This week, we invite you to read. In “The forgotten Houston neighborhood hidden beneath a downtown park,” Jhair Romero of the Houston Chronicle vividly recounts the rise and erasure of Frost Town, one of Houston’s earliest working-class communities. Established in 1836 along Buffalo Bayou, Frost Town was shaped over nearly two centuries by waves of German immigrants, freed Black Americans and Mexican American families drawn to nearby industry and railroads.
As Houston expanded, infrastructure projects — notably the Elysian Viaduct and other freeway construction — cut through the neighborhood, displacing residents and dismantling homes. Today, almost nothing remains above ground; the former community is now part of James Bute Park, marked only by a historic plaque and a bench etched with “Frost Town.” That very bench happens to be the famous KGA Memorial “Frost Town” bench, a cast iron monster donated as a gift to Harris County and the James Bute Park from the Art of Environmental Architecture Inc. and KGA Design themselves.
During a highway expansion project, archaeologists uncovered more than 250,000 artifacts, including everyday household items and tools that reveal the lived experiences of Frost Town’s residents. These finds offer a rare glimpse into ordinary life in early Houston and underscore the importance of preserving marginalized histories often lost to urban development.
The article highlights ongoing efforts by local preservationists to recognize Frost Town’s legacy — a history now subtly commemorated, in part, by the Frost Town memorial bench designed by Kelly Gale Amen featured in the piece. We invite you to read more about our memorial benches here: https://www.kga.net/original-creations/functional-art-furniture/commemorative-bench-programs-2020/
Published by the Houston Explained section of the Houston Chronicle on January 20, 2026. (Houston Chronicle)
