[editor]

George Kalas, the new manager of the Montagu Hotel, wrote to me last week to tell me that they're re-doing the hotel. He answered a few of my questions, and I thought the people here would like to hear about the work he's doing.

Quote

I took over as general manager of the Montagu Hotel seven months ago and have been overseeing the renovation work. My uncles have owned the building for nearly 35 years, but the place had really gone to the dogs due to poor maintenance and a series of truly incompetant managers. As a result, the place has had a poor reputation for years as a haven for street people and other seedy characters. Last summer, I offered to come to work for my uncles with the goal of cleaning up and restoring the place so that we could position the hotel to benefit from the overall downtown revitalization trend.

My goal, as general manager, has been to rid the building of disreputable people - renovate the place - and reposition the hotel as a clean, affordable, historic hotel that will appeal to folks who want to stay in the central business district, but would prefer to limi t their cost to no more than about $60.00 a night.

So far, we've made some pretty good strides in this direction. Most of the "scary people" have been evicted and banned from the premises which has eliminated the vandalism in the building and restored peace and quiet to the facility. The lobby is now undergoing renovation in stages and the changes are already obvious to sidewalk pedestrians passing in front of our building. Renovation work on the 11th floor is now 95% completed and we are now moving to renovate rooms on the 9th and 10th floors. The process will continue indefinitely until the whole hotel is overhauled.

Since the work is being paid for out of our own pockets it will probably take 3-5 years to complete the most essential renovation work in the building

[Jeebus]

This is great news for downtown.

[sevfiv]

i am astounded (and happy!)



now just to change the name back

This post has been edited by sevfiv: Friday, January 27, 2006 at 12:28 AM

[bachanon]

wasn't metropol in the basement? that was a great place.

[The Great Hizzy!]

I THOUGHT I noticed something different about that corner a couple of weeks ago when I walked by. For one, you don't see as many people "hanging around" and there aren't as many lights on at night, as if the building's not as occupied as before.

This would explain a lot. I wish them luck, especially with Stowers and Club Quarters looking all shiny next door to them.

[MidtownCoog]

I noticed a "Luxury Apartments" sign on Club Quarters.

What's the scoop on Club Quarters? I really like the old school canopy out front.

[sevfiv]

isn't club quarters membership-driven? (organization/business memberships, that is)

[dbigtex56]

sevfiv, on Thursday, January 26th, 2006 @ 11:27pm, said:

i am astounded (and happy!)



now just to change the name back

Please refresh our memories...what's the original name of this building?

(and who the hell was Montagu?)

[sevfiv]

it was hotel cotton (you can still see the painted sign on the back of the building)

http://now.arch-ive.org/cotton.html

oh...and montagu sounds kind of pimp-ish

[dbigtex56]

sevfiv, on Friday, January 27th, 2006 @ 9:40am, said:

it was hotel cotton (you can still see the painted sign on the back of the building)

http://now.arch-ive.org/cotton.html

oh...and montagu sounds kind of pimp-ish

Well, "Hotel Cotton" sounds kind of Mary Vivian Pearce-ish

(for you Pink Flamingos fans...)

[Houston19514]

sevfiv, on Friday, January 27th, 2006 @ 8:43am, said:

isn't club quarters membership-driven? (organization/business memberships, that is)

Yes, that is correct. From their website: Club Quarters are private, full service hotels for member organizations designed for the business traveler

Go to www.clubquarters.com for more information

The Houston Club Quarters also has furnished apartments for lease, IIRC

This post has been edited by Houston19514: Friday, January 27, 2006 at 12:22 PM

[Subdude]

The Montagu took a stab at being chic back in the 1950s:


On the back of this it suggests visiting the "famous Cock'n Bull Grill and the glamorous Montagu Club".

[nmainguy]

http://www.clubquart...om/home_pub.asp

[WyattEarp]

Well....now that you mention it....efforts are currently underway to restore the "Hotel Cotton" name to the building. There is a lot of bureaucratic paperwork involved when renaming a business and there will be some obvious costs associated with changing signage, but everyone in the family believes that a name change is in the best interests of everyone. I can't say just yet when the name change will happen, but I think that it's pretty much a done deal barring any last-minute show-stoppers.

For those who are interested, the Montagu hotel was known originally known as the "Hotel Cotton" from the time it opened in March 1913 until about 1951 or 1952 when a new owner changed the name to "Montagu Hotel." Throughout its early years the hotel was popularly referred to by local residents as the "Cotton Hotel." For a history of the hotel and early photos, check out the history page on our website at http://www.hotelcott...ttonhistory.htm

Many probably wonder how the hotel came to be in the sad condition that it arrived at by the end of the 20th century. Well, by the early 1950's the Cotton was already 40 years old and had declined from being a 4-star facility in its early years, to being a 3-star hotel. By the early 1970's the business declined further to a 2-star facility and finally it sank to pretty much a "no-star" hotel as it became a low-rent building catering mainly to the homeless and people with substance abuse problems and/or mental disabilities, which is why the place has earned such an unfortunate reputation in recent decades.

