Editing Bellaire, Texas (section)

=== Cityscape ===

Bellaire's housing lots are {{convert|75|ft|m}} by {{convert|130|ft|m}}, allowing for houses larger than those that could be built on typical {{convert|50|ft|m}} by {{convert|120|ft|m}} West University Place lots. A Bellaire lot can accommodate a house with a detached garage and a swimming pool, while the typical West University Place lot could accommodate a newly constructed [[Georgian architecture|Georgian]] house described by Don Stowers of the ''[[Houston Post]]'' as "lot-hugging". The more spacious and inexpensive housing lots prompted area home seekers to consider Bellaire.<ref name="StowersSmallBig"/>

The original Bellaire housing stock typically consisted of three-bedroom, one-bathroom, post-[[World War II]] houses described by Stowers as "smallish". Because of the attributes, developers did not hesitate to tear these houses down and build new houses. Some individuals chose to renovate their houses instead of having them torn down. Many individuals who would otherwise renovate the houses reconsidered their decisions as the land value increased. In some cases, the land value was higher than the value of the structure on the lot. Some subdivisions had larger houses, particularly the Carroll subdivision south of [[Bellaire Boulevard]] and the Braeburn Country Club Estates subdivision between Chimney Rock and Rice. Many of the houses in those subdivisions were built in the 1950s and early 1960s, and many were on {{convert|.5|acre|ha}} lots. Karl Lewis, the vice president and sales manager of John Daugherty Realtors, said that many of the houses were "still quite attractive" and "similar to the large [[Tanglewood, Houston|Tanglewood]] homes." In 1992 smaller lots in Bellaire were about $50,000 (equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US-GDP|50,000|1992|r=-3}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}) and up, while larger lots were $300,000 to $500,000 (equivalent to between ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US-GDP|300,000|1992|r=-4}}}} and ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US-GDP|500,000|1992|r=-4}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}).<ref name="StowersSmallBig"/>

In a 2007 ''[[Houston Press]]'' article John Nova Lomax, a journalist, said that parts of Bellaire's downtown had "a certain raffish 1950s charm – the Bellaire Broiler Burger, for example – but it's boring."<ref>Lomax, John Nova. [http://www.houstonpress.com/news/i-am-a-pedestrian-report-bellaire-6736856 I am a Pedestrian Report: Bellaire]. ''[[Houston Press]]''. May 25, 2007. Retrieved on August 4, 2009.</ref> Lomax stated in a 2008 ''Houston Press'' article that, due to the growth and dominance of Houston, municipal enclaves with their own services, including Bellaire, "are little more than glorified neighborhoods."<ref>Lomax, John Lova. "[http://www.houstonpress.com/news/the-seoul-of-houston-the-weather-was-not-the-strong-point-on-long-point-6741244 The Seoul of Houston: The Weather Was Not the Strong Point on Long Point]." ''[[Houston Press]]''. Wednesday January 30, 2008. Retrieved on November 17, 2009.</ref>

Many Bellaire streets, such as "Holly," "Holt," "Maple," and "Pine," are named after trees. The word "Holt" means a small grove or a forest of trees.<ref>Rust, Carol. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20120617072801/http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1997_1407015 Houston has street sense (and nonsense as well)]" (). ''[[Houston Chronicle]]''. Wednesday April 16, 1997. Houston 1. Retrieved on October 26, 2011.</ref>

One community in Bellaire, Southdale, was developed by William G. Farmington, the developer of [[Tanglewood, Houston|Tanglewood]]. Southdale was originally developed in the late 1940s with two-bedroom houses. The houses were marketed to World War II veterans. The houses were about a fourth as expensive as Tanglewood houses, around $25,000 each (equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US-GDP|25,000|1948|r=-3}}}}<!--Using it as approximation – Year 1948 is not mentioned in article, just "late 1940s"--> in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}).<ref name="Bigger houses">Fester, Katherine. "[http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2003_3640010 Bigger houses transforming neighborhood]." ''[[Houston Chronicle]]''. ''[[Houston Chronicle]]''. Sunday March 30, 2003. Business 8. Retrieved on October 13, 2012.</ref> Another subdivision in Bellaire is named "Broad Acres."<ref>[[Khou.com]]. "[https://archive.today/20130127032152/http://www.khou.com/news/crime/Bellaire-Pricey-UofH-themed-jewelry-among-items-swiped-from-Broad-Acres-home-129156283.html Broad Acres: Pricey U of H-themed jewelry among items swiped from home]."{{dead link|date=May 2016}}<!--Archive dot is WRDHT --> [[KHOU-TV]]. November 20, 2012. Retrieved on November 20, 2012.</ref>