Jessica Lynn, Montrose Live creator, arrived at the lot to find her tables strewn on their sides in place of where the stage used to host local, live performances. Photo by Taylor Schultz, Houston Newsroom.
By Taylor Schultz and Steven Burgess
Montrose Live, a creativity-based community hub, once an empty parking lot, has become a permanent market with the hope of keeping Montrose’s culture alive.
At the corner of Westheimer Road and Montrose Boulevard, Montrose Live is a neighborhood venue for concerts, crafts and art galleries.
Jessica Lynn, the creator of Montrose Live, said the community she’s built was an answer to changes in Houston after the pandemic. “I was watching Montrose die, little by little, around us,” Lynn said.
While there has been a high rise project meant for the space, Lynn had negotiated leasing deals to ensure that the space was kept for artists.
She said that a place dedicated to art is what keeps the spirit of the neighborhood alive and calls for other neighborhood residents to join her in resisting:
“If you want to feel things and you want to be human, then you need to stand up,” Lynn said. Montrose Live is her effort to make a difference.
By giving them a space to consistently showcase and sell their work, Montrose Live protects artists who make the neighborhood unique.
Montrose Live currently remains open, but more progress on Montrose real estate development projects would lead to its closure in a few months.
Houston Newsroom 