isuredid

very interesting, thanks for that information.

Westheimer in that area was called Hathaway back then. My guess is that the house was at 120 Hathaway.

I grew up in the 50s in Houston and I would love to see an old photo or postcard image of Valian's Pizza Restaurant. It was located on South Main. Does anyone have any? Thanks!

There is an old house on the corner of Bagby and Elgin, it was built in 1905 The addresse is 3015 Bagby, I think they are going to demolish this house. Does any one know the history of this house?

Looking at old Sanborn Fire Insurance maps tells me that whenever that house was built, it was not original to that lot, but was moved onto that lot sometime after the 1920s. The old maps of that property show a one story house on that lot prior to that time.

The city directories lead me to believe the original house on that lot may have been the parsonage for the First Unitarian Church.

I also checked historicaerials.com. It appears that was an empty lot for many years up to at least 1981 prior to that house being moved onto the lot some time after that.

Jubilee Hall at the corner of Bagby and McGowen. Introduced us to Josephus and ZZ Top and Many other Local Bands in 1968-1970. Johnny Casey was the Owner/ Manager. Lots of us were able to see/ hear a lot of fantastic groups back then. The Family Hand Restaurant served 'soul food' for a reasonable price, and you could enter without shoes, no dress code. Jubilee Hall was a leased out old church, where All were Welcome to enjoy good music without any hassles. Also had a place to 'crash' if needed. Those were the Days! Johnny Casey brought in some great bands. Cover charge was at a minimal fee. I remember seeing Z Z Top and Josephus there, as well as a bunch of other Houston Musicians, who were given a good place to start. That was around 1968-1970. Then some Church folks came in and eventually outbid Mr Casey on the Lease. Too bad for all of us, who enjoyed the Freedom of Jubilee Hall. The Folks from the Family Hand Restaurant were just around the corner and they were Great Down Home Folks, who served the Soul Food, at a very reasonable price. At least we had two or so Good Years of Entertainment and Fun. Thank You Johnny Casey (Turner), And all the others who made that Time in Our Lives so Wonderful and Enjoyable.

I've never heard the name Johnny Casey associated with Jubilee Hall. As far as I know Jubilee Hall, The Family Hand, and Liberty Hall all had one common founder, Mike Condray. Mike aslo had various partners in these enterprises, Lynda Herrera, George Banks, and Ryan Trimble.

there was a small Valian's on Shepherd, just north of Alabama, right about where Pappas Seafood is now.

Pappas Seafood is exactly where that Valian's on Shepherd was located. They used part of the old Valian's building for that restaurant. When the builders of the Pappas Seafood restaurant were removing the facade of the other establishments that had been there after Valian's, they uncovered the old Valian's sign. I wish I had taken a photo.

my 1957 phonebook shows the Mc Donalds drive inns at 2302 wayside (right by the 69th st bridge) and at 6339 South Park which would be almost next door to the later Golden Arches above that opened in '72

My cousins lived down the street from the McDonald's at 6339 South Park in the early 60s. Our family ate at that McDonalds a few times. In my memory those McDonald's burgers were more like a Prince's hamburger than they were like the national chain burger.

I am no longer certain that Tierney lived in the Del Monte house. It was owned by Howard Lee when he was married to Hedy Lamarr. I have learned that he sold that house in 1957, before he was divorced from Lamarr and married Tierny in 1960. The divorce was highly publicized: the old Houston Press files have many black and glossies of the courtroom scenes. I used to see Tierny in the Weingartens on Post Oak (now the site of the Container Store) in the very early 1970s.

I think she lived at the Willowick Condominium from about 1978 until she died. That condo is in the River Oaks area. Before that I believe she lived in the Broad Oaks subdivision north of Woodway between Sage and Chimney Rock.

I am trying to find some family history, I found an address on a Marriage Certificate date 6/1/1971 address 1127 Studewood . Today it looks like this location is a Car Wash. Would like to know what was there before the car wash. I have one of the tenates as Oscar J. Steele, lived there between 1967-1975 appox.

Address: 1127 Studewood

Years: 1967 - 1975

Possible owner: Oscar J. Steele Jr.

Thanks for the help

In the 1924 Sanborn map that location appears to have been a two story store of some type. Who knows what that building was used for by 1971. I don't know what you are looking for exactly, but neither Oscar Steele Jr. or his wife ever owned that property.

