123 replies to this topic

[isuredid]

TheNiche, on Thursday, January 11th, 2007 @ 7:27pm, said:

Thanks. So it appears to be the northwest corner of Telephone and Lockwood, per the present street-naming conventions, right across from Fire Station #18.

It looks like they re-configured the streets to a degree. Telephone used to turn NW at that intersection..now it just becomes Leeland and part of the road that used to be Telephone is now Lockwood...although it doesn't seem to follow the same course. It's interesting that the Sanborn map shows a deep gully to the SE of there. I don't think any remnant of that is still around

[musicman]

You confirmed my suspicions isuredid. thx for your prompt response!!

isuredid, on Thursday, January 11th, 2007 @ 5:43pm, said:

IIt's interesting that the Sanborn map shows a deep gully to the SE of there. I don't think any remnant of that is still around

In that area the gully is history but i believe as you drive eastward on polk past dumble, there is a gully behind the homes. before you get to jackson. i'll have to drive by and confirm

[isuredid]

musicman, on Thursday, January 11th, 2007 @ 7:52pm, said:

You confirmed my suspicions isuredid. thx for your prompt response!!
In that area the gully is history but i believe as you drive eastward on polk past dumble, there is a gully behind the homes. before you get to jackson. i'll have to drive by and confirm

This is from a 1917 Topo map of the area. The gully was the beginning of Slaughterpen Bayou. The road leading NW from Kensington is Telephone. You can probably make out the rest compared to a modern map.

[isuredid]

From Google Satellite you can just see a small section of Slaughterpen Bayou

[musicman]

isuredid, on Thursday, January 11th, 2007 @ 6:03pm, said:

This is from a 1917 Topo map of the area. The gully was the beginning of Slaughterpen Bayou. The road leading NW from Kensington is Telephone. You can probably make out the rest compared to a modern map.

You are good. Yes i'm sure the gully is still there near polk.....i was going to say that it also extends to the other other of Polk and the topography map confirms it...thx again.

[isuredid]

Maplewood Lane, which is at the top left of this map, became Lockwood. I think all you can see is Maple...

[musicman]

isuredid, on Thursday, January 11th, 2007 @ 7:46pm, said:

Maplewood Lane, which is at the top left of this map, became Lockwood. I think all you can see is Maple...

I never knew that. I wonder when Lockwood came to exist and why the name change?

[Vertigo58]

TheNiche, on Thursday, January 11th, 2007 @ 6:21pm, said:

Wow. See now that's a theater! Puts the RO Theater to shame.

From one of the photos of the site and your description of it as being where Telephone Road starts, I think it might have been at or near where Lantrip Elementary is now, but I could be wrong.

Exactly,

I still say when I win the lotto, I am going to have one of these reconstructed from scratch from original blueprints & renderings, maybe have part as a minitheater the rest upscale dining and games for all ages. and oh yes, I will be in my living quarters above to oversee all! Hard to believe there is not one such place from Gulfgate all the way to downtown. This is such a showcase view from 45. Would spark so much interest from passerby's. ala Tinsletown...
I would have huge klieg lights shining into the heavens to becon the masses. My staff would be dress in period (1930's) attire and would have extra's toss rose pedals as patrons enter in awe!
Next door I would build a replica of the huge movie-set of the classic silent "Intolerance" complete with huge columns, huge elephants and tons of extras and palm trees lining the streets all around.
What an imagination?! It is possible though!
I have always been a major worshipper of the old studio system.
The Golden Age of Hollywood

[isuredid]

This looks like between the Gulf Freeway (top) and Griggs Road (bottom)



Here are the sections closer to town

[isuredid]

Slaughterpen Bayou at the Hughes Street Bridge

[TheNiche]

Think there's any chance that the City might one day landscape this area and make it into a nice park with a trail?

Edited by TheNiche, Monday, January 15, 2007 at 7:44 PM.

[musicman]

TheNiche, on Monday, January 15th, 2007 @ 6:43pm, said:

Think there's any chance that the City might one day landscape this area and make it into a nice park with a trail?

There's always a chance....one day. If it's already city property that would be best but if the city has to buy it, then it is less likely.

[TheNiche]

musicman, on Monday, January 15th, 2007 @ 7:36pm, said:

There's always a chance....one day. If it's already city property that would be best but if the city has to buy it, then it is less likely.

