A walk down Telephone Road, catching a vanishing Houston

I was attracted to Telephone Road by its comfortable human scale and sense of place.

In 1990, I began to come here with my camera to catch the remnants of a Houston that thrived before the advent of freeways, shopping malls and hyper-markets.

My goal is to preserve in photographs the memory of the buildings and the street life here. They remind me of when I was growing up. Back then, I spent time in the corner grocery, the dime store and the free-standing barber shop.

I have endeavored to photograph as many of Telephone Road’s buildings and street scenes as possible. The environment here, even in decline, is full of life. I hope that even a tiny slice from my survey of this street will inform and amuse you. I think that it is enjoyable to see, savor and ponder the texture of Telephone Road. I want these buildings and this environment to survive, if only through photography.

Most of the photographs here were taken on Sunday mornings. As I work my way down the street with a very simple camera, curiosity often overcomes wary bystanders. They want to know what I’m doing and why. If they seem interested, I enjoy showing them my portfolio of pictures made of their world. If the bystanders are willing, I add informal portraits of them to my project.