Bayou Bend
Houston, Harris County, Texas
Marker Inscription
American heritage collection in mansion built 1927 by William Clifford (1875-1930), Ima (b. 1882), and Mike Hogg (1885-1941), children of first native Texan Governor James Stephen Hogg (1851-1906) and his wife Sarah Stinson. Will Hogg, attorney and businessman, originator of a student loan program in numerous Texas colleges, 1914-16 chairman of Board of Regents of the University of Texas, developed River Oaks, where Buffalo Bayou makes noted bend. Mike Hogg, Texas legislator (1927-31), joined sister in establishing at the University of Texas the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health. Miss Ima Hogg founded (1913) the Houston Symphony and (1929) Child Guidance Center of Houston; also served 1943-49 on Houston School board; engaged in restoration and preservation, creating Varner-Hogg State Park in West Columbia and Winedale Inn complex in Fayette County. Miss Hogg and her brothers used their home in its 14-acre setting of natural beauty to house paintings and American memorabilia, entertaining national and international personages. their collections span three centuries, from about 1650, filling 19 rooms. In 1957 Miss Hogg gave Bayou Bend, its park, and its treasures to the Museum of Fine Arts of Houston.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Bayou Bend is the 1927 River Oaks mansion of the children of James Stephen Hogg, the first native-born governor of Texas. Will, Mike, and Ima Hogg turned their fourteen-acre home into a showcase of American decorative arts spanning three centuries, while pursuing wide public good—university student loans, the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, and Miss Ima's founding of the Houston Symphony. In 1957 Ima Hogg gave the estate and its collections to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Why it matters
Bayou Bend reflects a Gilded-Age-into-modern family that converted private fortune into lasting public culture, philanthropy, and one of America's premier collections of early decorative arts.
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Related people
- · Ima Hogg
- · Will Hogg
- · Mike Hogg
- · James Stephen Hogg
Related events
- · Gift of Bayou Bend to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (1957)
Themes & tags
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