Lower Westheimer Rd.

[IronTiger]

38 minutes ago, mollusk said:

 

Ah, youth...  

 

The old joke is that if you remember the 80s you weren't really participating.

 

Now get off my lawn. 

I thought that it was if you remember the 1960s you weren't really there. In all seriousness, though, what did happen to that row? Was there a big fire?

[mollusk]

The 80s tend to impair any remaining memory wisps of the 60s.

 

IIRC, they were bulldozed, not necessarily one at a time, and ultimately replaced by a strip center.  However, the Stop N Go was bricked over to match the strip center and is now The Bar Method. https://www.google.com/maps/@29.744887,-95.3877107,77a,35y,180h,39.59t/data=!3m1!1e3

[IronTiger]

1 hour ago, mollusk said:

The 80s tend to impair any remaining memory wisps of the 60s.

 

IIRC, they were bulldozed, not necessarily one at a time, and ultimately replaced by a strip center.  However, the Stop N Go was bricked over to match the strip center and is now The Bar Method. https://www.google.com/maps/@29.744887,-95.3877107,77a,35y,180h,39.59t/data=!3m1!1e3

According to Google Earth, all four(?) were wiped clean by 1989 but the strip mall wasn't built until 2000 (according to HCAD).

[dbigtex56]

On ‎7‎/‎22‎/‎2017 at 10:15 AM, mollusk said:

The 80s tend to impair any remaining memory wisps of the 60s.

 

IIRC, they were bulldozed, not necessarily one at a time, and ultimately replaced by a strip center.  However, the Stop N Go was bricked over to match the strip center and is now The Bar Method. https://www.google.com/maps/@29.744887,-95.3877107,77a,35y,180h,39.59t/data=!3m1!1e3

Razing of the Chicken Coop was a media event, with Mayor Whitmire at the controls of the bulldozer that took the first swipe.
Mid to late eighties started the clean-up of Lower Westheimer, due in no small part to a wider awareness of AIDS. Along with the Chicken Coop and the Midnight Sun, the Boobie Rock closed its doors, as well as the Asian massage parlors and modelling studios. IIRC, disgraced Houston developer J. R. McConnell was somehow connected with the strip center; he died around the same time (suicide in a Galveston jail cell).
The front portion of the MIdnight Sun was demolished, and the remainder extensively remodeled. It's now occupied by The Cat Doctor.
The cruising of Lower Westheimer which had been going on since at least the early 80's got a boost from Marvin Zindler. He issued a report about the scandalous goings-on ("Kids are blasting their radios! They're drinking! They're picking up girls!"), which caused the traffic to increase exponentially overnight. After a year or two, people had had enough, and the constable's office cracked down on a couple of consecutive weekends, putting an end to it. This also would have been about the time when "No Turns After 8PM" signs were put up on the side streets, to discourage the cruising which was widespread in those days.

[IronTiger]

Recently, I visited the archives downtown, and I wanted to see what Lower Westheimer was like at its "peak", so I got 1981. I've copied and cleaned up the listings, and I'll be posting up to the 1600 block. Feel free to elaborate on any of them....

 

128 - Houlihans (possibly "Houlahans" as in the directory) [demolished]

202 - Baby Giant Food Store [now Hollywood Food Store]

204 - U-All Wash [demolished?]

209 - Hungry International Sandwich [demolished?]

219 - Damores Restaurant [currently vacant]

220 - Adairs & Doras Flowers (seems like this went under a number of names, all at the same time, including "Jungle Flower Shop", "Flowers by Adair", "Bruces for Flowers", etc.)

223 - L. Bartells Inter(national?) and Dennys Dance Studio

224 - Jade Dragon Restaurant and Ultra Pure (different phone #)

227 - Club L Amour

231 - House of Fun

235 - Dec Art Show Room and Tex Miller (same phone #)

239 - D&L Interior Accents

240 - Diners News

243 - "Continental Villar" and "Serafin Restaurant"

300 - Q-1 Leather Inc.

303 - Tropic Tan

307 - Michelangelo's Restaurant

311 - Sports Locker [demolished?]