This sad state of affairs occured due to the collapse of retail businesses in downtown Houston coupled with the mass flight of downtown residents to the suburbs over the last four decades of the 20th century. This caused the two restaurants in the hotel to have to close - dramatically decreasing vitally needed revenue streams from the business. The only way the hotel could survive over the last two decades as a viable business was by opening its doors to the only people left living downtown. Otherwise, the place would have been closed down and almost certainly demolished 10 or 15 years ago. The recent demolition of the William Penn Hotel on Texas Avenue, which was 12 years younger than the Cotton Hotel, should be a cautionary tale here. I hope nothing like this ever happens to our building.

Now, because of the encouraging revitalization efforts underway downtown, it makes sense to try to improve the hotel and to attempt to attract a more middle-class clientele again. To this end, the owners recognize that a long-overdue renovation of the building is needed and that the restored Hotel Cotton should be marketed as an economy facility offering, clean, safe, affordable lodgings in the heart of downtown in an historic building that is nearing it's 100th anniversary as downtown's oldest continuously operated hotel facility.

I should note, however, that the owners do not intend to create another boutique hotel, as Houston already has too many of those downtown and most are not profitable due to oversaturation of the market. We feel that the underserved market is for middle-class guests who don't mind paying $50 or $60 a night for a good room, but who are either unable or unwilling to shell out $130 - $300 a night for a luxury suite in a boutique hotel. So, the goal is to do a modest renovation to raise the average room back up to the quality one would expect to find in a Super 8 or perhaps a Best Western type of facility. In short - clean, comfortable, & affordable. We think that the location at Fannin and Rusk will also attract new guests because of the close proximity to all of downtown's attractions as well as to the MetroRail which will allow guests to travel to Reliant Stadium, the medical center, the museum district, Hermann Park, the Zoo, etc. at very low cost.

I'm pleased to see that news of this effort is being so well-received here and I would encourage members of this board to drop in some time during the day and visit the hotel as we slowly make improvements to the building. I am usually on duty between 6am - 2pm Mon-Sat and am often in the building at other times of day as well and I'm always happy to show people the work we have done.

-George Kalas
General Manager

Jeebus, on Friday, January 27th, 2006 @ 12:17am, said:

This is great news for downtown.

[bachanon]

welcome to the forum wyatterp and thanks for the info! we love that kind of insider info!.

i do miss metropol. any chance of utilizing the underground space for less practical endeavors?

[Subdude]

Thanks for the update Mr Kalas and welcome to the forum!
That site has some great info on the Hotel Cotton. It's exciting to see the plans for renaming and upgrading. I hope things work out. It seems like the right time with the renovated Texas State Hotel and Stowers building.

[dbigtex56]

Welcome to HAIF, Mr. Kalas, and thanks for the info on the Montegu/Hotel Cotton.

To renovate the building to a moderately priced hotel seems like a sensible choice - it's a niche which has been largely ignored in downtown Houston. I'm especially pleased that you're aware of the building's historic value, and applaud any efforts you make to preserve its architectural integrity.

Best of luck in your endeavor.

[sevfiv]

yes, welcome to the forum, mr. kalas.
it is great that the cotton will have a new life!

[Subdude]

It is nice to see that not all owners of historical hotel buildings feel they need to torn down because the ceilings are too low.

[WyattEarp]

Metropol is gone for good, but if a new lessee can be found, another club or possibly a dining facility might once more occupy that space in the basement level at some point in the future. If we don't lease the space, I still think it might be worthwhile to remodel it so that the area could be used for business meetings and/or social occasions - thus providing another revenue stream to the business.

I'm not sure what the basement space was used for in the early days of the hotel, but strongly suspect that it was restarant area due to the presence of some very old cast-iron stoves down there. It personally think it would be kind of neat to have a restaurant down there, if the downtown traffic would support one. You know, when I was a teenager I used to eat occasionly at the old L.C. Cafeteria formerly located under the Rice Hotel and it was accessible from a sidewalk stairwell, just as our own basement area is - which is why I think there is a good possibility that a dining facility once occupied that area of the hotel.

[WyattEarp]

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed our website. I will be continuously updating it as more historical facts, photos and artifacts are unearthed regarding the Hotel Cotton's past.

