The Henry Howard Houston Estate Papers document the creation and development of a large real estate investment in late nineteenth and early twentieth century Philadelphia and Montgomery Counties. The collection also provides extension information on land ownership in this area from the late eighteenth to mid nineteenth century through the original deeds, which form the title papers series of the collection. The General Real Estate Files series contains correspondence and working files relating to real estate management and development for the Henry Howard Houston Estate primarily from 1920 to 1950. The series includes correspondence, proposals and a few architects' plans for the development of the Estate's land holdings in the Germantown, Chestnut Hill and Roxborough sections of Philadelphia County and in Springfield and Whitemarsh townships of adjoining Montgomery County. The Eliel and Eero Saarinen correspondence is the most extensive. The series also includes financial and personnel records, title papers to properties purchased by the Estate's Joint Account (arranged by grantor), property appraisals, an analysis of property improvements and tax lists. Most notable among these records are a comprehensive ledger of rents and repairs (1884-1901); a printed copy of the will of H.H. Houston (1895); a printed copy of the executor's accounting of the estate for the period 1895-1901; comprehensive appraisals of the Estate's real estate holdings as of 1913 and 1940 and an "improvement analysis" for the period 1913-1940; and, a circa 1950 promotional brochure by Saarinen, Saarinen and Associates of the Estate's proposed development plans. The Coded Property series is the heart of the Houston Estate Papers. Houston's extensive accumulation of Philadelphia real estate is documented purchase by purchase; taken as a group, these property files track Houston's decision making over a thirty year period. Many files contain the original parchment deeds to a given property, in many cases extending back as far as the eighteenth century; this should be of considerable interest to local historians. The bulk of the materials, however, reflect Houston's own activity and date from 1865 through 1895. Deeds, mortgages, correspondence, tax receipts, title searches, briefs of title, maps and property plans; registers of grantors and properties can be found in this series. Summary accounts of all properties are found in the two volume "Deed Record Book." Individual files are arranged by an alphanumeric coding system keyed to an index map prepared by the Estate in 1906. The index map includes all Mount Airy, Chestnut Hill and Roxborough properties owned by the estate in 1906. Copies of the index map, reduced and mounted on ten separate boards, are contained in this series. The index map does not include properties sold before 1906, acquired after 1906 and/or located in areas other than the three described above. A register, along with a grantor index, listing all the coded properties is located at the beginning of the series. The coded property series also includes approximately 120 individual property plans found in their respective property folders. The Records Relating to Uncoded Properties series contains documentation relating to properties which do not fall within the coding system established by the managers of Henry Howard Houston's real estate holdings. These records are arranged in three subseries: properties west of the Wissahickon Creek, most of which are located in the Andorra section of upper Roxborough; properties east of the Wissahickon, including Germantown, Mt. Airy and Chestnut Hill; and properties outside of Philadelphia. The documents include deeds and other title papers, tax bills and assessments for municipal improvements, a brief renter index for the Andorra development and a few property development plans. The Maps and Architectural Drawings series consists of maps, site surveys, plans and architectural drawings arranged according to a geographic-numeric index map used by the estate for Philadelphia county properties. A copy of the index map is attached to this inventory. The index designates fifteen geographic areas in Philadelphia and Montgomery counties and one miscellaneous category. All maps and drawings in the Houston Estate Papers collection correspond to a location in this index. The maps, architectural drawings and related textual materials generally reflect twentieth century development of Houston properties in the Germantown, Mount Airy, Chestnut Hill and Roxborough sections of Philadelphia. This series complements and often is directly related the documentation found in the first three series. The Real Estate Holdings of Sallie Sherrerd (Bonnell) Houston series and the Real Estate Holdings of Samuel Frederic Houston series document the purchase, management, and development of properties which were acquired to fill out the estate's holdings in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia County and across the county line into Springfield and Whitemarsh townships of Montgomery County. The contents are primarily title papers and real estate tax and assessment receipts. Tax and assessment receipts are arranged chronologically and the title papers are arranged by last name of grantor. The Research Materials series contains research and reports relating to the Houston estate and family. Its contents are papers and copies of published and manuscript works created by those who have studied the Houston family and the Estate of Henry Howard Houston at various times in the mid and late twentieth century. It includes the notes of those who had access to the collection and sought to organize it prior to its gift to the University of Pennsylvania Archives. In addition to this is a copy of the inventory of the Henry Howard Houston Estate collection at the Pennsylvania State Archives. Copies of research on the life of Henry Howard Houston and on the extended Houston family and on the Houston family development of Chestnut Hill can be found here. These materials are assembled here for the convenience of the user of the collection. Researchers should note that most of the financial and investment records of the estate from around 1910 to the 1950s are found in the Henry Howard Houston Estate Papers, Manuscript Group 154 at the Pennsylvania State Archives. Houston's personal papers are located at the American Philosophical Society and a small collection of architectural drawings at the Architectural Archives of the University of Pennsylvania.