322 - Godfather Restaurant [now El Tiempo Cantina]

327 - Burger Bar [later Sacred Heart Studio, now closed]

 

EDIT: For those just joining us, click here to jump to 400-500 and here for 600-900. On the second page, we have 1000-1200 and 1300 to 1400.

[Ross]

Michaelangelos is demolished, I believe.

Godfather Restaurant was called Il Padrino the times I went there in the early 80's. The patio was illegally enclosed without any permits. 

[mkultra25]

Looking forward to seeing the rest of the listings. I started hanging around the record stores on Lower Westheimer around 1980, but wasn't living in the area until 1982. My roommate's girlfriend waited tables at Hungry's and was thus able to comp us beers occasionally, no small thing to perpetually-broke students.

[dbigtex56]

I moved to Houston (Taft and Welch) in '81, and these names are bringing back floods of memories. 

On ‎5‎/‎28‎/‎2018 at 10:40 AM, IronTiger said:

202 - Baby Giant Food Store [now Hollywood Food Store]

204 - U-All Wash [demolished?]

209 - Hungry International Sandwich [demolished?]

Pretty sure that both Baby Giant/Hollywood Food Store and the space occupied by U-All Washateria are occupied by the discount branch of one of those mattress chains.

I had a bad experience with Hungry International; if there are still people alive who witnessed it, they'll remember too, because it isn't the sort of thing that's easily forgotten. 
A friend and I had dinner there one night, and it wasn't very good. I thought maybe the roast beef was a little 'off' but ate it anyway.
Big mistake. Afterward we went to Mary's, which was packed. I got a beer and after a couple of sips a strange feeling came over me. "I gotta sit down. Now.", I told my friend. I found a seat next to the front door when it hit me. Hit about a dozen other people, too; it's called projectile vomiting for a reason.
Last I saw of that roast beef sandwich it was sailing in a long arc into the crowd. I didn't wait around to see what sort of reaction that got, but thought whatever apologies I might offer wouldn't be up to the occasion so I immediately ducked out the door and headed home.
That's one way to make an impression when you're the new kid in town; personally, I don't recommend it.

[IronTiger]

37 minutes ago, dbigtex56 said:

 

Pretty sure that both Baby Giant/Hollywood Food Store and the space occupied by U-All Washateria are occupied by the discount branch of one of those mattress chains.
 

 

On 5/29/2018 at 6:50 PM, Ross said:

Michaelangelos is demolished, I believe.

 

So much for trying to add in "current" tenants if my cursory Google searching gives me results that would be correct 10 years ago...

 

403 - Cleves Texas Jeans

407 - Four businesses listed: "Catnips", "John Boone Hr Sln [Hair Salon?]", "Shear Bliss", and "Treyman Flower & Gift"

408 - Q-1 Leather (second location?)

413 - Church of Ch[rist?] Faith

416 - The Spud-U-Like

424 - Vi-Tex Investment

427 - Dr Ronald M Butler and L&W Organ Repair

428 - Dons La Patois (aka Upper Crust Catering)
500 - Alma Robinson Antiques

503 - Stop N Go

507 - Sugar & Spice (see footnote)

508 - Circus Club

513 - Dr William J. Snow

516 - Happy Buddha

520 - Debs Ts, Inner View, Tres Chic Optical, and B Wilde N Stein Book

521 - Caroline Antique Shop (aka J Matthews Antiques)

534 - Midnite Sun

535 - Caesars Palace

 

What I wanted to do is get the tenants as they were shown in this 1980s shot that many of you have seen before, but other than Sugar & Spice the buildings on the south side just didn't seem to be covered (Chicken Coop, etc.). From the same source (I believe, it originated off from an album of "gy2020" on City-Data comes a closer look toward the Stop N Go. The "Nude Girls" sign seems to be of the Sugar & Spice business, and would later be revived as a new building (under 503 Westheimer's section at HCAD) that would be Roots Bistro ("beer should be like violence, domestic") and then Radical Eats.

 

 

600-1000 is coming next time.

[dbigtex56]

8 minutes ago, IronTiger said:

408 - Q-1 Leather (second location?)