You know, this is an interesting little body of water. It looks like it originates around Jackson MS, then winds northeast along the border of Eastwood Cemetery, then goes underneath Central City Industrial Park and emerges on the other side, then goes underneath the METRO bus barn on Polk, and then remains open land as it goes through the Gus Wortham Golf Course and meets up with Braes Bayou.

Makes my mind churn:

Central City is up for sale at a list price of about $13 million (<$4 psf) if memory serves, and part of that cost could be recouped by selling off the portion of land that has access to Harrisburg Road. Less than half of Central City is occupied by tenants, and because there are very active railroad tracks along two sides of it, housing probably isn't a very beneficial land use. But, it could be bought up by the City or HCFCD with some agreement with METRO so that the length of Slaughterpen Bayou could be uncovered, landscaped, and turned into a linear park connecting Eastwood and Houston Country Club to the trails along Braes Bayou via Gus Wortham Golf Course, from which there are trails that connect to Mason Park and Idylwood.

Anybody willing to start lobbying the City?

[musicman]

TheNiche, on Monday, January 15th, 2007 @ 8:06pm, said:

But, it could be bought up by the City or HCFCD with some agreement with METRO so that the length of Slaughterpen Bayou could be uncovered, landscaped, and turned into a linear park connecting Eastwood and Houston Country Club to the trails along Braes Bayou via Gus Wortham Golf Course, from which there are trails that connect to Mason Park and Idylwood.

Anybody willing to start lobbying the City?

I'm sure if you suggest Carol Alvarado Park she may step in as this is her last term.

[TheNiche]

danax, on Monday, January 15th, 2007 @ 8:29pm, said:

I like the idea. I'd like to see a hike/bike trail that would connect the "Lower East End" (Idylwood, HCC, Mason Park, Forest Hll & Pecan Park to the "Upper East End" (Eastwood and north of Harrisburg Blvd} and merge with the existing trail just north of Harrisburg. Sounds like it would be quite an undertaking though and I'm not particularly optimistic about the City's willingness to spend money for greenspace/recreation areas.

There was a small parcel that the City owns and had put up for sale as surplus land on one of our main streets (Garland) in Pecan Park. We asked the City to donate this small lot so that the civic association could convert it into a small park. They finally said no.

A coalition with more clout than our civic club might have better results than we did, however.

I think that if you could get the Greater East End Management District, the Harris County Flood Control Authority, METRO, and some of the Super Neighborhoods and civic associations together, along with at least one strong City Councilmember (i.e. Alvarado), it might just have a fighting chance.

Seems like the trick would be putting together a nice visual presentation that creates the full sense of connectivity so as to make this more of a distinct regional park rather than a set of disparate patches of green on a map. Seems like it would be easy enough to get trails from Braes Bayou all the way up Slaughterpen Bayou, then across to Eastwood Park, which is only a block away from the existing hike-and-bike trail that heads toward Commerce Street. And if they could convince UP to sell off that seemingly-useless rail yard along the Buffalo Bayou, then that'd make the perfect connection to the Buffalo Bayou corridor...and right at a place where a pedestrian footbridge could be built across to the Halliburton tract, which will certainly be very densely populated within ten years.

This is my vision.

[musicman]

According to the park rep at Ingrando Park, they are cutting maintenance as a way to save money. Of course, cutting maintenance is the worst thing that can happen for our parks.

[Vertigo58]

musicman, on Monday, January 15th, 2007 @ 10:55pm, said:

According to the park rep at Ingrando Park, they are cutting maintenance as a way to save money. Of course, cutting maintenance is the worst thing that can happen for our parks.

If memory serves well thats where they had the recent shooting of that guy that was sitting on the bench in daylight. The news knows how to dramatize/sensationalize big time too. It sounded like some poor fellow was just feeding the pidgeons when all of a sudden bullets are flying.

It was later revealed that he knew the antagonists and owed them a heap of doe for a recent dope deal. A photo was released of this guy and he sure was no Mister Roger's. and you are absolutley correct, that is the worse thing that could happen cutting off maintenance that is. Might as well barb wire the whole joint or implode? Actually all kidding aside, good place for townhomes! Yeah!

