Did you know that legendary Eleanor Tinsley was our neighbor right here in our own Willow Meadows? As a beloved leader, she was inducted into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame in 1988, having served her city and state in several capacities. Elected in 1979, as Houston City Council’s first female member, Eleanor worked tirelessly to improve our quality of life. Prior to that she served on HISD’s school board, Tinsley worked to desegregate our schools in the 1970s.
Her home is easy to spot because it is the only one on Firestone with a sidewalk! Practicing what she preached; she personally paid to install a sidewalk in her front yard, while campaigning for sidewalks in Houston neighborhoods. Some more of her efforts to improve Houston include the fluoridation of our city water, indoor smoking bans, and the establishment of our 911 system.
Tinsley was the founder of the SPARK program which built 200+ playgrounds and city parks. There are schools, parks, and streets named after her and she lived just around the corner from us all. In fact, the city of Houston’s official fireworks display for the 4th of July is held at Eleanor Tinsley Park in the shadows of Downtown. Speaking of stunning skylines, to enhance Houston’s beauty, Eleanor lobbied to limit billboards from obstructing our skyline view. Tinsley cared deeply for her community and beyond. Imagine the strength of our neighborhood, if we could all be a little more like Eleanor Tinsley.
What fun to know a little piece of history exists in our own backyard. When strolling down Firestone Street, enjoy the shade from the gorgeous magnolia trees while walking on Eleanor’s short but meaningful sidewalk.
The Tinsley house is currently on the market and will be holding open houses for public viewing every weekend until it sells. Come by and have a cookie out of Eleanor Tinsley‘s original 1950s oven.
Yes, it still works, and we haven’t burnt a batch of cookies yet!