I agree with you that the recent renovations of the TSH (Club Quarters) and the Stowers Building have created a more favorable environment for our building. The only problem we have is that it is very difficult, financially, to turn around an old building without a big influx of cash and the support of the city and one's business neighbors. All of these things are pretty much lacking right now - which makes the attempt to renovate and clean-up a slow and tedious process.

My intention is to be a good neighbor to the other businesses in the area and to do my part to clean up the neighborhood and turn this facility back into an asset, rather than a liability, to the downtown area. I could accomplish this much more quickly if I can find a way to access grant money for renovation work. I've been told that there is a such thing as grant money for restoring historic old buildings and I'd like to know where one goes to apply for such grants.

Subdude, on Saturday, February 11th, 2006 @ 12:19pm, said:

Thanks for the update Mr Kalas and welcome to the forum!
That site has some great info on the Hotel Cotton. It's exciting to see the plans for renaming and upgrading. I hope things work out. It seems like the right time with the renovated Texas State Hotel and Stowers building.

That was odd, wasn't it? When I read in the Houston Chronicle that the deciding factor in the William Penn's demise was that the ceilings were too low, I was skeptical.

I don't claim to know how high the ceilings were in that building, but I do know that in the South in those days when air conditioning was pretty much unknown, most buildings were constructed with high ceilings to allow hot air to rise above the average person's head. I would be surprised to hear that the ceilings in the William Penn were 8 or 9 feet in height, for example. My expectation is that 10 or 11 foot ceilings or higher would have been the norm for a building of that era - so the excuse sounds phony.

I think the real reason the building was torn down is that there simply is no market in Houston right now for more luxury hotels downtown. There is a glut of such rooms in the downtown market and about 2,000 rooms need to go off the market for the rest of the hotel industry downtown to become profitable again.

Subdude, on Sunday, February 12th, 2006 @ 7:30pm, said:

It is nice to see that not all owners of historical hotel buildings feel they need to torn down because the ceilings are too low.

[WyattEarp]

Your observation is correct. The occupany is down, although revenue is about the same, because we raised our room rates about six months ago. This has had the happy effect of causing some of the less desireable customers to seek lodgings elsewhere and it gives us an opportunity to get into more rooms to do renovation work.

The Great Hizzy!, on Friday, January 27th, 2006 @ 10:32am, said:

I THOUGHT I noticed something different about that corner a couple of weeks ago when I walked by. For one, you don't see as many people "hanging around" and there aren't as many lights on at night, as if the building's not as occupied as before.

This would explain a lot. I wish them luck, especially with Stowers and Club Quarters looking all shiny next door to them.

[MidtownCoog]

What kind of club was Metropol?

[sevfiv]

mr. kalas, when perusing your old postcards of the hotel cotton, how did you know the date of the middle one? (1918 i beleive).

[Subdude]

Quote

I could accomplish this much more quickly if I can find a way to access grant money for renovation work. I've been told that there is a such thing as grant money for restoring historic old buildings and I'd like to know where one goes to apply for such grants.

Have you contacted the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance? If anyone would know, they would.

Quote

I think the real reason the building was torn down is that there simply is no market in Houston right now for more luxury hotels downtown. There is a glut of such rooms in the downtown market and about 2,000 rooms need to go off the market for the rest of the hotel industry downtown to become profitable again.

Sadly, it's probably just a matter of time before the market catches up with them and some of the newer hotels end up closing. They were funded in part by a tax subsidy to encourage hotel rooms to support the expansion of the convention center. The city will have to be pretty good at drawing large-scale conventions to make this all pay off.

Couldn't the William Penn in theory been converted into something other than a luxury hotel? What annoys me almost as much as their tearing down a beautiful old building was the lame excuse about ceiling heights.

[dbigtex56]

WyattEarp, on Monday, February 13th, 2006 @ 7:40am, said:

I'm not sure what the basement space was used for in the early days of the hotel, but strongly suspect that it was restarant area due to the presence of some very old cast-iron stoves down there. It personally think it would be kind of neat to have a restaurant down there, if the downtown traffic would support one. You know, when I was a teenager I used to eat occasionly at the old L.C. Cafeteria formerly located under the Rice Hotel and it was accessible from a sidewalk stairwell, just as our own basement area is - which is why I think there is a good possibility that a dining facility once occupied that area of the hotel.

I did a little research on the building yesterday at the Julia Ideson library's Texas Room. You may have already seen a clipping from the Oct. 23, 1951 Houston Press, in which R.H. "Bob" Moffatt is quoted. He was identified as being the first manager and current manager/owner of the Hotel Cotton, and was there when it opened on March 1, 1913.

