Frank J. Walter The Original Underprivileged Children's Circus On Wyndale Dr.

[Highrise Tower]

What is this?!?! Haven't seen this on HAIF before. Although, I do admit I don't research circuses so maybe it has been discussed?

I was looking at a Sanborn map from 1950 and came across the Frank Walter Circus Quarters that spanned a few blocks on Wyndale Drive (now South Braeswood Blvd.) in between Old Main Street Road (now Fannin St.) and Cecil (now Bertner Ave.) It appears that section of S. Braeswood, in the 1950s, was called Wyndale Road.  Maybe the roads were shifted around? Unless if I'm not reading the map correctly. 

Looks like the "Texas Medical Center" circus was active in the 1930s to the 1950s.  Officially established in 1932.

The circus was located at, or near the present-day Houston Methodist West Pavilion Remote Parking Lot located at 1302 S. Braeswood Blvd. There was an oval horse riding ring where the present MD Anderson 1 MC building and garage is currently located- 7007 Bertner Ave.

Sanborn 1950 map:

From the newspaper Denton Record-Chronicle dated August 12, 1940: 

Texas Today
By William T. Rives
Associates Press Staff

Once a year a gang of 5,000 skinny, impoverished kids pours out of orphan's homes, county institutions and tucbledown sracks, a long Buffalo Bayou near Houston, headed for a day at the circus. 

It's their own show-- the Frank Walter Circus for Underprivileged Children. 

Complete from roaring wild animals to sparkling red sody pop, it doesn't cost them a cent.

The circus it he only show of it's kind in the county. Walter says--

Postcard from Ebay:

Company letterhead on Ebay:

Frank J. Walter
The Original Underprivileged Children's 3-Ring Circus
Greatest Show Of Its Kind On Earth
Established 1932  - 5206 Montrose Boulevard Houston, Texas

There's a circus history website, and in the 1960s there was an archive collection/report on the FWOUCC  It's too much information to be posted.  Looks like there was a total of 24 different attractions (known as cages?) at the circus. 

https://www.classic.circushistory.org/Bandwagon/bw-1969Nov.htm

Frank was a descendent of one of the oldest families in Houston, Texas. As a boy he was greatly attracted to the Gentry Bros. Dog & Pony Show. Inspired by the performances, he tried his hand at training dogs, monkeys, horses, and ponies. After seeing Hagenbeck-Wallace and Al G. Barnes performances he decided he was going to see what he could do with wild animals. He acquired several lions and leopards and successfully trained them. He even broke a lioness, Congo, to both fight and wrestle with him in the arena.

In 1932 Frank began presenting performances annually solely for the entertainment of under privileged children and inmates of children's hospitals in the Houston area. He titled his show the Frank J. Walter Original Underprivileged Children's Circus and presented one to a half dozen performances annually.

We are fortunate to have one of the printed programs for the season of 1936 and the performance ran as follows:

Frank J. Walter, Equestrian Director; C. G. Risley, Music Director; John Andrew, Announcer.
Display No. 1: Circus Band Concert
No. 2: Comedy trampoline.
No. 3: Here comes the clowns: Ambrose Quadruplets, Bum Henry, Connors, and Valentino.
No. 4: Riding bear.
No. 5: Novelty dog act, presented by the Schoonovers.
No. 6: Military ponies, presented by Capt. A. W. Kennard.
No. 7: Group of forest bred Nubian Lions presented by Capt. Mat Lovich.
No. 8: Clowns from every land with their funny capers.
No. 9: Walter's Wild Horses, "Pawnee," "Cherokee," and "Comanche." Featuring "Cherokee," world's greatest hind-leg horse. Presented at Liberty by Mrs. Frank J. Walter. (Three horses have never been saddled, and were raised on a ranch thirty miles from Houston.)
No. 10: "Pinkey", comedy mule. Presented by Harry Schoonover.
No. 11: We now present "Knee-High," age four years, height 29 inches.
No. 12: Riding monkey.
No. 13: Clown convention.
No. 14: Sky-Line goat.
No. 15: The famous Connors Trio; masters of the tight-wire.
No. 16: Clowns featuring the funny Ambrose.
No. 17: High Schooled and dancing horses, "Floto," "Wallace," "Frisco," "Don Juan," and "Whirlwind." Presented by Wilma Schoonover, Harry Schoonover, and A. W. Kennard.
No. 18: Sensational slide for life, Al Conners.
No. 19: Balancing globe, presented by the world famous Arthur Henry Duo.
No. 20: The deft defying whirling-slide, Mrs. Al Connors.
No. 21: Tons of entertainment, the Mighty Ruth.
No. 22: Clowns: this is the last appearance of the funny fellows.
No. 23: The Flying Vallentines; aerialists supreme.
No. 24: Exit march, Frank J. Walter Circus Band.

Ten of the Walters cages are grouped for a 1937 photograph. The cage numbers from left to right are: #16, #41, #18, #42, #21, #54, #44, #46, #19 and #45. The original 8x10 of this view, reproduced here, was autographed to Terrell M. Jacobs in 1937.

To house all these wagons and animals he acquired three and a half acres of land south of Houston. On this property he constructed ten buildings. Approaching from Houston one was first greeted by a herd of concrete elephants, their trunks raised in a salute.