HSPVA was established in 1971. HISD chose Ruth Denney as the school's founding director. The district asked Denney to choose between three potential sites: W. D. Cleveland Elementary School, Montrose Elementary School, and the former
Temple Beth Israel building. After touring them, Denney selected the temple building and in May 1971 the final plans for HSPVA were presented to the school board. Parents rallied against a planned move to
Timbergrove Manor due to its lack of proximity to Downtown Houston, artist landmarks, and the
Houston Museum District, even though the district had already paid $500,000 for planning as of 1979. The school moved to 4001 Stanford Street, the site of the former Montrose Elementary School, in 1982. The cost was $1.3 million, and the HISD board had given the green light to the move the previous year. Keith Plocek of the
Houston Press wrote that partly due to the 9th grade being reassigned to the high school level in 1981, "The building on Stanford Street was overcrowded from the get-go" as the facility was only intended for grades 10-12. HISD later proposed moving the school near the
Gregory-Lincoln Education Center in Houston's Freedmen's Town Historical District in the
Fourth Ward. HISD officials agreed to pursue a relocation at that time as Friends of HSPVA agreed to raise about 50% of a projected $30 million cost to develop a new site; otherwise HISD officials were reluctant to promote building a new HSPVA when there were schools with campuses in much worse repair. The site that was to have the new HSPVA instead has the new
Carnegie Vanguard High School.
Naming discussion On October 13, 2016, the Houston Independent School District Board of Trustees voted 7 to 2 to accept a naming rights contract from the
Kinder Foundation for a $7.5 million for capital improvements to the new facility. The school's name was to become Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts when the school moved to the new downtown location. The Kinder funds provide primarily upgrades to theater equipment and some performance spaces, such as outfitting the mini-theater. The contract was approved by the school board after the Kinder Foundation said it would withdraw the funds if the board did not vote, six days after the public announcement of the deal. One HISD board member, Jolanda Jones, spoke against the deal, arguing that it was selling out the rights to name a school and that HISD was not giving attention to the non-specialty schools in the district. Jones and Diana Davila were the only board members to vote against the deal. Most speakers at the board meeting, including community members and HSPVA students and parents, supported the deal (17 speakers in favor, 11 against). campus In April 2017, in response to a petition asking the Kinders to give the name back, Richard Kinder wrote to the superintendent of Houston Independent School District. Citing negative controversy, he offered to release the naming rights, but did not suggest or request the school's name be restored. By contract, the name change became effective when the new downtown campus was occupied.
New campus In January 2019, HSPVA moved from its Montrose campus to the downtown site at 790 Austin Street. The former campus now houses the
Arabic Immersion Magnet School. ==Demographics==