A small church in Houston Heights with ties to one of the most influential political figures in Texas history is now officially a city landmark.Greater Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church on 828 W. 20th St. was officially designated a historic landmark in late January by the Houston City Council.
The modest wood-frame church has served the neighborhood for nearly a century. Beyond its architecture, the church’s history intersects with a towering figure in Texas political history, according to the City of Houston’s records.
One of its former pastors was Benjamin Meredith (B.M.) Jordan, the father of Barbara Jordan, the Houston native who became the first Black woman from the South elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. She gained national prominence during the Watergate hearings. Jordan’s legacy remains one of Houston’s most celebrated. In 1974 she delivered the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention, becoming the first Black woman to do so.
According to the city’s landmark designation report, the congregation was organized on Jan. 1, 1930 by Rev. Henry Thomson and several founding members of the church community. The church was rebuilt around 1953, though the architect is unknown. The structure reflects a vernacular church style common in mid-century Houston, featuring a rectangular design with symmetrical towers and a central steeple above the entrance.
The Houston Archaeological and Historical Commission reviewed the application and “unanimously recommended approval of the Landmark designation”, recognizing the church’s place as an important part of the city’s heritage…