I notice that Q-1 Leather was also listed at 300 Westheimer (currently #'s 2) The name changed a few times in the 80's - I think it originally was Numbers, then Babylon, then back to #'s 2.
Q-1 Leather may have had a shop in there in addition to their main store (408) which was run by a guy named Gator, famed for his homebrew 'Gator-aid' poppers.
411 Westheimer isn't on your list. It was called Vanilla's and was a resale store; the owner was elderly and lived upstairs. After he died, it became the Mausoleum, then the Mauveleum, and is currently The Avant Garden (same owner - she just liked to change the name)
413 Westheimer was a storefront church in a small Art Deco building that later was headquarters for the Guardian Angels. It was demolished around 1987-88 (I salvaged some glass blocks from the wreckage).

 

24 minutes ago, IronTiger said:

520 - Debs Ts, Inner View, Tres Chic Optical, and B Wilde N Stein Book

This building was called the Westheimer Mini-Mall. I knew Small, who was the owner/operator of Wilde N Stein Bookstore.
534 - Midnite Sun: The front portion of the building was demolished and is a parking lot. The back portion was extensively remodeled and is now home to The Cat Doctor.
Another interesting historical tidbit: there were several thinly disguised houses of prostitution (Asian "massage parlors") on Lower Westheimer. During Kathy Whitmire's administration, she undertook a massive cleanup of the area. Her chief of police (Lee Brown) operated a sting in one of the buildings; it was called "Lee's Massage Parlor", a play on how the name 'Lee' could be construed as Asian.
503 Westheimer was initially converted from a bar into the Office of Veteran's Affairs.
I'll add more as it occurs to me. This is fun.

[Naviguessor]

Then there was QT's, which was a bit of the hustler/Drag bar, where I was once read by a very sketchy Drag Queen to, "Buy it, Sell it, or Beat it! "  I think i took ther third option.  Wasn't you, dbigTex...was it? 

[dbigtex56]

2 hours ago, Naviguessor said:

Then there was QT's, which was a bit of the hustler/Drag bar, where I was once read by a very sketchy Drag Queen to, "Buy it, Sell it, or Beat it! "  I think i took ther third option.  Wasn't you, dbigTex...was it? 

I can state unequivocally that it was not me. However, I may borrow that line for future use.
Those street-walkin' drag queens had some acid tongues. When I first hit town, one stepped in front of me on the sidewalk, blocking my path. S/he gave me a long, searching look, then drawled "Oh, look. It's a Giantess." Eek!
Lower Westheimer literally resembled a zoo. The tourist types would sit in the fenced-in patio in front of Cookies, Goodies, and More , and gawk at the passing drag queens and freaks, who in turn would gawk back at these weirdly normal people.
I think those who weren't there to experience it would be astonished at the energy and sheer volume of street life on Lower Westheimer in those days. It was comparable to Bourbon St. or St. Mark's Place in the East Village; a place to see and be seen.

[dbigtex56]

I notice 216 Westheimer (the Cra-Bell Building) isn't on the list. This yellow brick Deco influenced building has to be the most original and unchanged of any on Lower Westheimer. It's been occupied by Scott-Day Paint & Supply since the early '60s.

14 hours ago, IronTiger said:

413 - Church of Ch[rist?] Faith

Immediately west of this building stood a small two-story apartment house built in the '20s in the Mission Style. Constructed of stucco and red clay roof tiles with wooden casement windows and glazed tile accents, it was a bit shabby but hadn't been altered at all. A charming building; was sad to see that one go.
The Happy Buddha, (despite its culturally insensitive name) was a landmark in its own right. The large namesake gold statue which stood in front of it was appreciated by those with an adolescent sense of humor; from the side the Enlightened Teacher appeared to be smiling at the boner he was sporting (actually, his praying hands). Once seen, it could never be unseen.
535 Westheimer Caesar's Palace (?) This would be directly across from the Midnight Sun, and that was the Chicken Coop, another notorious hustler bar. A small bar in the back and upstairs catered to lesbians, the name of which escapes me. Perhaps Caesar's Palace was the blanket name for these two bars.
Its demise was an event staged for the media. A bulldozer, with Mayor Kathy Whitmire at the controls, made the first pass in front of all the local TV news cameras as part of her program to Clean Up Westheimer. Her intentions were good, but her actions completely killed the 'vibe' that made the place so special. Lower Westheimer has never recovered.

