The City of West University Place was founded in 1917, incorporated in 1924, and was immediately popular with faculty at the nearby Rice Institute. Refusing to join the City of Houston, “West U,” as it is called, remains a fully-functioning independent community surrounded by Houston and Bellaire. While new million-dollar houses are appearing throughout West University, many of the original houses from the 1920s and 1930s still stand. When the surviving original residents reached advanced age, June Begeman and other citizens developed the West University Place Historical Society to gather their memories.
From the guide to the City of West University Place Collection RG. M. 0005., Bulk, 1992-1998, Inclusive, 1908-2004, (Houston Metropolitan Research Center, Houston Public Library)
