TheNiche Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 There is a closed theater on the south side of Old Spanish Trail between Griggs and Scott Street. It is a pretty monolithic structure compared to everything that's around it and is considerably larger than the River Oaks Theater.In the RO Theater thread, sevfiv had already provided pictures of it. Anybody got photos of it in its heyday? Anybody know the owner? What's up with this place? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 it is owned by juneteenth usa (chartered in 1985), which is run by rep. al edwards http://www.texasjuneteenthusa.com/ http://www.hcad.org/records/details.asp?ta...t=0450640000170 http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/dist146/edwards.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted July 27, 2006 Author Share Posted July 27, 2006 it is owned by juneteenth usa (chartered in 1985), which is run by rep. al edwards http://www.texasjuneteenthusa.com/ http://www.hcad.org/records/details.asp?ta...t=0450640000170 http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/dist146/edwards.htm Well I suppose that makes sense, since the word "Juneteenth" is painted on the building. On their website, I don't see any mention of the theater at all, however. Doesn't seem like the theater is seeing almost any use at all. Anybody know Al? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zippy Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 And is it me, or have they not paid their tax bill in a number of years totalling to $27K? Maybe I'm reading that wrong..http://www.hctax.net/propertytax/deltax/De...t=0450640000170 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Original Timmy Chan's Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 Anybody know Al?Maybe you can get to know him...he's about to have plenty of time on his hands now that he's (finally) been voted out of office! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 And is it me, or have they not paid their tax bill in a number of years totalling to $27K? Maybe I'm reading that wrong..http://www.hctax.net/propertytax/deltax/De...t=0450640000170 nope - that looks about right...sheesh what's really sad is the value: about a third of its tax-worth is owed in taxes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted July 27, 2006 Author Share Posted July 27, 2006 nope - that looks about right...sheeshwhat's really sad is the value: about a third of its tax-worth is owed in taxes! Interesting... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marmer Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 Sure, it's probably bigger. But it's nowhere near as beautiful nor as important historically and architecturally. It'd be great to see it restored and thriving. But it has nothing to do with the River Oaks and it would sure be a shame for someone to try to make any kind of argument about the RO's future based on the OST.Marty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted July 27, 2006 Author Share Posted July 27, 2006 But it has nothing to do with the River Oaks and it would sure be a shame for someone to try to make any kind of argument about the RO's future based on the OST.Martyok... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 on another note, hcad lists the land use as "recreational/health," and building square ft. at 0needless to say, i'm assuming it's been gutted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted July 27, 2006 Author Share Posted July 27, 2006 on another note, hcad lists the land use as "recreational/health," and building square ft. at 0needless to say, i'm assuming it's been guttedI'm not so sure about that. HCAD is really funny about listing square footages for uses that aren't residential, retail, or office. There are some enormous industrial facilities (especially manufacturing facilities) that have "0" square feet when they actually have hundreds of thousands. Civic or quasi-civic improvents are also subject to this funkiness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 true enough - i was thinking more along the lines that the inside is probably trashed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted July 27, 2006 Author Share Posted July 27, 2006 true enough - i was thinking more along the lines that the inside is probably trashedYep. Probably.Someone contact Al and find out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FilioScotia Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 Yep. Probably.Someone contact Al and find out.This WAS the OST Theater for many years, until it was sold and started showing adult films sometime in the mid or late sixties. That's when the new owner renamed it the Paris Theater. Most of its "adult" films were those innocent "nudie" movies, some soft core porn and foreign "art" films. It's where I saw I am Curious Yellow sometime in the mid sixties. It didn't start showing hard core porn until the 70s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJones Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 And is it me, or have they not paid their tax bill in a number of years totalling to $27K? Maybe I'm reading that wrong..http://www.hctax.net/propertytax/deltax/De...t=0450640000170Somebody call Robert Arnold or Wayne Dolcefino ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJones Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 Sure, it's probably bigger. But it's nowhere near as beautiful nor as important historically and architecturally. It'd be great to see it restored and thriving. But it has nothing to do with the River Oaks and it would sure be a shame for someone to try to make any kind of argument about the RO's future based on the OST.MartyHow about The Brunson in Baytown, how about The El Capitan in Pasadena. What makes TRO more important ? Is it because high-falootin old school money doesn't want new money peering down on them from a 13 story condo ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 How about The Brunson in Baytown, how about The El Capitan in Pasadena. What makes TRO more important ? Is it because high-falootin old school money doesn't want new money peering down on them from a 13 story condo ?for one, the river oaks is actually in use and not falling apart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GREASER Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 The El Capitan has been refurbished to some degree. The Brunson in Baytown is nothing more than a building without a roof, they totally gutted it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnu Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 