[marmer]

If I recall correctly there was a place called the Truck Stop, where one entered through a canopy made from the hood and cab of an 18-wheel tractor.  Is that right?  Also, wasn't the big Westheimer cleanup push originally driven by Courtlandt Place residents who were finding syringes in their backyards?

 

[dbigtex56]

18 minutes ago, marmer said:

If I recall correctly there was a place called the Truck Stop, where one entered through a canopy made from the hood and cab of an 18-wheel tractor.  Is that right?  Also, wasn't the big Westheimer cleanup push originally driven by Courtlandt Place residents who were finding syringes in their backyards?

 

I think the Truck Stop was on Avondale at the southwest corner of Mason St. There was also a bar called the Silver Phoenix close by, but I'm a little vague as to which was where. 
Further west  on Avondale (before Taft) on the south side of the street was Dirty Sally's, which later was remodeled to become The Atrium. In those days there were often small fires of suspicious origin that preceded remodeling of bars. Insurance companies must have hated Houston.
It's entirely possible that Courtlandt Place residents' complaints may have factored into Whitmire's decisions. They have insular tendencies.
edit: While it's possible that a drug user might feel compelled to throw a used syringe 75 or 100 feet to land in someone's backyard, it doesn't seem plausible. Some people like to make things up.

[mkultra25]

7 hours ago, dbigtex56 said:

Lower Westheimer literally resembled a zoo. The tourist types would sit in the fenced-in patio in front of Cookies, Goodies, and More , and gawk at the passing drag queens and freaks, who in turn would gawk back at these weirdly normal people.
I think those who weren't there to experience it would be astonished at the energy and sheer volume of street life on Lower Westheimer in those days. It was comparable to Bourbon St. or St. Mark's Place in the East Village; a place to see and be seen.

 

Indeed. And the Westheimer Street Festival, before it was neutered, cranked the energy and general weirdness up even further. 

 

 

 

[mollusk]

Oh, Dirty Sally's... I remember one evening, after a wedding reception, grabbing the Best Man from Oklahoma (slender blonde haired blue eyed military Aryan Nazi Jock Type) before he accidentally wandered in there.  (we were heading for Theodore's, across the street, far better for virginal midwesterners comin' to the big city)

 

In retrospect, it prolly would have been fun to just follow him in and watch.

[Naviguessor]

Wish you had.  Back then, slender blonde haired blue eyed military Aryan Nazi Jocks were Just dbig's type. 

[dbigtex56]

6 hours ago, Naviguessor said:

Wish you had.  Back then, slender blonde haired blue eyed military Aryan Nazi Jocks were Just dbig's type. 

um, no.
When it comes to Nazis I am humorless. The idea disgusts me.

 

[Naviguessor]

Guess I owe you an apology. Sorry. 

[IronTiger]

On 6/2/2018 at 10:50 AM, Naviguessor said:

Guess I owe you an apology. Sorry. 

 

I thought it was supposed to be an obvious joke.

 

On 5/31/2018 at 1:32 PM, dbigtex56 said:

I notice 216 Westheimer (the Cra-Bell Building) isn't on the list. This yellow brick Deco influenced building has to be the most original and unchanged of any on Lower Westheimer. It's been occupied by Scott-Day Paint & Supply since the early '60s.

Immediately west of this building stood a small two-story apartment house built in the '20s in the Mission Style. Constructed of stucco and red clay roof tiles with wooden casement windows and glazed tile accents, it was a bit shabby but hadn't been altered at all. A charming building; was sad to see that one go.
The Happy Buddha, (despite its culturally insensitive name) was a landmark in its own right. The large namesake gold statue which stood in front of it was appreciated by those with an adolescent sense of humor; from the side the Enlightened Teacher appeared to be smiling at the boner he was sporting (actually, his praying hands). Once seen, it could never be unseen.
535 Westheimer Caesar's Palace (?) This would be directly across from the Midnight Sun, and that was the Chicken Coop, another notorious hustler bar. A small bar in the back and upstairs catered to lesbians, the name of which escapes me. Perhaps Caesar's Palace was the blanket name for these two bars.
Its demise was an event staged for the media. A bulldozer, with Mayor Kathy Whitmire at the controls, made the first pass in front of all the local TV news cameras as part of her program to Clean Up Westheimer. Her intentions were good, but her actions completely killed the 'vibe' that made the place so special. Lower Westheimer has never recovered.

