its opening. A biracial committee established the center in 1943 to improve the education, health, and welfare of Fifth Ward residents. It originally used rented facilities on Lyons Avenue, before moving into a $150,000 building on Solo Street in 1949; the center has occupied the Solo Street building since then. West wrote that in the Fifth Ward the Hester House "is as much an institution as Wheatley High." The Northeast Family YMCA serves residents of the Fifth Ward. Transportation Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, Texas (METRO) operates bus routes. The agency operates the Fifth Ward/Denver Harbor Transit Center on Lockwood Street. Prior to 1952 electric streetcar services were available on Lyons Avenue. Buses with steel wheels used these tracks during the late 1950s. In media Greg Carter created the 1997 film Fifth Ward, financed from borrowed money from his mother and an insurance claim, and later made a derivative television show also called Fifth Ward. Notable people 5th Ward Boyz John T. Browne, (Mayor of Houston) - As of 1979 his residence was used as an Italian American-owned grocery store, Orlando's Grocery Arnett Cobb, saxophonist Carl Crawford, professional baseball player Alfred C. Finn, architect George Foreman - professional boxer and heavyweight champion Geto Boys Willie D Bushwick Bill Scarface_(rapper) Illinois Jacquet, jazz musician Barbara Jordan, US congressperson and civil rights leader As of 1979 Jordan's parents continued to live in the Fifth Ward. Milton Larkin, saxophonist Mickey Leland, US Congressperson and community leader As of 1979 Leland's parents continued to live in the Fifth Ward. Ruth McClendon, state legislator representing a district in San Antonio James Prince Joe Sample Ruth Simmons, president of Prairie View A&M University and former President of Brown University Lonnie Smith, plaintiff of Smith v. Allwright Selvin Young Fruits of the Fifth Ward, a mural depicting 21 notable individuals who are natives of the Fifth Ward or have connections to the Fifth Ward, was created by Wheatley High School students. Reginald Adams, the executive director of the Museum of Cultural Arts Houston (MOCAH), oversaw the creation of the mural. The project began after the History Channel gave MOCAH a $10,000 grant to create a mural depicting the history of the Fifth Ward. The mural was constructed from February 15 to October 21, 2006. The mural was dedicated on Saturday October 21, 2006. The mural is adjacent to Crawford Elementary School. See also History of the