The first Heights area library facility was the Baptist Temple Library, opening in 1909, which was established by Reverend Fred Huhns. This collection moved to Heights Senior High School in 1918. The Trustees and the Heights Committee spent $7,500 to buy the land for the current facility in the mid-1920s. The current building opened in 1925 and was dedicated on March 18, 1926. Theriot stated that the library "became an instant hit". In 1974 the Houston Heights Association (HHA) classified the library as a beautification project. an expansion project added a square footage higher than the original size, including to the north end, since HPL deemed the existing amount of space held by the library insufficient. The north addition did not use the original architectural styles due to a lack of financial feasibility. Theriot wrote that the expansion "drastically altered the allure of" the original style. In 2001 HPL considered completely replacing the building, but community outcry, including from HHA, The
blaxploitation film
Sugar Hill (1974) depicted the library as the "Voodoo Museum of Natural History." ==References==