Here is the link to the full Chronicle story. Lots of info in here:

Chronicle Story on Morse Cemetery

You can use this Harris County Block book map to find the location of the Morse cemetery

Harris County West Oaks Section II

You can use this HCAD map to find the cemetery. It is marked "RES B -0066" and it is just beyond Wynden Oaks Drive on S. Wynden Drive.

HCAD map of Morse cemetery

I haven't seen that cemetery so I don't know if anything remains of the headstones.

There was a Humble camp in Harris County around the Genoa area, but I have no idea what it was called.

The Peacock Apartments were built in 1924 by a man named Lenard Gabert. Lenard Gabert was the architect for several Houston deco buildings including the Eldorado Ballroom, Monarch Cleaners, and Brochsteins building on Main. He was also the architect for several synagogues, including Temple Emanu-el on Sunset. He bought the land for the Peacock and Plaza Court in 1923 from J. E.C. Schmidt. The Plaza Court Apartment building was constructed the year following the Peacock in 1925.

Gabert eventually lost the building in 1931 to forclosure after taking out a loan and using that building as collateral. Lenard Gabert was in the first entering class of Rice University. He married a woman named Gladys Thelma Rothalz and they had and least two children. Gabert is a fairly well known local architect and I don't think it is widely known that he was the architect for these apartment buildings. This would have been very early in his career when he was only abou 30.

An interesting side note: Gabert's daugher was named Rilda Gabert and she later became the wife of TV announcer and City Councilman Dick Gottlieb. Long time Houstonians will know who that is.

In 1934, a man posed as Raymond Hamilton (a member of Clyde Barrow's gang), and attempted to rob an auto livery on Walker Street. He was arrested, but claimed not to know anything about the charges, noting that he had smoked 24 marijuana cigarettes that day. He added "I'm a Houston boy, and I've never been in trouble before in my life, except being jailed for drunk, although I'm one of the Clyde Barrow boys. I used to run around with the Clyde Barrow crowd at Root Square."

Very interesting T-Mar. I knew that, while in Houston, Clyde Barrow was part of a group of criminal confederates that called themselves "The Root Square Gang" , but I never thought of the connection to that park.

There's a slide show at the bottom of this page. On the old web site these houses were all identified:

www.houstonhistory.com

Kizette's obit from the Chonicle. Marie Foxhall IS Kizette

Paper: Houston Chronicle

Date: Sunday 05/06/2001

Section: Unknown

Page:

Edition:

MARIE C. (KIZETTE)

MARIE C. (KIZETTE) de LEMPICKA FOXHALL, of Polish decent, born in St. Petersburg, Russia on September 16, 1918 to Tadeusz Lempicka and Tamara Gorska Lempicka and a long time Houston resident, passed away peacefully on April 16, 2001 at Regency Park in Houston, Texas. She attended school in Lausanne, Paris and London, as well as at Oxford and received her Master's degree in Political Science at Stanford University where she met and married the dashing Texan geologist also attending Stanford, Harold (Foxy) Foxhall. After a brief residence in Washington D.C., where Foxy served aerial intelligence during the war, the young couple moved to Little Rock, Arkansas where Foxy as State Geologist. They had many friends and jolly parties at their beloved Virginia Beach. Their daughters, Victoria and Christie (Cha), were born in Little Rock then the family came to Houston in 1952 so Harold could work at Dow Chemical. Kizette along with lifelong friends Natasha Rawson, Carmen King, Ellen de Hesse, and Andre Crispin became the core of the "international set" in Houston at that time. They brought a continental flavor to Houston and were among the visionaries who helped build the nascent arts and cultural organizations in the early 50's. Kizette dedicated her party happening expertise to the Alliance Francaise the Annual MFA costume ball, the Ballet Foundation, and various consular functions. She wrote and published the memoirs of her mother the world-renowned Art Deco painter, Tamara de Lempicka, as well as dedicated her life unselfishly to assisting her mother will all her myriad needs as a major art world figure. She was about to commence her own memoirs of childhood and wartime Europe and was excited about her granddaughter's incipient marriage. Kizette and Foxy loved tennis and were founding members of the Houston Racquet Club. She had many friends in Cuernavaca, Mexico where she maintained a summer residence. Kizette was preceded in death by her husband, Foxy. She is survived by her daughters, Victoria Doporto Lempicka and her fianc

According to the archives of the Willow Meadows Civic Association the year Willow Pool was built was 1966. They posted this excerpt from the 1966 meeting minutes in one of their year 2000 newsletters, which is available in PDF format here: Willow Meadows Civic Association Newsletter

1966

Dr. Kaufhold and Mr. Millner presented information about the Willow Pool Corporation. It has leased land across from Willow Park to build a private swimming pool. Membership will be limited to 200 families from the Willow Meadows, Willow Bend, Willow Brook, and South Post Oak subdivisions. The facilities will cost $40,000. The initial fee per family will be $200, and dues will be $50 per year.