Mr. Moffatt stated "We had a beautiful little bar where the coffee shop is now. The coffee shop was in the basement then." He also notes that rooms were all $1.50 when the Hotel Cotton opened.

Also, while the librarian was assisting me, she spoke with someone on the phone who stated that the annex to the Hotel Cotton was designed by Alfred C. Finn. Unfortunately, she did not get the source of that information. Is this the building on Fannin (south of and adjacent to the Montegu)? I haven't found the name of the architect who designed Hotel Cotton yet.

[The Great Hizzy!]

So is the Montagu getting a new marquee? A bit flashier with better lighting? People like lights!

[WyattEarp]

sevfiv, on Monday, February 13th, 2006 @ 6:57pm, said:

mr. kalas, when perusing your old postcards of the hotel cotton, how did you know the date of the middle one? (1918 i beleive).

I can't state with absolute certainty that the 1918 date is correct, but when I found the card in the Internet it was listed as being from "circa 1918." I currently have one of these cards on order from an eBay merchant and am hoping it is a used card with a postmark so I can get a better idea of the accuracy of the date.

[sevfiv]

WyattEarp, on Tuesday, February 14th, 2006 @ 1:37pm, said:

I can't state with absolute certainty that the 1918 date is correct, but when I found the card in the Internet it was listed as being from "circa 1918." I currently have one of these cards on order from an eBay merchant and am hoping it is a used card with a postmark so I can get a better idea of the accuracy of the date.

ahh
well, the card i own (the one scanned above) has a postmark of 1918. weird.

This post has been edited by sevfiv: Tuesday, February 14, 2006 at 2:51 PM

[WyattEarp]

The Great Hizzy!, on Tuesday, February 14th, 2006 @ 1:23pm, said:

So is the Montagu getting a new marquee? A bit flashier with better lighting? People like lights!

An excellent quation. To be honest, no decision has been made yet. We're still working with our CPA to get all of the paperwork needed to make the necessary name changes with all the local, state and governmental taxing authorities. Once the bureaucratic paperwork is completed I'll be talking with my uncles and cousins to see what we should do about changing our signage.

My own personal preference is to be historically authentic and to have a reproduction of the original "Hotel Cotton" sign mounted back on the corner of the building at Fannin and Rusk. The old sign was a vertical one, with all of the letters of the hotel name running from top to bottom. If you go to our website and study the enlarged photo of the 1945 photo relating to the fire at the Aragon Ballroom behind the Hotel Cotton, you'll see a portion of the original sign I'm talking about. You can also barely make out the sign on the 1949 photo and the c. 1918 postcard. The web address is http://www.hotelcott...ttonhistory.htm

I'd very much like to retire the battered and cheesy looking "Montagu Hotel" signs - both on the corner of the building and on the marquee at the front entrance. I also want to get the "Hard Hat Deli" signs taken down. It would also be nice to get the movie posters off the Rusk side of the building as well - but they generate needed revenue, so they'll probably be around for a while. I'm not sure yet if the overhang in front of the entrance had a "Hotel Cotton" marquee at any time in the past. If so, then I'll push for a restoration - provided I can find a photo of it to work from and provided that the budget will allow it.

It should be understood, however, that all of the renovation work we do is performed on a piecemeal basis out of our own pockets, so progress will be in small incremental steps. When business is slow - not much renovation happens. When business picks up, we fix more things around here. We are not inclined to run to a bank and borrow a huge sum of money because too many other hotels downtown did that and many are in the red and cannot service their debt with their bankers. I fully expect several of these "boutique" hotels to go bankrupt within the next few years. We prefer to play it conservative and "pay as we go." Nonetheless, many returning guests tell me that they are pleasantly surprised at what we've been able to accomplish in the lobby and up on the 11th floor over the past six months - so we are making progress with every passing day.

sevfiv, on Tuesday, February 14th, 2006 @ 3:44pm, said:

ahh
well, the card i own (the one scanned above) has a postmark of 1918. weird.

Hey - that's great. The postcard might have first been printed in a prior year, but at least your card confirms that this design dates back at least as far as 1918. I'd love to see a scan of the back of the card if you could post it here.

[RedScare]

Fannin is such an interesting street, with the old hotels across from Houston Center. I walked by your place on my way to lunch today. It is definitely looking better. The signs could afford to go, as you said. It would help to hose down the sidewalks occasionally, as some of the former residents seem to think the sidewalk is their personal urinal.

Other than that, good job...and good luck on the rest of it.

[smartalek]

WyattEarp, on Monday, February 13th, 2006 @ 10:07am, said:

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed our website. I will be continuously updating it as more historical facts, photos and artifacts are unearthed regarding the Hotel Cotton's past.

