HOUSTON – When you drive down River Oaks Boulevard, a piece of U.S. history stares right at you.
"I think it's cool. It's going on Facebook," Lynn Barton said.
People from all over have come to snap selfies, show family members and marvel at the World War II tank.
"It's got history. This is World War II. This was in the Battle of Normandy that I read about. That was a big battle. This is history," Barton said.
"Only in Texas is everything bigger, better, especially in Houston. Everyone always wants to outdo their neighbor, and what better way to do it than with a giant World War II tank in your front yard," George Huntoon said.
The tank belongs to Tony Buzbee, a veteran and well-known attorney.
He bought the tank for $600,000 during an auction in France.
"I'm not trying to pick a fight with anyone. I just think the tank is cool," Buzbee said.
Buzbee's homeowners association doesn't agree with him, and sent him a letter saying the placement of a military tank in a residential neighborhood has caused serious concerns for neighbors, mainly because of traffic.
"There's always cars parked on the street in front of my house, which a lot of people on my street complain about," Buzbee said. "It's perfectly legal. I talked to the police when I put it there. They told me there's no ordinance that it's violating."
Buzbee said the plan has always been to take the tank to his ranch in east Texas. His Houston home was just a stop along the way.
"It's there. It's a piece of history. Obviously, I need to put it in a place to protect and preserve it, and I'm going to do that, but in the meantime it's going to sit right there until I can have it moved."