I don't know how much more history there is

Looking again at the HCAD records, it doesn't appear that Willow Pool Inc. owns that land, only the commercial buildings. Maybe they have a long term lease? It also shows to be in a floodway which I think would prevent anyone from developing that land. Does that area flood regularly?

Does anyone know the exact back story on Willow Pool? It is a quite, green oaisis off Cliffwood, and my understanding is that it has been there since the fifties, however it is not visible on the large arial photo of the Westbury area identified as the early 60's.....

From deed records the land was purchased by Willow Pool Inc. from the State of Texas in 1978. I'm not familiar with that private pool, but maybe you could call them and ask what the history is: 713.723.7669

This is from the 1925 annual for the photo above:

This was the approximate location of the Poor Farm up until 1921. In 1921 Harris County decided this land was too valuable for a poor farm and sold it for $78,000

Here are all the stores in Galleria I from the 1972 city directory:

1000 Funshop Inc

1100 Gerhart's Isabell Bazaar Shop

1110 Norman Merle Cosmetics

1115 Motherhood Maternity Shops

1120 La Feminique Wig Salon No 63

1130 Fal's Famous Name Shoes No 5

1140 Pick Pocket Inc hand bags

1152 Carva-Riviera Jewelers

1154 River Oaks Flower House

1156 Locksmiths Salon in The Galleria

Blair Ginger Cosmetics

1158 Hertel's Barber & Style Salon

1160 Vacant

1170 Pacesetter Club

Pacesetter Restaurant

1185 Marlin's Dottie Health Foods

1192 House of Ties

1195 Vacant

1200 Walker's Pat Figure Perfection

Intl reducing salon

1210 Southern Fabrics Inc

1220 Branch The gifts

1230 Boudoirs by Joyce Bertam bath

accessories

1250 Corrigan Robt E Jewelers Inc

1260 Ice Capades Chalet & Skating

School

1270 El Fenix Restaurant

1290 Farrel's Ice Cream Parlour &

Restaurant

1310 Coquery The restr

1340 Rich J Sports Ltd attire

1350 Collins Money Tree No 653

1355 Yarn Spinner The Inc

1360 Scullery The cookware

1370 Jeans West clothes

1380 Arts Intl

1385 Nan's Toys

1390 Cinema I

Cinema II

1403 Sunshine Co clothing

1407 Sounds 'n Imports music

1410 Matthews Fine Jewelry custom

mfrs

1420 Brass Boot shoes

1423 Photo Place Inc That

1433 Farmer Fanny Candy Shop No 716

1435 Piazza's Shoes & Service Inc No 5

1436 Sanborns International Travel

1440 Hickory Farms of Ohio gro store

1450 Sam Houston Book Shop

1460 Disc Records

1470 Gallagher Helen Gifts

1480 Michael I restr

2100 Gerhart Isabell Inc womens

clothes

2115 Vacant

Vacant

2120 Backstreet Clothing

2130 Thayer McNeil shoes

2140 Lesli Judi clothing

2150 Lugene Inc opticians

Dempsey & Carroll Inc stationers

& engrs

2155 Page Boy Maternity Shops No 3

2160 Hanover Shoes

2170 Capezio clothing

2180 Tinder Box The tobacco

2181 Shirt Gallery The

2190 See's Candies

2193 Point Venture resort

development

2200 Gittings Inc photog

2210 Cross Mark Inc leather mdse

2220 Cuzzen's of Houston mens clo

2230 Bally of Switzerlan Inc clothing

2240 Margo's La Mode ladies clo

2260 Chandler Shoe Store No 4789

2275 Albert's hosiery

2280 Sweeney & Co jwlr

2300 Elaine Shop The clothing

2303 Ming's Jewelry

2305 Key West Hand Print Fashions

2310 Apogee ladies clo

2340 Tiffany & Co jwlry china

& crystal

2350 Wayne J Ltd mens clo

2370 Foxmoor (Div of Melville Shoe

Corp)