 

Ah yes, 216 Westheimer was actually on my list (as Scott-Day Paint&Sp) but the others weren't. 411 just had "no phone" listed, and not even a name. Maybe it was vacant at the time the information was collected, but I thought these types of directories were supposed to list everything, not just items with a phone number.

 

Moving on...

607 - Jims Gym (also had apartments upstairs)

608 - Byman Firm Interiors

616 - Flamingo Bar & Grill (Houston LGBT History has an ad from this era, it's the current spot of Katz Deli)

650 - Shearson & Associates

740 - Engineering Picemt [dunno, that's just what the directory says]

802 - Audio Hearing Aid Center, Battery Discount Club, and Sound Equipment Co. (the first two have the same phone number, the last one doesn't)

811 - [The Women's Home today, however, it served as a variety of small offices in the early 1980s that I feel I don't need to list here]

817 - Golden Mrtg&Invstm / RJ Golden Loans (same phone #)

903 - Ruggles Restaurant

904 - Felix Mexican Restaurant (looks like Felix Tijerina lived here as well, separate phone #)

906 - Packies Hairdos

907 - Birdwatchers
908 - The Westheimer Colony (also Westheimer Colony Art, seems to be artists collective but surprised it has a phone number)

910 - Bluewater Diving School/Houston Dive & Ski Club (though also shares a phone number and address with "Interiors by Dawn")

912 - Oh Boy Leather Goods

926 - Princes Hamburgers

 

I'm going to stop right here (the 1000 block has Mary's, an auto glass company that would become Burger King, and a bank), and I'm going to ask a question about 926 Westheimer. Today that's a Valero with a Corner Store (Circle K eventually, and not the Circle K that was a converted UtoteM, that comes later). About halfway down this page [http://seributra_d.tripod.com/armageddon.html] since HAIF's system wants to redirect it as an internal link, is a shot of Westheimer from 2000 where you'll see Burger King's original logo and the Valero, then a Diamond Shamrock, clearly with the Stop N Go name on the canopy (unusually). Was this always a Stop N Go (even before Diamond Shamrock's takeover) or something else? It was built in the mid-1980s when Stop N Go was independent, and I can imagine both Stop N Go (the one further down Westheimer to the east) operated for a while before the one at 503 Westheimer was shut down. The red trim certainly suggests it was built as a Stop N Go (non-Diamond Shamrock)...maybe the intention by NCS was always to replace the other. Another thing I wanted to ask is I'm sure I've seen pictures of a (Der) Wienerschnitzel (the A-frame type) in Montrose, but it isn't listed in the 1981 directory, despite that design coming from the late 1960s/early 1970s. Was it already torn down by 1981?

 

 

 

 

[mkultra25]

3 hours ago, IronTiger said:

607 - Jims Gym (also had apartments upstairs)

608 - Byman Firm Interiors

616 - Flamingo Bar & Grill (Houston LGBT History has an ad from this era, it's the current spot of Katz Deli)

650 - Shearson & Associates

740 - Engineering Picemt [dunno, that's just what the directory says]

802 - Audio Hearing Aid Center, Battery Discount Club, and Sound Equipment Co. (the first two have the same phone number, the last one doesn't)

811 - [The Women's Home today, however, it served as a variety of small offices in the early 1980s that I feel I don't need to list here]

817 - Golden Mrtg&Invstm / RJ Golden Loans (same phone #)

903 - Ruggles Restaurant

904 - Felix Mexican Restaurant (looks like Felix Tijerina lived here as well, separate phone #)

906 - Packies Hairdos

907 - Birdwatchers
908 - The Westheimer Colony (also Westheimer Colony Art, seems to be artists collective but surprised it has a phone number)