I agree with you that the recent renovations of the TSH (Club Quarters) and the Stowers Building have created a more favorable environment for our building. The only problem we have is that it is very difficult, financially, to turn around an old building without a big influx of cash and the support of the city and one's business neighbors. All of these things are pretty much lacking right now - which makes the attempt to renovate and clean-up a slow and tedious process.

My intention is to be a good neighbor to the other businesses in the area and to do my part to clean up the neighborhood and turn this facility back into an asset, rather than a liability, to the downtown area. I could accomplish this much more quickly if I can find a way to access grant money for renovation work. I've been told that there is a such thing as grant money for restoring historic old buildings and I'd like to know where one goes to apply for such grants.
That was odd, wasn't it? When I read in the Houston Chronicle that the deciding factor in the William Penn's demise was that the ceilings were too low, I was skeptical.

I don't claim to know how high the ceilings were in that building, but I do know that in the South in those days when air conditioning was pretty much unknown, most buildings were constructed with high ceilings to allow hot air to rise above the average person's head. I would be surprised to hear that the ceilings in the William Penn were 8 or 9 feet in height, for example. My expectation is that 10 or 11 foot ceilings or higher would have been the norm for a building of that era - so the excuse sounds phony.

I think the real reason the building was torn down is that there simply is no market in Houston right now for more luxury hotels downtown. There is a glut of such rooms in the downtown market and about 2,000 rooms need to go off the market for the rest of the hotel industry downtown to become profitable again.

WyattEarp, on Monday, February 13th, 2006 @ 10:07am, said:

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed our website. I will be continuously updating it as more historical facts, photos and artifacts are unearthed regarding the Hotel Cotton's past.

I agree with you that the recent renovations of the TSH (Club Quarters) and the Stowers Building have created a more favorable environment for our building. The only problem we have is that it is very difficult, financially, to turn around an old building without a big influx of cash and the support of the city and one's business neighbors. All of these things are pretty much lacking right now - which makes the attempt to renovate and clean-up a slow and tedious process.

My intention is to be a good neighbor to the other businesses in the area and to do my part to clean up the neighborhood and turn this facility back into an asset, rather than a liability, to the downtown area. I could accomplish this much more quickly if I can find a way to access grant money for renovation work. I've been told that there is a such thing as grant money for restoring historic old buildings and I'd like to know where one goes to apply for such grants.
That was odd, wasn't it? When I read in the Houston Chronicle that the deciding factor in the William Penn's demise was that the ceilings were too low, I was skeptical.

I don't claim to know how high the ceilings were in that building, but I do know that in the South in those days when air conditioning was pretty much unknown, most buildings were constructed with high ceilings to allow hot air to rise above the average person's head. I would be surprised to hear that the ceilings in the William Penn were 8 or 9 feet in height, for example. My expectation is that 10 or 11 foot ceilings or higher would have been the norm for a building of that era - so the excuse sounds phony.

I think the real reason the building was torn down is that there simply is no market in Houston right now for more luxury hotels downtown. There is a glut of such rooms in the downtown market and about 2,000 rooms need to go off the market for the rest of the hotel industry downtown to become profitable again.

[The Great Hizzy!]

Quote

My own personal preference is to be historically authentic and to have a reproduction of the original "Hotel Cotton" sign mounted back on the corner of the building at Fannin and Rusk.

It might clash with the architecture and it might suggest something a little too "elegant" for what you all are intending but I would like to see something in Art Deco neon, maybe. Not enough Art Deco downtown, IMO, even when it comes to the signage.

When I look at the building design, though, I'm not sure if it would be a good match.

Are there any old photos of the "Hotel Cotton" signage?

[smartalek]

Please excuse me because I dont know how navigate this site but I wanted to suggest that Randy Pace who is the city Preservation Officer might have some links to possible revenue sources for renovation. His number is 713 837 7796

I wonder if the Texas Historic Commission could help.

[sevfiv]

WyattEarp, on Tuesday, February 14th, 2006 @ 1:59pm, said:

Hey - that's great. The postcard might have first been printed in a prior year, but at least your card confirms that this design dates back at least as far as 1918. I'd love to see a scan of the back of the card if you could post it here.

i have it at home...will do.
btw, what's the site where you got the info and picture of the postcard? i'd like to check it out

[WyattEarp]

RedScare, on Tuesday, February 14th, 2006 @ 4:10pm, said:

Fannin is such an interesting street, with the old hotels across from Houston Center. I walked by your place on my way to lunch today. It is definitely looking better. The signs could afford to go, as you said. It would help to hose down the sidewalks occasionally, as some of the former residents seem to think the sidewalk is their personal urinal.

Other than that, good job...and good luck on the rest of it.

