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Houston In The 1970s


cjlewis610

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All,

Hey, I am looking at a few older condos/homes in Montrose and had a question. It seems that most of what I like was built in the 70's and some have the original appliances. Anyone have in info one what kind of building codes were in place with respect to wiring? I am going to check out fuseboxes this week but wanted a little info on the area as a whole.

Thanks!

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All,

Hey, I am looking at a few older condos/homes in Montrose and had a question. It seems that most of what I like was built in the 70's and some have the original appliances. Anyone have in info one what kind of building codes were in place with respect to wiring? I am going to check out fuseboxes this week but wanted a little info on the area as a whole.

Thanks!

The biggest issue with wiring in the 70s was alluminum wiring. The alluminum itself is not so bad, however, where the alluminum connects to copper can cause fires. Best bet is if you see alluminum wiring, demand an allowance to rewire the house, or move on (or, if the house is worth it, get a quote to rewire, to see if it is still worth it).

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Biggest thing to watch out for in regards to 70's housing is aluminum wire. Not the end of the world per se, but it is very unforgiving if messed with. If the previous owner was a handyman type and replaced fixtures or added ceiling fans, etc., have the wiring checked out for overheating issues. If you do buy a house wired with aluminum think twice before attempting any diy electric projects.

Oops, Redscare beat me to the punch!

Edited by HeightsGuy
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  • 2 months later...

aluminum wiring is not the problem! the problem is the connections ,ie. light fixtures,switches,outlets,junction boxes etc. these houses used connectors designed for copper wiring which is a big problem.. all that needs to be done is contact a licensed electrician who can repair a average sized home (2500sq ft) probably in a day...i have 2 houses with aluminum wiring that have had the connections corrected with no problem....

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aluminum wiring is not the problem! the problem is the connections ,ie. light fixtures,switches,outlets,junction boxes etc. these houses used connectors designed for copper wiring which is a big problem.. all that needs to be done is contact a licensed electrician who can repair a average sized home (2500sq ft) probably in a day...i have 2 houses with aluminum wiring that have had the connections corrected with no problem....

well most electricians should tell you that your circuit breakers ratings should be lowered as well. for instance if the aluminum circuit previously had a 20 amp circuit breaker, it should be lowered to 15 amp to lessen the likelyhood of high heat. Aluminum expands and contracts more than copper which also causes the connections to fail more. so theoretically, the lower rating will prevent higher temperatures and hence less contraction/expansion problems.

Edited by musicman
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well most electricians should tell you that your circuit breakers ratings should be lowered as well. for instance if the aluminum circuit previously had a 20 amp circuit breaker, it should be lowered to 15 amp to lessen the likelyhood of high heat. Aluminum expands and contracts more than copper which also causes the connections to fail more. so theoretically, the lower rating will prevent higher temperatures and hence less contraction/expansion problems.

good point!

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  • 2 months later...

Wow! Thanks... those are awesome!

A friend told me that prior to the 70's Houston was quite a mecca for the psychedelic scene before moving on to places like San Francisco. The 13th Floor Elevators led the way and apparently HPD and others made sure that, their crowd were gently (and not so gently) forced on their way to new meccas. It's nice to see that some of them stayed behind!

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Wow, I havent seen these posters in decades! This is the first reference to the Family Hand "earth foods" restaurant I have seen on HAIF. I wonder what ever happened to Ricky Sharp and Kerry Awn, two of the houston (and westbury?) artists that did some of these posters?

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Awesome, awesome stuff. My guess is that alot of these newsprint ads came from Space City News?

Are the ads for the downtown clothing stores/restaurants from the Market Square area? In the late 60s/early 70s that area had a strong hippie/counterculture presence along with Montrose of course.

I used to have a giant color poster of the KAUM eagle advert. I also liked that Quicksilver ad "a pillow concert". Was it bring your own pillow?

KAUM was a very good station around '72...a competitor of KLOL "Mother's Family".

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Yep, I was born in the 60's and raised in the 70's. Back then we were told never to buy tatoos from anyone and I remember grown people trying to talk us into it on the way to school. I only remember one chick from our school that died from an LSD or acid tatoo. That was enough for me not to get one of those phycodelic things!

I grew up in bell bottoms and hair long enough to sit on. Some great music came from the seventies decade though. Fifty percent of my current listening music is from the 70's. And the flower power was awesome. It's trying to come back, but it will never be the same. You just had to be there.

Rock on!

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Liberty Hall booked many of the same touring acts that played at Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin. These were performers who could draw at a mid-size venue but not enough to play at the Music Hall or later Hofienz Pavillion at UH.

One difference from AWH though was that Liberty Hall seemed to have more of the classic bluesman play there. I recall a New Years Eve show in around 1974 or 75 that my friends went to...Jimmy Reed performed.

What are the dates on most of these newspaper ads/clippings? My guess would be '70-'72.

I don't know much about Jubilee Hall. Looks like it wasn't around very long. Same with La Bastille.

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Liberty Hall booked many of the same touring acts that played at Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin. These were performers who could draw at a mid-size venue but not enough to play at the Music Hall or later Hofienz Pavillion at UH.

One difference from AWH though was that Liberty Hall seemed to have more of the classic bluesman play there. I recall a New Years Eve show in around 1974 or 75 that my friends went to...Jimmy Reed performed.

What are the dates on most of these newspaper ads/clippings? My guess would be '70-'72.

I don't know much about Jubilee Hall. Looks like it wasn't around very long. Same with La Bastille.

These clips started in 70 and only go through 71. Liberty Hall kicked off in 71. The Family (of) Hand (s), Jubilee Hall, and Liberty Hall are all related because all involved some of the same folks. I think La Bastille was around for several years, but mostly booked Jazz, although I did see Renaissance at La Bastille.

Edited by isuredid
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Seeing all the posters, etc. brings back a lot of memories. I was at the University of St. Thomas in the 60's and I remember going to some of those places.

Along with the 13th. Floor Elevators, the International Artists label also had a very avant-garde band, the Red Crayola, that came out of the University of St. Thomas. They went on to play at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival.

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Great stuff isuredid, bringing back many memories, at least partially. Some dates would help.

I keep looking for a mention of a macrobiotic restaurant that was at Grant and either Missouri or Hyde Park as I remember, probably short-lived, may have been gone by early 1971. I can't remember the name. My boss loved it and we went often.

I used to have a giant color poster of the KAUM eagle advert. I also liked that Quicksilver ad "a pillow concert". Was it bring your own pillow?

KAUM was a very good station around '72...a competitor of KLOL "Mother's Family".

Which color? There were several. These are some of the bumper stickers:

2w6cwmd.jpg

4i5subr.jpg

Then there was the short-lived Air Corps:

2vtutc2.jpg

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