The Brunson in Baytown is nothing more than a building without a roof, they totally gutted it. i think the weather coming in from the roof gutted it for them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 speaking of thge brunson, it is mentioned in this article:http://www.baytownsun.com/story.lasso?ewcd=2c958e873bd60f77Reestablishing the abandoned Brunson Theater building as a live performance venue could bring other artistic attractions to the area, Hunter said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnu Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 speaking of thge brunson, it is mentioned in this article i am writing about:http://www.baytownsun.com/story.lasso?ewcd=2c958e873bd60f77 Cool. i really hope it happens. i always thought an ecclectic coffee shop would work on Texas Ave if you could make it a college hangout. My wife would have none of it though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNiche Posted July 31, 2006 Author Share Posted July 31, 2006 Cool. i really hope it happens. i always thought an ecclectic coffee shop would work on Texas Ave if you could make it a college hangout. My wife would have none of it though Try the Purple Turtle near Sylvan Beach Park in La Porte. It's just what you're looking for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJones Posted July 31, 2006 Share Posted July 31, 2006 Cool. i really hope it happens. i always thought an ecclectic coffee shop would work on Texas Ave if you could make it a college hangout. My wife would have none of it though They need to take out all the "S" curves in Texas Ave. and make it a straightaway again, then remodel everything to look like American Graffiti, and turn it into a tourist attraction. Have a Carhop Drive-In at each end of"The Strip". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnu Posted August 1, 2006 Share Posted August 1, 2006 They need to take out all the "S" curves in Texas Ave. and make it a straightaway again, then remodel everything to look like American Graffiti, and turn it into a tourist attraction. Have a Carhop Drive-In at each end of"The Strip". You need to take a road trip back "home". The snake is no more! No sign of Suzanne Somers yet though. Richard Dreyfus might be there though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GREASER Posted August 1, 2006 Share Posted August 1, 2006 funny the paint is coming up and the old paint is still there...verrry confusing (to me anyway)... that area is dead, no one has expendable income. Texas ave. would be great for college housing..but I think most students have family in the area. My parents recently moved there so I STILL frequent the area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
57Tbird Posted August 4, 2006 Share Posted August 4, 2006 This WAS the OST Theater for many years, until it was sold and started showing adult films sometime in the mid or late sixties. That's when the new owner renamed it the Paris Theater. Most of its "adult" films were those innocent "nudie" movies, some soft core porn and foreign "art" films. It's where I saw I am Curious Yellow sometime in the mid sixties. It didn't start showing hard core porn until the 70s. From the July 21, 1969, Houston Post. No comments about the color adjectives used here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FilioScotia Posted August 5, 2006 Share Posted August 5, 2006 From the July 21, 1969, Houston Post. No comments about the color adjectives used here. Those films had to be soft-core. In 1969, the Houston Post wouldn't carry photo ads for hardcore films. That prohibition was later expanded to include photo ads for any X-rated film -- hardcore, softcore or mainstream. The films could be advertised, but with print ads only. No illustrations. Mrs Hobby made that decision. May she rest in peace. She was a great lady. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northbeaumont Posted April 18, 2007 Share Posted April 18, 2007 There is a closed theater on the south side of Old Spanish Trail between Griggs and Scott Street. It is a pretty monolithic structure compared to everything that's around it and is considerably larger than the River Oaks Theater.In the RO Theater thread, sevfiv had already provided pictures of it. Anybody got photos of it in its heyday? Anybody know the owner? What's up with this place?I guess that the Paris Theatre can be placed on the same list as the Santa Rosa, Village, Kirby, Metropolitan, etc. If it's still standing, it will probably someday experience the same fate as the aforementioned cinemas. It seems that it spent its final days as an X-rated house just like the Santa Rosa did, seeing the ad in the other thread. I wonder why some theatres turned to porn then they closed down? Did the Village, Kirby, Metropolitan and others do the same thing? I read that the Red Bluff Drive-In Theatre in Pasadena did the same thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FilioScotia Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 I wonder why some theatres turned to porn then they closed down? Did the Village, Kirby, Metropolitan and others do the same thing? I read that the Red Bluff Drive-In Theatre in Pasadena did the same thing.You're right about the Red Bluff Drive-in. It went porno sometime in the 80s, and ultimately went out of business. It sat there closed and decaying until a few years ago, when someone finally bought the property for other uses, and tore down the screen tower. I worked at the Red Bluff when I was in high school in the late 50s, and every time I drive past that corner of 225 and Red Bluff Road these days I always have flash-backs to some "memorable" experiences I had there. Let's just say it's where I starting coming of age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devonhart Posted April 19, 2007 Share Posted April 19, 2007 I wonder why some theatres turned to porn then they closed down? Did the Village, Kirby, Metropolitan and others do the same thing?Ah, the age before widespread Beta and VHS, when a dying theatre turned to porn as a last resort. I'm assuming it was a short term solution to a chronic problem, the old theatres eventually had to compete with newer, little mini porn theatres and eventually adult videos that folks could watch at home. I don't recall the Village or Metropolitan turning to porn, having attended main stream films there in the early 70s. Houston had a law about sexually oriented business being so many feet from a church, school, etc. so some of these theatres may not been allowed to convert to porn even if they wanted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.