Thanks. You are right about the sidewalks. The vagrants have made a mess of them over the past few decades. Every morning I have one of our housekeepers sweep the sidewalks clean of the trash and debris left by the usual suspects overnight. I'm also trying to get my hands on a pressure washer we have in storage at an off-site location so we can blast the sidewalks and the lower facade of the building to remove some grime and hopefully some of that funky smell that is so unpleasant at the street level.

I'd just like to improve the whole ground level experience in general as people walk by our building. To this end, we've been doing our best to discourage people from loitering around our building. I've also tasked my maintenance guys with cleaning up the windows on the ground level because the previous managers had never bothered to clean them over the past couple of years and they were really nasty looking. We got a nice start on that earlier this morning and will continue this effort until all of the windows are sparkling clean. One problem, however, is that some of the plate glass windows have been defaced and damaged by vandals and will eventually have to be replaced. Can't do it right now as we have other maintenance and renovation work that is higher priority, but want to do it eventually as business improves.

While we are on the subject of sidewalks and improving the street-level atmosphere, I should mention that a few months ago I fielded a phone call from the G.M. of the Club Quarters and he advised that the City of Houston was planning to tear up the old sidewalks on Rusk Avenue between Main and Fannin and to replace them with newer and more stylish sidewalks. This was suppossedly going to transpire in September or October of last year, but nothing ever happened. I'm hoping that the project is still in the works and that the city will do this because the sidewalks on Rusk positively *reek* with the odor of urine from all the winos who've used that area as their personal lavatory over the years.

smartalek, on Tuesday, February 14th, 2006 @ 4:33pm, said:

Please excuse me because I dont know how navigate this site but I wanted to suggest that Randy Pace who is the city Preservation Officer might have some links to possible revenue sources for renovation. His number is 713 837 7796

I wonder if the Texas Historic Commission could help.

Good leads. Thanks. I'm going to check these out.

The Great Hizzy!, on Tuesday, February 14th, 2006 @ 4:29pm, said:

It might clash with the architecture and it might suggest something a little too "elegant" for what you all are intending but I would like to see something in Art Deco neon, maybe. Not enough Art Deco downtown, IMO, even when it comes to the signage.

When I look at the building design, though, I'm not sure if it would be a good match.

Are there any old photos of the "Hotel Cotton" signage?

All I have at present are the photos and illustrations on our website - none of which present a very clear image of the vertical sign formerly present on the Fannin & Rusk corner of the building. I've got to cruise down to the Houston Public Library and start perusing every decent Houston history book I can find that has photos of old downtown. Maybe I'll get lucky and find a good shot, because the Internet has yielded nothing.

[RedScare]

If you look at sevfiv's postcard on Post #19, you can see the 'Hotel Cotton' sign running down the corner of the building. It is similar to the Magnolia Hotel's sign, over on Texas.

[sevfiv]

here's the back of the postcard:
picture

here's a close-up of the sign:

[hokieone]

Wyatt,
Is the Hard Hat Deli still open? I always see that sign on the side of the hotel when I drive by your hotel and wonder A) What in the world it is is it even still there?

By the way, I find it very, very encouraging the efforts you are taking to upgrade the hotel. In looking around, there definitely is a market for a clean, economical hotel, especially if Houston ever hopes to have some casual visitotrs/ tourists stay in the area. Between the Hilton, Icon, Magnolia, Alden, etc. there isn't a lack of high end. Thanks for keeping us informed on your progress.

[WyattEarp]

sevfiv, on Tuesday, February 14th, 2006 @ 10:47pm, said:

here's the back of the postcard:
picture

here's a close-up of the sign:

Great images! Any objection if I use them on the website's history page?

[sevfiv]

WyattEarp, on Wednesday, February 15th, 2006 @ 8:21am, said:

Great images! Any objection if I use them on the website's history page?

thanks - no problem, just a small credit would be nice
i should have more up about the hotel soon wheni re-launch my site
i can put a link to the hotel's website on that page as well (not a whole lot of exposure, but it's something )

[WyattEarp]

hokieone, on Tuesday, February 14th, 2006 @ 11:29pm, said:

Wyatt,
Is the Hard Hat Deli still open? I always see that sign on the side of the hotel when I drive by your hotel and wonder A) What in the world it is is it even still there?

By the way, I find it very, very encouraging the efforts you are taking to upgrade the hotel. In looking around, there definitely is a market for a clean, economical hotel, especially if Houston ever hopes to have some casual visitotrs/ tourists stay in the area. Between the Hilton, Icon, Magnolia, Alden, etc. there isn't a lack of high end. Thanks for keeping us informed on your progress.

