We have to close our main building at 4818 Rose Street for four weeks, beginning March 31, in order to work on water and foundation problems under the building. We will not be able to distribute food during this time, but our other programs will continue – the clinic, the program for the very ill or disabled and hospitality.
The land in Houston is prone to shifting and it is not uncommon to have to repair foundations of buildings. We have watched as parts of this building have shifted up or down over the last 10 years. This has resulted in sloping of floors, cracked interior walls and ceilings, and cracks and motion in our exterior walls.
We were advised several years ago by several specialists on how to address the problem. We took a phased approach, first removing some mature oak trees that even during a drought were vibrant and healthy. Since being planted in the late 80’s, their roots had traversed the 30+ feet to the building and then under it. Those roots extracted water from under the foundation, shrinking the clay and soil. We made the sad decision to remove them. That slowed down the movement, but it continued.
Over the past several years we had replaced the cast iron plumbing inside the building, but not those under and through the foundation. Those pipes are both blocked in places and leaking in others. Those castiron pipes will now be replaced with modern materials. This work requires a 100+ foot tunnel be dug under the building and the filled in after the work is done.
In addition, new concrete piers will be placed to support the foundation around the perimeter.
We are hopeful that these fixes will settle the foundation and we can use the building for many years to come.
Some of our readers have already contributed toward this foundation work. We are grateful for your support.
Houston Catholic Worker, Vol. XLVI, No. 2, April-June 2026.
