brucesw

Cavatore's - Ella @ W. 22nd Came across this one in the Chron - seems to have escaped my attention for the 5 decades I've been in Houston up until now but looks interesting. George's - Park Place just off Telephone Used to pass by this one regularly and wondered about it. Certainly qualifies as a red sauce joint and a family place from the pictures, but only since 1990s? Looks older than that.

I don't remember the stables but did think I had seen horses and riders on the trails in the park. Coming up from Brazoria Co. on 288, it turned into Almeda but we always went west on Holcombe to get to Main or West U.

The Wiki article on the park says the lumber mill was located on the land donated by Hermann for the park, which was centered around where the reflection pool is. The park was originally only about half its present size. The article mentions live oak trees planted along a promenade near or around the reflection pool in memory of WWI soldiers. Fascinating history of Hermann Park by Stephen Fox (cited by the Wiki article) - as I understand it, the trees along Main were planted in 1916-1917 as part of George E. Kessler's plans for the park! Fannin did not go that far south at that time and Main Street formed the western boundary of the park. Fannin was extended and cut off the western edge of the park to accommodate increased traffic in the area in the 1940s as TMC grew with the addition of a dental school, MD Anderson and the relocation of Baylor College of Medicine from Dallas. The Fox article also mentions oak trees planted along Outer Belt Drive by War Mothers in memory of WWI soldiers. So, lots of oak trees have been planted in and near Hermann Park, some in memory of WWI soldiers but apparently not the ones along Main. I'm vaguely remembering stables on the eastern edge of the park - along Almeda? Obviously not the one located further south now. Haven't come across any mentions of these stables in anything yet.

I didn't grow up here, but it has been my understanding the trees were planted in commemoration of Armistice Day (Nov 11). I think there used to be flags planted along the median on Armistice Day; can't say if that still happens but it suggests a veterans group was involved - maybe in planting the trees, too.

Okay - a couple of possibilities https://www.alquickstop.com/ - Waugh at Welch - short blocks so not that far off Westheimer. Website says only since 1991 but the building obviously goes back to the 20s or 30s - might have been something else in there. Rudyard's Pub in the same block which probably goes back to the 70s. Arguably the best gyro in town at AL. https://order.toasttab.com/online/la-fendee-mediterranean-grill-1402-westheimer-rd - La Fendee - right on Westheimer at Commonwealth. No history on the site. I've never been - never think of it even when I'm passing right by because of all the traffic and the double curve. Couldn't place Waughcrest, had to look it up. A stub of Waugh after Waugh was re-routed like Lincoln all but disappeared when Montrose was re-routed. Waughcrest is still all residential so far as I know. Pics of both of these on Yelp may help.

A couple of observations - 'near the Westheimer strip' - so, it wasn't on Westheimer? California runs into Westheimer just before Mandell but doesn't cross it, nor does Avondale, so you must be talking about something on a cross street? Might be the first incarnation of Niko-Niko's, on Montrose, 2 blocks north of Westheimer on the west side of the street, in an empty Shamrock/Diamond Shamrock gas station? Still there (in a completely new building). Niko-Niko's had originally been out on San Felipe just before Voss but I'm not sure of the name out there. I'm pretty sure Zorba's was on Tuam before that, probably long before that. A man named BIbas had a Greek Pizza place on Memorial near Otto's. He took over the last location of One's a Meal across the street and started adding Greek dishes. Then moved down to West Gray, then to Westheimer in the block between Art Wren's/Katz and Felix Mexican restaurant in a strip center with a plant house with topiaries out in the parking lot and then the first location of HPD's neighborhood stations. I 'm pretty sure he wasn't on Westheimer until late 80s at the earliest. I wouldn't call that one a hole-in-the wall. Bibas Greek Restaurant/One's a Meal was what the sign said. Became Theo's but closed about 4 years ago. There were a number of small restaurants - mostly in old houses - out on Westheimer between the curve and Mandell. I don't remember any Greek but I had to get out of that neighborhood before 75 because the oak pollen was trying to kill me.

She was a great contributor and not only on HAIF per the linked Sad News thread. She not only knew everything there was to know about Ford dealerships in the Houston area and Montrose and county night clubs and.....and.....and. I remember her several times, after posting, several days or maybe just hours later showing up to reveal something she had just found at the State archives that was related to the topic. I've noticed she hadn't posted for a while but that had happened before, too. RIP and thanks, Michelle.