Thank you for your interes in our renovation project. In answer to your question, the Hard Hat Deli operated only for a short time - primarily drawing business from the construction workers who performed the complete overhaul of the old Texas State Hotel (Guest Quarters) about 3 years ago. I was not here at that time, but I've been told that the gentleman who leased our restaurant space to operate the deli was not a very diligent businessman and he soon went out of business after the renovation work at the Texas State Hotel (Club Quarters) ended, so the restaurant has been closed for about 2 years now, I think.

I've been trying to persuade my uncle to go ahead and remove the Hard Hat Deli signage because I think those signs looks very cheap, cheesy and low-class, but he has been reluctant to do so. He seems to think that it'll cost him money to get another sign permit if he removes the old sign and he hates to incur unnecessary expenses. At one time, the G.M. over at Club Quarters offered to send a crew over to remove the signs - which I would have gladly accepted in a New York minute - but my uncle vetoed the idea for the aformentioned reason.

In any event, we've been showing the restaurant facility to mulitiple prospective tenants who've been considering opening a new restaurant in that space, but no takers yet. I'm hoping someone will come in and put in either a short-order cafe or a chain franchise like Starbucks or something along those lines. Heck, even a burger place like Jack in the Box would be an improvement - although I'm not wild about fast food chain signage. Still, a new restaurant would be an added convenience for guests in the hotel since we presently lack in-house dining and it would draw more pedestrian traffic from neighboring office buildings and would provide the hotel with another revenue stream to aid us in our renovation efforts.

sevfiv, on Wednesday, February 15th, 2006 @ 10:57am, said:

thanks - no problem, just a small credit would be nice
i should have more up about the hotel soon wheni re-launch my site
i can put a link to the hotel's website on that page as well (not a whole lot of exposure, but it's something )

No problem. How would you like for the credit for the images read?

Also, thanks for the link!

[sevfiv]

WyattEarp, on Wednesday, February 15th, 2006 @ 9:10am, said:

Thank you for your interes in our renovation project. In answer to your question, the Hard Hat Deli operated only for a short time - primarily drawing business from the construction workers who performed the complete overhaul of the old Texas State Hotel (Guest Quarters) about 3 years ago. I was not here at that time, but I've been told that the gentleman who leased our restaurant space to operate the deli was not a very diligent businessman and he soon went out of business after the renovation work at the Texas State Hotel (Club Quarters) ended, so the restaurant has been closed for about 2 years now, I think.

I've been trying to persuade my uncle to go ahead and remove the Hard Hat Deli signage because I think those signs looks very cheap, cheesy and low-class, but he has been reluctant to do so. He seems to think that it'll cost him money to get another sign permit if he removes the old sign and he hates to incur unnecessary expenses. At one time, the G.M. over at Club Quarters offered to send a crew over to remove the signs - which I would have gladly accepted in a New York minute - but my uncle vetoed the idea for the aformentioned reason.

In any event, we've been showing the restaurant facility to mulitiple prospective tenants who've been considering opening a new restaurant in that space, but no takers yet. I'm hoping someone will come in and put in either a short-order cafe or a chain franchise like Starbucks or something along those lines. Heck, even a burger place like Jack in the Box would be an improvement - although I'm not wild about fast food chain signage. Still, a new restaurant would be an added convenience for guests in the hotel since we presently lack in-house dining and it would draw more pedestrian traffic from neighboring office buildings and would provide the hotel with another revenue stream to aid us in our renovation efforts.

No problem. How would you like for the credit for the images read?

Also, thanks for the link!

that would be great if you could get a new restaurant tenant.
also, what would it take to get in-house food going? (besides a lot of $) - maybe those stoves in the basement still work!
also, I PM'd you about the credit information

This post has been edited by sevfiv: Wednesday, February 15, 2006 at 12:19 PM

[WyattEarp]

sevfiv, on Wednesday, February 15th, 2006 @ 1:14pm, said:

that would be great if you could get a new restaurant tenant.
also, what would it take to get in-house food going? (besides a lot of $) - maybe those stoves in the basement still work!
also, I PM'd you about the credit information

Like everything else in a renovation - money drives the whole shootin' match. The more dough you have - the faster and nicer you can go with the renovation. Same is true with the restaurant for in-house dining. It will be costly, but perhaps not too costly if we can lease the space for the restaurant - then all we have to do is prep the rented space for the new occupant.

[RedScare]

Don't know if anyone knew this...but the Montagu is for sale.

Montagu Hotel

[sevfiv]

RedScare, on Tuesday, March 21st, 2006 @ 6:02pm, said:

Don't know if anyone knew this...but the Montagu is for sale.