910 - Bluewater Diving School/Houston Dive & Ski Club (though also shares a phone number and address with "Interiors by Dawn")

912 - Oh Boy Leather Goods

926 - Princes Hamburgers

 

I'm going to stop right here (the 1000 block has Mary's, an auto glass company that would become Burger King, and a bank), and I'm going to ask a question about 926 Westheimer. Today that's a Valero with a Corner Store (Circle K eventually, and not the Circle K that was a converted UtoteM, that comes later). About halfway down this page is a shot of Westheimer from 2000 where you'll see Burger King's original logo and the Valero, then a Diamond Shamrock, clearly with the Stop N Go name on the canopy (unusually). Was this always a Stop N Go (even before Diamond Shamrock's takeover) or something else? It was built in the mid-1980s when Stop N Go was independent, and I can imagine both Stop N Go (the one further down Westheimer to the east) operated for a while before the one at 503 Westheimer was shut down. The red trim certainly suggests it was built as a Stop N Go (non-Diamond Shamrock)...maybe the intention by NCS was always to replace the other. Another thing I wanted to ask is I'm sure I've seen pictures of a (Der) Wienerschnitzel (the A-frame type) in Montrose, but it isn't listed in the 1981 directory, despite that design coming from the late 1960s/early 1970s. Was it already torn down by 1981?

 

Wow, Jim's Gym. Hadn't thought of that place in many years. Can't say that I was ever a customer, but it was certainly a fixture on the local scene as a precursor to the Fitness Exchange, which was frequently referred to as the Fluid Exchange. 

 

The back room at Felix was the polling place for my precinct when I lived in Montrose, which always struck me as fitting given Mr. Tijerina's history and influence in local politics. 

 

I don't remember the Prince's at 926 but it's entirely possible it was gone before I lived in the neighborhood. The only Prince's that I occasionally patronized then was the drive-in one on Main, which was looking pretty run-down and vaguely seedy by the early 80s.

 

My recollection is that the Stop-N-Go you mention was always a Stop-N-Go, but memory being what it is I could be mistaken.

[mollusk]

22 hours ago, dbigtex56 said:

um, no.
When it comes to Nazis I am humorless. The idea disgusts me.

 

 

For the record, my reference meant someone who looked like one of the extras in the latter part of Raiders of the Lost Ark.   

[mollusk]

4 hours ago, IronTiger said:

Another thing I wanted to ask is I'm sure I've seen pictures of a (Der) Wienerschnitzel (the A-frame type) in Montrose, but it isn't listed in the 1981 directory, despite that design coming from the late 1960s/early 1970s. Was it already torn down by 1981?

 

 

It didn't last very long past 1981, but there was an A-frame Der Weinerschnitel over just south of Richmond adjacent to the connection from SB Sheperd to Greenbriar, in kind of a weird juxtaposition with Star Pizza and Phil's (predecessor of 59 Diner).

[dbigtex56]

7 hours ago, Naviguessor said:

Guess I owe you an apology. Sorry. 

 

6 hours ago, IronTiger said:

 

I thought it was supposed to be an obvious joke.

Apology accepted.
I know it was meant in jest. I can take a joke about myself. This particular one is counter to my core morality, and I wanted to be super clear that there's no truth to it. If someone took it seriously I'd be mortified.
No hard feelings, and feel free to make humorous comments. I like them. Just ix-nay on the Otzi-nay, OK?

[ChrisABC13]

On 5/28/2018 at 10:40 AM, IronTiger said:

Recently, I visited the archives downtown, and I wanted to see what Lower Westheimer was like at its "peak", so I got 1981. I've copied and cleaned up the listings, and I'll be posting up to the 1600 block. Feel free to elaborate on any of them....

 

128 - Houlihans (possibly "Houlahans" as in the directory) [demolished]

202 - Baby Giant Food Store [now Hollywood Food Store]

204 - U-All Wash [demolished?]

209 - Hungry International Sandwich [demolished?]

219 - Damores Restaurant [currently vacant]

220 - Adairs & Doras Flowers (seems like this went under a number of names, all at the same time, including "Jungle Flower Shop", "Flowers by Adair", "Bruces for Flowers", etc.)

