Houston

Houston, the year before the Astrodome was completed.

This detailed street plan of Houston, Texas, was copyrighted in 1964 by the General Drafting Company on behalf of the Humble Oil & Refining Company, part of the great mid-twentieth-century boom in promotional road maps produced by American oil companies. Clear emphasis is placed on the network of highways linking Houston’s rapidly expanding neighborhoods. Parks and golf courses are highlighted in green, while communities beyond the city limits are shaded in soft yellow. Numerous landmarks are identified throughout, including Humble Oil facilities, Houston International Airport, and Rice University.

An inset in the upper right presents a large-scale plan of downtown Houston, prominently locating the Humble Touring Service headquarters alongside the city’s principal commercial and civic buildings. The verso includes a comprehensive street index, a detailed plan of Baytown, (home to Humble’s enormous refinery complex) and a regional road map of the greater Houston-Galveston area.