle House included Dr. L.L.D. Tuttle Sr., who was one of the first interns at Hermann Hospital and later chief of surgery at Methodist, according to city records. Tuttle’s children, Yvonne Tuttle Streit, founded the Briarwood School and the Brookwood Community. His son, Dr. L.L.D. Tuttle Jr., was a thoracic and general surgeon in Houston for almost 40 years.

Houston politician and developer Roy Hofheinz — the driving force behind the development of the Astrodome — was the second owner the Bettes House after mortgage executive T.J. Bettes.