In 1987, Kim Cobb of the "Houston Chronicle" said "It's hard to find any vestige of the old First Ward, since it's covered by downtown office buildings." In 2006, the last remaining houses of a former residential neighborhood were vacated and bulldozed, replaced by the Sawyer Heights Village, a shopping center that includes a Target. Part of the remaining 19th and 20th century bungalows and cottages was named the High First Ward Historic District in 2014. The rest of the residential sections of the ward have seen construction of numerous lofts and townhomes in the 21st century.