I came across this company while researching in the Galveston paper in the 20s, I believe it was. I am trying to find what I photocopied as it was very interesting. I have found some pictures of their product line - Rice Hotel Quality Canned Goods!. As I recall, the line was distributed in several states. Their main facility was at the foot of Commerce; they built a second facility on Velasco Street to ramp up production. That facility I determined was demolished, probably during one of the expansions of feeders into downtown from 45 south. I'm sure I photocopied the story on the company from GDN but it is not with the pictures (newspaper ads) that I have located. Still looking. ETA: Woodson has a file on the family/company I believe. Great to see that house.

I am not certain of the name of the place where my parents parked for a few days; I'm remembering it was south of OST on Main and on the east side of Main. I had never noticed it; at that time, the entrance was shrouded by foliage. I guess we don't even see the entrance on Main in the pic above. Yes, my parents RV was one of the few I saw but they were right close to the entrance so I didn't get into the park very far. I'm sure they learned of the place's existence from a guidebook of some sort.

I ate Egg fu Yung in an RV there, ca. 1979-80. My parents retired to Oregon in '78 but came back regularly in their RV to visit friends and family. I had never noticed the place when driving by. My parents moved back to Texas after about 4 years; they found Oregonians unwelcoming, and not just to Californicators, as a famous highway sign declared. They also just missed lifelong friends and family. Lacking much social life out there, my mother took cooking classes. She was showing off a dish she'd never made before when I was living at home 😄

Okay, Thanks! I remember the S. Shepherd location and the W. Gray location and may have seen the one on Airline but never knew of all the others. I discovered the Baytown location when I was doing research at the Sterling Library and ate there and talked to the owner. Also chatted a couple of times with his brother, the owner of the 11 St. location in the Heights which I ate at many times. They had a history on the Baytown location website which gave a 1955 date so that's where I got that.

No. That's probably a sign for the radio station, actually. KLEE (610 AM) was owned by W. Albert Lee and broadcast from his Milby Hotel downtown. Lee owned a number of hotels but the Milby was the biggest. The first TV broadcasts may have been from the hotel, I'm not sure. Once the quonset hut studios on S. Post Oak near the old Pin Oak Stables was completed, the broadcast operations moved out there, then in 1953, a half mile or so up S. Post Oak to where the water wall is now. KLEE AM was sold by the Lee estate, aiir, circa 1951 or 52 to Gordon McLendon of Dallas who flipped the calls to KLBS which stood for Liberty Broadcasting System, McLendon's network that relied on wire service feeds to re-create MLB games with only a slight delay as a live broadcast. McLendon adlibbed all the calls and had a 'color' announcer who had to fill in with totally made up stuff between innings, etc. McLendon had stated he was going to bring the headquarters of LBS to Houston and relocate here but a court ruling put a stop to his baseball recreations and the network fell apart. One of the Cullens, I forget which one, really liked McLendon's programming other than the baseball - it tended to be a very conservative voice - and gave McLendon $1M to keep it going for a while. McLendon went back to Dallas and a local operation took over KLBS. In 1957, McLendon, expanding his radio empire, purchased KLBS again, flipped it to KILT and moved the studios out on Lovett Blvd. Anyway, the KLEE calls were gone by 1952 so that helps to date the picture. They were in use on radio from 1948-1952, the TV calls lasted a lot shorter time. Great find for the pic, though. Thanks.

Awesome pics HT but when do they date from? Someburger (yea!) was founded in '55 by 2 UT students in Austin. Color scheme (at least of the only ones I ever saw) was dark green and yellow but that could have been adopted later. Interesting, though; I have never seen mention of a Someburger on S. Main I don't think.

Thanks. Yes I do remember Cathay House.

I don't remember the restaurant at all but have a vague recollection of an airport. "At the Crossroads - Almeda & OST" - ☺️ The 50s, I think, is when Iowa (or Mid-Western) corn-fed beef started showing up in the markets. Guy's on OST might have been one of the earliest purveyors. I'm pretty sure that's where we got ours. Western Prime steaks (!) may mean grass fed.

I was thinking I remembered a camera shop along there - not the name though as I never went there. I don't remember the Piggly Wiggly or Ship Ahoy but I do remember a tobacco shop - The Brier Shop(pe) (or Ye Olde...) in the 70s. I might have been once or twice in the 60s when I was in town and it might have been in the next block north.

