11 replies to this topic

[IronTiger]

Hey! Right now, I'm composing a list of buildings and structures demolished for the Katy Freeway expansion. It's extensive, but currently in a draft form, and I'd like your help in expanding it or making it better somehow. Because HAIF doesn't allow editing of posts after 2 hours, I'll make later updates, possibly including maps of some sort.


major sources: http://www.houstonfr..._clearance.aspx
http://www.texasfree...ht-of-way.shtml

WESTBOUND INTERSTATE 10
This counts buildings as if heading west on I-10, looking out the right, major roads are marked.

After a warehouse with a section cut in it for an MKT spur, the clearances begin.

first is an office/light industrial building

WIRT ROAD

office building, northwest corner of Wirt Road and I-10 (picture seen in TexasFreeway.com)
two office buildings (or apartments?) to the east of the Key Credit Union building
Key Credit Union Building (northeast corner of Bingle and I-10)

BINGLE ROAD

part of the Westside Family YMCA (may operate under a different name, but a building was lost)

VOSS ROAD

ALL the houses on Cunningham Street, including the road itself.
a cul-de-sac of houses
Ciro's Cibo Italiani and the strip mall next to it

CAMPBELL ROAD

office building at northwest corner of Campbell and I-10
almost everything between Adkins and Anne is demolished, including office buildings, warehouse-like buildings, and St. James Furniture. Calico Corners is actually spared, though still moves out.
just east of Lowe's two office buildings (appear to be office buildings, at least)
two buildings near Lowe's, possibly commercial

BUNKER HILL ROAD

most buildings between Witte Road and Bunker Hill were demolished, if not for the freeway (although some were), became part of a huge shopping center anchored by H-E-B and others

WITTE ROAD

two buildings between the apartment complex and Witte Road
a few units of an apartment complex
gas station at northeast corner of Gessner and I-10 (appears to have Citgo colors, according to the Houston Freeways page)

GESSNER DRIVE

a stand-alone restaurant at the northwest corner of Gessner and I-10 (don't know name)
part of a strip mall at the northwest corner of Gessner and I-10 (the strip mall was completely demolished later, though unrelated to the consruction)
part of a storage-looking building just west of Conrad Sauer Road (rest of building intact)
Bennigan's - just south of Chili's (which survived)

BELTWAY 8

Igloo Manufacturing Facility - turned into retention pond, worth noting it was once connected to the MKT line via spur
some buildings at the northeast corner of Biltmore and I-10

After this point, the only thing that appears to be razed for construction is some apartments near Sherwood Oaks - some units demolished, complex as a whole clipped

---END LIMITS OF WESTBOUND EXPANSION---

This is the Eastbound demolitions.

Although there are some building changes (particularly a strip mall that was partially demolished, and then later demolished, plus some new restaurants), the main clearance starts at Wirt Road.

gas station - though it looks like it could've been spared, on the west side of west side of Wirt Road.

WIRT ROAD

McDonald's - gray mansard roof, became part of National Tree & Shrub later
59 Diner - this too
unknown restaurant - Dewar's? Dexar's? Take a look for yourself
La Quinta Inn - well documented, two-level, motel style
Denny's - next to La Quinta Inn
Memorial 1 Motorcars - warehouse looking thing
REI - Opened in the late 1990s, short lived

INTERNATIONAL BLVD

some kinda office building demolished except for a small chunk hanging off near the Antoine end
Wellesley Inn & Suites - three story hotel with pool
Private Self-Storage - largely still intact, still survives (under a different name, maybe?)
Holiday Inn - big and fancy one. 11 stories.
something that looks like a car dealership - this is the west of the building that survived the expansion
unknown gas station - southwest corner of Silber and I-10

SILBER ROAD

--END OF LIMITS OF EASTBOUND EXPANSION--

Please write in any corrections or something...just a project of mine.

[IronTiger]

First of the screenshots: this represents everything between Wirt Road and International Boulevard. McDonald's is the first red X on the lower left, then 59 Diner next to it, and so on.

[Materene]

It seems all this freeway expansion will be one that never ever gets finished, it's like 45 south to Galveston, I'm 64 pusing 65 and have never seen that 45 south not under construction or improvement. What a shame the city planners were not visionaries and had purchased those early monorails systems in the 50's, the infastructure would have already been established and a lot of commerce could have been saved.

