Guided tours available twice a day every Thursday in February. Tours are fifty minutes long and are scheduled for the following time slots:
- START TIME: 12 Noon - END TIME: 12:50 PM
- START TIME: 1 PM - END TIME 1:50 PM
Please call 832-393-1662 for additional information. For large groups or tours outside of the times mentioned above, please call at least two weeks in advance to see if we can accommodate your request.
Join us for this special series that highlights not only the collections and services of the Houston Metropolitan Research Center and the facilities of the Julia Ideson Building, but also the history of Houston and its preservation.
Gallery Talk
Saturday, February 11 | 2 PM
Join us for a gallery talk about the newly renovated Julia Ideson opening exhibition, "Theater of Memory, Cabinet of Curiosities: Treasures from the Houston Metropolitan Research Center." Questions to be discussed include: How was HMRC formed and its collections acquired and expanded? What are some of the rare or unusual items on display? What are some of our favorites? How was the exhibition organized? What are the photographic elements of the show?
Twenty-First Century Twain
Saturday, March 10 | 2 PM
Alan Kitty, star of Mark Twain’s Last Stand and Mark Twain impersonator since 1979, will bring Twain to life for a talk, Q & A, and exploration of the phenomenal Mark Twain Collection at the Houston Metropolitan Research Center.
An Afternoon with Steven Fenberg
Saturday, May 12 | 2 PM
Steven Fenberg, writer and producer of the Emmy Award-winning documentary film, “Brother, Can You Spare a Billion? The Story of Jesse H. Jones,” will discuss his new biography of Jesse Jones, Unprecedented Power: Jesse Jones, Capitalism, and the Common Good.
Theater of Memory Cabinet of Curiosities
Monday, December 5, 2011 – Saturday, May 5, 2012
Central Library Julia Ideson Building
In this premier exhibition, Theater of Memories, Cabinet of Curiosities, the Houston Metropolitan Research Center brings some of its unique artifacts back into the Julia Ideson Building.
This project is supported in part by a grant from the Mayor’s Special Initiative Grant Program of the Arts Alliance and by the Houston Public Library Foundation
About the HMRC
The mission of the Houston Metropolitan Research Center (HMRC) is to locate, preserve, and make available to researchers the documentary evidence of Houston's history. HMRC is located in the historic Julia Ideson Building which is currently undergoing expansion and restoration. Created in 1976, HMRC furthers its mission by providing in-depth reference services using materials including the Texas and local history book collection, archives, photographs, architectural drawings, oral histories, and maps. Librarians and Achivists are responsible for arranging, preserving, and indexing the contents of these unique collections.
For more about the Julia Ideson Building please visit the Julia Ideson Preservation Partners web site.
For more on the The Houston Metropolitan Research Center, (HMRC) please visit the HMRC web site.
HMRC is one of three units within Houston Public Library System's Special Collections Division-
- The Clayton Library Center for Genealogical Research is the third-largest municipal genealogical research facility in the country. The Center was founded in 1921 in the Julia Ideson Building in downtown Houston with a special collection for genealogical research. In 1968, the collection was moved to the Clayton home at 5300 Caroline St. and renamed the Clayton Library.
- The African American Library at the Gregory School, Houston’s first colored public school located in historic Freedmen’s Town, serves as a resource and repository to preserve, promote, and celebrate the rich history and culture of African Americans in Houston, the surrounding region and the African Diaspora.