Mexico City Restaurant Houston, TX Postcard (cardcow.com) I may have been there, mid-70s. I remember a place on Main, entrance right on a corner, in that vicinity. The postcard doesn't show it on a corner but maybe the door moved? We parked on the side street, which was short as I recall, like Isabella. I've been trying to remember the name of that place for a long time.

Never heard of it or ate there. That would be NE corner of Main and North Braeswood. First resto I remember there was Jaimie's - a great burger place in the early 70s, so this would be after that. There was also an El Chico (?) or Chi-Chi's - Tex-Mex - at that corner after Jamie's. There are other mentions of both here on HAIF I'm sure. Presumably the Marini family mentioned is the same as Marini's Empanadas on Westheimer (ca 1700 block) in the early 70s which I have understood to be the first Argentinian restaurant in Houston and was hugely popular.

Well, before 1975 anyway, per this history: History : Buon Appetito Ristorante Italiano : 2231 W. Holcombe Blvd. Houston, TX 77030 : Tel:(713) 665-4601 (buonappetitohouston.com) I was invited by a co-worker sometime in the middish-70s to join a group checking out a new Italian Resto on Murphy Rd (FM 1092/Stafford). I did not get to go but heard later 'it was just that Italian restaurant down on Holcombe moving to a new location and same old mediocre food.' So I'm guessing Buon Appetito took over whatever was at 2231. I can't remember the name but it wasn't Casa Poli I'm pretty sure. I remember reading some time ago that the area behind the Shamrock was one of Houston's Italian neighborhoods earlier in the 20th Century; I'm guessing Casa Poli was Italian.

Helfman has an Alfa dealership wedged into a small plot along The Sterling McCall Interstate. The cars look good streaming by on the frontage road or freeway but I haven't been in to look up close. Actually probaby within the city limits of Stafford, Meadows Place or Houston, not Sugar Land.

Okay, staring us in the face - check out the listings for Auto Imports and Auto Sports LTD in the list from 59 above -Auto Imports had a lot next door to Wendell Hawkins on Kirby and Auto Sports Ltd had one on Westheimer, a used car lot on Kirby, and another location in Pasadena. The one on Westheimer I don't remember at all but is maybe the one Dave W is referencing?

Legend has it that Thomas Jefferson brought the aubergine back to Monticello from Paris and successfully grew it there (and it is still cultivated there?) The variety looked like this (the white ones) which is why we don't eat aubergines in this country..

The reincarnation of Noah Webster??? Before Webster's Spellers, there was no standardization even for proper names. I have a will from an 1810s ancestor in VA whose son is named as both Edwin and Eden in the same document. And from the 'Random facts from history' category, I came across this quote from Andrew Jackson during my genealogical pursuits 'I have no respect for a man who only knows one way to spell a word.' Those were the good old days. (Full disclosure: never tried to verify the Jackson quote).

Okay, Dave. I've had some doubts myself since posting that. I remember the name as being unusual in some way and the 'Ltd." fits the bill but I also remember the name connoting luxury and expense and 'AutoSports' doesn't do that. I was driving an Alfa Spyder in the early 70s from SW Motors on Chimney Rock. I remember thinking 'Keep driving Bruce. You can't afford any of those.' I keep thinking there was an 'X' in the name in some way. There are other posters who used to be very active in this forum who know a lot more about old car dealerships. Hopefully one of them drops in. I don't remember the Volvo dealership you mentioned. The only one I knew was on Bellaire near Wesleyan in West U., later Nick's Place and then the original location of Union Kitchen, but I'm sure there were others. I was driving a 67 Volvo 122S I had purchased in Austin before the Alfa; I did not want another Volvo. I looked at a second hand BMW on a lot on San Felipe just inside the loop at some point - can't remember when. I'm not even sure it was a BMW dealership. I remember a European Auto Werks (?) and Bavarian Auto Haus (?) on W. Alabama around Timmons/Cummins lanes, I think, but no dealerships. Here's an old link to AutoSports, Ltd, fwiw. Note the same individual listed as contact for Dominion Jaguar later.

Auto Sports Ltd. according to another HAIFer: Several follow-up posts in that thread identify some of the brands and that it moved out on the SW Fwy (between Chimney Rock & Fountainview - outbound). I have been thinking about that second location but didn't remember it was the same name.