[northbeaumont]

isuredid, on Monday, January 15th, 2007 @ 8:06pm, said:

Slaughterpen Bayou at the Hughes Street Bridge

This looks more like a creek (or even a ditch) instead of a bayou.

[TheNiche]

northbeaumont, on Tuesday, January 16th, 2007 @ 1:51pm, said:

This looks more like a creek (or even a ditch) instead of a bayou.

Every bayou has headwaters somewhere.

[northbeaumont]

TheNiche, on Tuesday, January 16th, 2007 @ 3:59pm, said:

Every bayou has headwaters somewhere.

I saw somewhere else on this forum some pictures someone posted of an abandoned bridge over Sims Bayou. Those trees growing over it make it look spooky, especially at night.

[brerrabbit]

I am lucky enough to be very good friends with someone who works for the Houston Parks Board. They are a non profit organization that solicites donations and aquires land for parks in the City of Houston. I get the details on all the activity thats going on as far as their work. I can tell you that one of their big projects is the Braes Bayou corridor all the way from Southwest Houston to the Ship channel. They have aquired a lot of land and are also planning on turning some of the retention areas in the southwest into moutain bike trails. They also are trying to build hiking/biking/jogging trails all the way from the Ship Channel through Gus Wortham and all the way up to the Gulf Freeway. He is constantly working on something and I know he designed the new play area in Memorial Park for challenged kids and is also working on the new pavillion area at Mason Park.

[musicman]

brerrabbit, on Tuesday, January 16th, 2007 @ 7:47pm, said:

He is constantly working on something and I know he designed the new play area in Memorial Park for challenged kids and is also working on the new pavillion area at Mason Park.

Yeah hopefully when the County finishes their work the he city can begin the trails. I think name of the pavillion "viva" something.....is drawing a few complaints from the lawndale east civic club.

[brerrabbit]

He designs and coordinates construction with the City but I promise he has nothing to do with naming them.

[northbeaumont]

TheNiche, on Thursday, January 11th, 2007 @ 5:21pm, said:

Wow. See now that's a theater! Puts the RO Theater to shame.

From one of the photos of the site and your description of it as being where Telephone Road starts, I think it might have been at or near where Lantrip Elementary is now, but I could be wrong.

Did this movie theatre experience the same fate as the Santa Rosa?

[NenaE]

Ol' SEHouston Girl, on Monday, January 1st, 2007 @ 10:49am, said:

Wow, memories! My aunt had a bookstore, Colleen's, on Telephone until a few years ago. ...

I was sorry to see that bookstore closed down, enjoyed going in there a time or two. I remember the lady was very interesting character, knew she could tell you a few stories of how it used to be(like my grandmothers)...had an impressive Texas and Houston history collection...

[NenaE]

brerrabbit, on Wednesday, January 3rd, 2007 @ 3:04pm, said:

I am a native Houstonian and a sixth generation Texan. ...

WOW! Brerrabbit, I thought I had been here a long time (I'm 4th generation)! I'm impressed...

The creek everyone was talking about, around where Telephone Rd. once intersected Leeland is simply shown in an older (37th edition) Keymap as "gully" feeding into Country Club Bayou at Villa de Matel (North, at curve) & Miraglen St....before crossing into Gus Wortham Golf Course)..interesting maps - above posts.

The Slaughterhouse Bayou (or creek) pic is nice, water looks green, (reflection from trees?), can't recall any Houston water looking like that, only murky brown. Seen the Slaughterhouse Bayou reference on old maps, alot.

Edited by NenaE, Sunday, April 20, 2008 at 12:41 PM.

[Bess Collector]

Does anyone remember eating Mexican food at Las Vegas Inn on Telephone Rd. It was south of Brays Bayou on the right side going towards Pearland before you got to Griggs Rd. It set back off the street and had a circular drive in the front. It was landscaped, had palm trees and I believe a concrete statue of a small deer in the front also? There was a large neon sign with the name on it by the street. I was a in elementary school at Cage and thought that this was such a fancy place when my parents would take us out to eat! The last time I was in the area there was nothing left of the old place. Would anyone possibly have any old pictures of it before it was demolished? Thanks.

[Tana]

Am reading an interesting book: Telephone Road, Texas by Burton Chapman, self-published in 2007.

Edited by Tana, Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 5:02 PM.