223 - L. Bartells Inter(national?) and Dennys Dance Studio

224 - Jade Dragon Restaurant and Ultra Pure (different phone #)

227 - Club L Amour

231 - House of Fun

235 - Dec Art Show Room and Tex Miller (same phone #)

239 - D&L Interior Accents

240 - Diners News

243 - "Continental Villar" and "Serafin Restaurant"

300 - Q-1 Leather Inc.

303 - Tropic Tan

307 - Michelangelo's Restaurant

311 - Sports Locker [demolished?]

322 - Godfather Restaurant [now El Tiempo Cantina]

327 - Burger Bar [later Sacred Heart Studio, now closed]

 

EDIT: For those just joining us, click here to jump to 400-500 and here for 600-900.

 

[ChrisABC13]

Here's a clip from Channel 13 story about a "night in Houston" in 1980, lower Westheimer and Athens bar and grill are shown.

 

[dbigtex56]

2 hours ago, ChrisABC13 said:

Here's a clip from Channel 13 story about a "night in Houston" in 1980, lower Westheimer and Athens bar and grill are shown.

The video confirms that 300 Westheimer was called #'s in 1980. I'm pretty sure it was Babylon (and maybe something else too) for a short period before reopening as #'s 2.
Notice the Debra Danburg campaign sign on the bulletin board by the front door of the gay club?
I contend that Booby Rock is one of the most hilariously bizarre names for a strip club ever. 

[mkultra25]

2 hours ago, dbigtex56 said:

The video confirms that 300 Westheimer was called #'s in 1980. I'm pretty sure it was Babylon (and maybe something else too) for a short period before reopening as #'s 2.

 

According to this article from the Houston Press, it was Numbers until August 1980, then closed and reopened as Babylon in December 1980. However, I'm not sure I'd depend on their timeline as gospel, as they also claim that the name was subsequently not changed back to Numbers 2 until 1983. I don't recall it being Babylon for that long, and it was definitely Numbers 2 the first time I went there, which to the best of my recollection was in the fall of 1982.  

[IronTiger]

On 6/4/2018 at 5:39 PM, mkultra25 said:

 

According to this article from the Houston Press, it was Numbers until August 1980, then closed and reopened as Babylon in December 1980. However, I'm not sure I'd depend on their timeline as gospel, as they also claim that the name was subsequently not changed back to Numbers 2 until 1983. I don't recall it being Babylon for that long, and it was definitely Numbers 2 the first time I went there, which to the best of my recollection was in the fall of 1982.  

I remember reading in one of the sites that covered old 1970s/1980s Montrose that there was either another Numbers nightclub or something that looked like a boarded-up house on the outside.

 

Onto the list...

 

1001 - Another address with a bunch of names, this appears to be the same place as 1011 (strip mall with Half Price Books/Spec's) but seems to be exclusively banks and related businesses, including Venture Funds, Republic Texas Savings, Gill Co., Harold Kahn Attorney, Lanark Investment

1002 - Bellaire Glass Service/Dorseys Auto Trim, Jay Shan Company, University Auto Glass (these may be all the same thing)

1022 - Mary's Lounge (also an entry for one "Heskett Bookkeeping Service", unrelated to the Lounge or Mary's Office)

1100 - The Boobie Rock

1111 - Saks Shoe Stores (unknown if it's related to the department store)

1117 - P Maison Beauty Salon

1200 - Houston Sign & Display

1201 - Tower Theater

1203 - Carpets by Joy (or Joy Carpets)

1207 - Black Dragon Studio (tattoos)

1212 - Warehouse Records & Tapes

1214 - Radio Shack (this was a RadioShack store up until the bankruptcy a few years ago)

1216 - Zone 6 Inc.

1224 - One Hour Martinzng/Venturas Martinizng  (that's verbatim, I don't know either) and Stop N Go Markets (this is the one that probably closed in favor of the full gas station)

1225 - Payton Place

1226 - Ventura Formal Wear

1230 - Renus Restaurant

1275 - Wayne H Hubbard Ins./New York Life Insurance Co./W. Thatcher Ins.