[billyf]

Cool. Unfortunately I moved to the west side after the construction began and don't remember too much about what was there before. I remember driving through there just before the expansion began. It looked like NYC back in the 1970s with graffiti everywhere. US 290 is about to look the same way. TDOT has already bought several properties near 290 and Beltway 8 for Hempstead Tollway and 290 expansion. All of the fast food restaurants near Senate are closed. http://www.h-gac.com...mended List.pdf

[IronTiger]

Oh geez, I didn't realize that! I thought they were goners, but I also thought the Hempstead Tollway was cancelled. Ah well, there goes another Mansard Roof McDonald's...

I created another map, it looks east of the last area. Blue circles are the ones that were partially demolished but mostly intact, starting with the office building and moving onto the hotels. Antoine is to the west (but fully in the picture), the original IKEA is to the north.

[SpaceGhost]

"some kinda office building demolished except for a small chunk hanging off near the Antoine end"
I believe this was a strip mall? I think this is where Memorial Grocery was located.

[detached]

It is interesting to note that many of these buildings were newly built in the 1980's onwards, only to be promptly demolished for Houston's freeway expansion addiction. That ridiculous freeway even ate up the old K-T rail line which would have better been developed as a commuter rail corridor out to Katy and San Antonio.

 

Before the REI, that plot of land was a car dealership during the 1970's. Crown Plumbing is the building on the right side, you have circled blue. There was also a Howard Johnson's Motor Lodge just to the west of your photo edge. It had one of those HoJo restaurant buildings out front, with the 2 story motel behind.  A photo of the 59 Diner and the freeway, just to the west of your image: http://media.beta.ph...rimary]=images 

 

Unknown restaurant = Dexter's. My friend's family owned Continental Finer Foods in the 1970's, which I think was located in the area you thought was some kinda office building. It was a strip mall. They also had a Continental Foods in Town & Country Shopping Village, facing west on West Belt, between Memorial Drive and Kimberley, just to the west of the long-gone Sakowitz store.

.

You may refer to HIstoircaerials.com to get better ideas of what has been there since the early 1950's. A fabulous resource.

[Ross]

SW corner of Voss and the freeway was the building with Red Adair's offices.

[detached]

The north side of the freeway...  Oh, yes! Ciro's Italian. That strip center was another one that was relatively recently built in the 1980's. We used to go eat at the Great Charcoal Chicken restaurant that was next to Ciro's, to the east. Best King Ranch Chicken around! There was also a fitness center in this shopping center.

 

Spring Branch Honda used to sit just in a triangle shaped property to the east of Bunker Hill. I believe there is a bank there, now, just behind Best Buy. The area that was developed into the HEB and other shops was a vast industrial property, that I think made oil field equipment. Which reminds me, Cameron Iron Works used to sit on the large Edwards IMAX property, closer to 610.

 

I also remember a lovely old (Circa 1900) 2 story white, wood-sided house that sat on large grounds, facing eastwards towards Witte on the north side of the freeway. Its property was surrounded by large, old Live Oaks. The house was torn down and developed into single story commercial buildings in the very late 1970's.  At that time, they left the great old Live Oak trees and some of the pecan trees in what was once a big orchard. I was sorry to see the trees razed when the plot of land recently was redeveloped, once again, as The Room Store. Totally concreted, now.

[TEC]

GESSNER DRIVE

a stand-alone restaurant at the northwest corner of Gessner and I-10 (don't know name)
part of a strip mall at the northwest corner of Gessner and I-10 (the strip mall was completely demolished later, though unrelated to the consruction)
part of a storage-looking building just west of Conrad Sauer Road (rest of building intact)
Bennigan's - just south of Chili's (which survived)
 

 

"a stand-alone restaurant at the northwest corner of Gessner and I-10 (don't know name)" - Luther's Bar-B-Q

"part of a strip mall at the northwest corner of Gessner and I-10 (the strip mall was completely demolished later, though unrelated to the consruction)" - included Cornbread Billiards & Bar, Cici's Pizza, a Chinese restaurant, and a Casual Male XL Big & Tall

"Bennigan's - just south of Chili's (which survived)" - Demolition unrelated to I-10 construction. Bennigans/Steak & Ale went bankrupt and closed most of their locations. The building was demolished to serve as parking for the HCC campus whose parking lot it occupied.