Montagu Hotel

i just had the tour a couple weeks ago!!! geez

here's a jpeg of the PDF:

This post has been edited by sevfiv: Tuesday, March 21, 2006 at 10:05 PM

[WyattEarp]

danax, on Wednesday, March 22nd, 2006 @ 9:26am, said:

As did I. Hmmm.

One can just wonder why. I don't want to jump to the conclusion that the owner was being disingenous with all of the talk of restoration but I did wonder earlier why he hadn't registered it as a Historic Landmark per the city's new ordinance. The work he'd done so far could've been to attract buyers but he seemed sincere.

Ah well, it will make a fine parking lot, but at 6.5 million? I'm getting a little too preservationally jaded these days. Maybe not.

Hello to All,

Folks - you'd be in error to leap to hasty conclusions, so let me put this rumor mill stuff to rest. This building has been on the market for many years and is continously listed for sale - this is nothing new. This never really changes because the owners are of retirement age and are not averse to selling the building if the right buyer should come along. It should also be noted that every buyer that has ever come here to look at the place has done so with the idea of renovating the place - not knocking it down to make another downtown parking lot.

Nevertheless, when I came on as general manager our focus shifted away from trying to sell and towards renovation. There have been many "tire-kickers" come through here to look at the place, but none of them ever make serious offers that are in line with the kind of money the owners would have to have to sell. This being the case, it was decided to renovate, because it is believed that the chances of a sale happening at any time in the near future at the listed price is highly unlikely and the owners are not inclined to give the place away by dramatically slashing the price.

So, back to the renovation. If anyone doubts that the renovation process is serious, you should come down to the hotel and see the work being performed. We are currently patching walls, repainting and replacing all carpet with ceramic tile flooring in every room of the hotel. This process has been ongoing for several weeks and will take about four more months to complete. We have also kept a plumber and a carpenter busy here for the past two weeks making other much needed repairs to the building. Most importantly, we have also purchased a new 80-ton air conditioning chiller that will be lifted up on the roof with a crane very soon - possibly within the next two weeks - (we're waiting for the permits) - and this represents a very serious investment of funds.

Also, last week I met with representatives from the Main Street & Market Square Redevelopment corporation to discuss the renovation work and how we might apply for grants to restore the exterior of the building and the sidewalks on Fannin Street. I would not have wasted my time or theirs if our renovation project were not a serious one.

FYI - We have also filed an "assumed name" at the courthouse so that the hotel may operate once more at the "Hotel Cotton." The name change is coming soon and I'm taking bids from sign vendors to change the signage on the outside of the building.

I hope this information sets everyone's mind at ease.

Cordially,

-George Kalas
General Manager

[sevfiv]

thanks for responding - i guess we are a little quick to the jump!

i can't wait to see the name change go into effect!

[WyattEarp]

danax, on Wednesday, March 22nd, 2006 @ 9:26am, said:

As did I. Hmmm.

One can just wonder why. I don't want to jump to the conclusion that the owner was being disingenous with all of the talk of restoration but I did wonder earlier why he hadn't registered it as a Historic Landmark per the city's new ordinance. The work he'd done so far could've been to attract buyers but he seemed sincere.

Ah well, it will make a fine parking lot, but at 6.5 million? I'm getting a little too preservationally jaded these days. Maybe not.

Hi,

Yes - please do not jump to conclusions. Not listing a building as a protected historic landmark under the city's preservation ordinance is not necessarily an indication that the building owners are chomping at the bit to knock down their building.

The reason the Hotel Cotton building has not been registered as a historic building with the city is due to a concern that too much control over one's private property must be yielded to outside individuals once this is done. My family's entire livelihood is tied up in this building and they are understandably cautious about yielding too much control over their private property to non-owners who do not have to share the financial consequences of building renovation and maintenance decisions.

Historic preservation is much to be desired and I'm strongly in favor of it, but it must be appreciated that this need must be balanced with the legitimate financial concerns of property owners who bear all of the cost of maintenance, operations and taxation for these historic buildings.

It is my own view that the best preservation ordinances are those that provide financial aid and incentives with minimal outside interference in the day-to-day business operations of the properties. A good example of this would be the exterior facade grants from the Main Street & Market Square Redevelopment Corp. From what I've read so far, these appear to provide tremendous financial aid to building owners to facilitate the restoration of the exterior facades of their buildings and the only strings attached concern not making future modifications to the exterior facade without prior consultation with a review board to ensure appropriateness. This is not unreasonable and, most imporatantly, it does not in any way interfere with what one does with the inside of one's building.

At some point in time, I think it would be a good thing for the Hotel Cotton building to become a protected historic landmark since the building is nearly a century old, but that probably will not become a practical option until the restoration of the building is much farther along than it is at present.

-George Kalas
General Manager