Sharpstown, Houston

Sharpstown is a master-planned community in the Southwest Management District (formerly Greater Sharpstown), Southwest Houston, Texas It was one of the first communities to be built as a master-planned, automobile centered community and the first in Houston. Frank Sharp (1906–1993), the developer of the subdivision, made provisions not only for homes but also for schools, shopping and recreation areas. While this model has been duplicated countless times in the past fifty years, at the time it was quite revolutionary, attracting national media attention. The development was dedicated on March 13, 1955.

The residential architecture in Sharpstown consists of post–World War II bungalows, modern and traditional homes. The materials used in building these homes were of sound quality and have withstood the wear and tear of the baby boomer generation as well as the test of time.

Robindell, a small neighborhood within Sharpstown is built of homes similar to that of Memorial Bend. Robindell also has an L-shaped neighborhood swimming pool. The first pool manager was a neighbor, J.W. Puryear. College men from Georgetown University were recruited to take lifeguarding jobs at the pool each summer. The lifeguards trained the neighborhood children to be racing swimmers and took many ribbons at Houston swimming competitions.

Sharp donated a 300-foot-wide strip of land through the development to the state of Texas for construction of the Southwest Freeway (Interstate 69/U.S. Highway 59). This routing ensured easy access from Downtown Houston to homes in the neighborhood, as well as to PlazAmericas (formerly Sharpstown Mall and Sharpstown Center) (1961), Houston's first air-conditioned, enclosed shopping mall.

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