Edited by TEC, Saturday, February 2, 2013 at 12:58 AM.

[IronTiger]

Actually, Bennigan's was demolished due to the highway construction. Evidence is on Google Earth.

 

 

As for the MKT rail line, it could have worked as a line to Austin, but not Houston. Following the line, the MKT goes north to Bastrop (going under the highway), and eventually up Temple to Waco. A better line would be taken advantage of the Eagle Lake line, but that was largely dismantled for the Westpark Tollway.

[IronTiger]

UPDATED LIST

major sources (besides this thread): http://www.houstonfr..._clearance.aspx
http://www.texasfree...ht-of-way.shtml



From left to right (far left is International Road):

- a strip mall, anchored by Continental Finer Foods (and later Memorial Grocery)
- the building from this strip mall that WASN'T demolished
- two buildings I don't know much about
- Wellesley Inn & Suites - three story hotel with pool
- Private Self-Storage - largely still intact, still survives (under a different name, maybe?)
- Holiday Inn - big and fancy one. 11 stories.
- something that looks like a car dealership - large warehouse

- Crown Plumbing - had storage units in the back? Partially demolished.
- unknown gas station - southwest corner of Silber and I-10



This is just west of that. From left to right, but not counting the industrial building on the north side:
- McDonald's - gray mansard roof, built late 1980s or early 1990s. No playground.
- 59 Diner - cool looking local place, other locations in Houston
- Dexter's - a restaurant: this is seen in the background of this shot, though TBH I don't see how two letters hid behind that power pole
- La Quinta Inn - well documented, two-level, motel style
- Denny's - next to La Quinta Inn, of course
- Whataburger - 24 hour location!
- Memorial 1 Motorcars - warehouse looking thing
- REI - Opened in the late 1990s, short lived

OTHER BUILDINGS


WESTBOUND INTERSTATE 10
This counts buildings as if heading west on I-10, looking out the right, major roads are marked.


WIRT ROAD

office building, northwest corner of Wirt Road and I-10 (picture seen in TexasFreeway.com)
two office buildings (or apartments?) to the east of the Key Credit Union building
Key Credit Union Building (northeast corner of Bingle and I-10)

BINGLE ROAD

The original building of the Westside Family YMCA (renamed to Dad's Club Aquatic & Fitness Center)

VOSS ROAD

ALL the houses on Cunningham Street, including the road itself.
a cul-de-sac of houses
Ciro's Cibo Italiani and the strip mall next to it

CAMPBELL ROAD

office building at northwest corner of Campbell and I-10
almost everything between Adkins and Anne is demolished, including office buildings, warehouse-like buildings, and St. James Furniture. Calico Corners is actually spared, though still moves out.
just east of Lowe's two office buildings (appear to be office buildings, at least)
two buildings near Lowe's, possibly commercial

BUNKER HILL ROAD

most buildings between Witte Road and Bunker Hill were demolished, if not for the freeway (although some were), became part of a huge shopping center anchored by H-E-B and others

WITTE ROAD

two buildings between the apartment complex and Witte Road
a few units of an apartment complex
gas station at northeast corner of Gessner and I-10 (appears to have Citgo colors, according to the Houston Freeways page)

GESSNER DRIVE

Luther's Bar-B-Q - Thanks, TEC!
part of a strip mall at the northwest corner of Gessner and I-10 (the strip mall was completely demolished later, though unrelated to the consruction)
part of a storage-looking building just west of Conrad Sauer Road (rest of building intact)
Bennigan's - just south of Chili's, which managed to survive

BELTWAY 8

Igloo Manufacturing Facility - turned into retention pond, worth noting it was once connected to the MKT line via spur
some buildings at the northeast corner of Biltmore and I-10

After this point, the only thing that appears to be razed for construction is some apartments near Sherwood Oaks - some units demolished, complex as a whole clipped

---END LIMITS OF WESTBOUND EXPANSION---

As for Eastbound demolitions (south side), there are some building changes (particularly a strip mall that was partially demolished, and then later demolished, plus some new restaurants), the main clearance starts at Wirt Road.

gas station - though it looks like it could've been spared, on the west side of west side of Wirt Road.

More pictures soon, and a more cleaned up list. Some of them I had forgotten the first time around.

Edited by IronTiger, Saturday, February 2, 2013 at 11:08 PM.