2375 Slax N Stuf No 3 ladies clo

2380 Rauscher Pierce Securities COrp

stock exchange

2400 Florsheim Shoe Shops

2410 Leopold Price & Rolle mens

clothes

2418 Town & Country Shotes

2420 Next Door clothing

2430 Julies clothing

2440 William Richard mens clo

2450 Victors P-J Botiques mens

fashions

2460 Berrytree No 5 cards & gifts

2470 Junior Magic ladies clo

2480 Shoe Gallery The

3100 Sportsman's Gallery

3170 Handmakers inc rep craftsman

3180 Long Meredith Gallery

Realty Associates Inc

3194 Flower Children The No 3

3195 Kaufman Marjorie Graphics

3196 Sotherby Parke-Bernet art

gallery

3197 Wilds & Cannon Regent Shop

antiques

3230 Valdari of Colombia

3240 Bryant Galleries art

3250 Oriental Pearl Gallery import

3253 Stevens Patricia International

modeling sch

3255 Galleria The (Ofc)

3270 Children's World clo

3280 Toys International No 2

3330 Sloane W & J Inc furn

3400 Old World The

3404 Old World Antiques The

3405 Pritchard Gallery

3410 Simmons John gifts

3420 Denhome Modern Danish

Furniture

3425 Radio Shack

3430 Gene's Tailors Inc

3435 American Express Co.

I found a photo of the new Central High after the fire. It is fairly non-descript compared to what it replaced:

After the fire:

An Ad from the yearbook:

Looks to me, from Live Local maps, that the old P-Farm is now F.M. Law Park and a junior golf course.

I remember the P-Farm very well. I played baseball in the Southeast National Little League and our baseball fields were right across Sims bayou from the P-Farm. There was wooden bridge at the back of the fields which crossed over to the P-Farm. I used to walk down to that bridge to watch the alligator gars and the various type turtles and snakes down in the bayou.

This 1882 article from the 1882 Galveston Daily News explains a lot about the original "poor farm" operation. The four acres mentioned had originally belonged to the Brashear family. There is still a Brashear street along Washington avenue:

Houston, October 21, 1882 -- To the Honorable Commissioners' Court of Harris county: The undersigned committee appointed by the court to select a site for a county poor-house, work-farm and hospital, and to purchase the same, have a report that they have performed that duty. Quite a number of locations were offered to the committee around and near the city. A personal inspection of the different places was made by the committee, the examination being for the most part made during the rainy weather of September. Opportunity was thus afforded to note the facilities for natural as well as artificial drainage. After a careful examination of all the locations submitted, and a comparison of the places, taking into consideration the cost of improvements, etc., the committee were of the opinion that the offer of Drs. Stuart, Larendon, and Boyles was the best price and adaptability of the place to the purposes for which it is to be used being considered. This offer embraced four acres and improvements. lately occupied by them for a hospital, and thirty-three acres, lying adjacent thereto and on White Oak bayou, owned by Dr. T.J. Boyles, together with all personal property thereon. The price stated was $9000. Accordingly, on the fifth day of September last, a contract of purchase and sale was consummated, and pursuant to this agreement, possession of the property was delivered on the first instant by terms of the agreement of purchase. The contract existing between the county and Drs. Stuart, Larendon, and Boyles was abrogated from and after October 1. Upon taking possession, and inventory of al household effects, furniture, farming implements, stock and other personal property was taken, and is herewith submitted. As will be seen, each item of this property is appraised and the total value is estimated to be $288.80., the original cost being considerably more. The improvements consist of the main building and wing two stories in height, containing twenty-one rooms, besides halls and galleries, a two-story building in the rear of this, about eighty feet in length used for sick wards. Besides these there are two or three small buildings adjacent and a stable and buggy house. This tract as well as the other, is fenced and in cultivation. There is a good windmill on the place, cisterns, well, etc., and the buildings are supplied with water from the waterworks and connected with the telephone system of the city. The place is located just outside the city limits and is within 200 yards of the Glenwood street car line. On the farm place there is a house containing four rooms, a large barn, a hothouse some thirty feet in length, a cistern, a large elevated iron tank in the field, having a capacity of 610 cubic feet. By means of the windmill this can be supplied with water from the bayou for purposes of irrigation. By building a short dam, a fish pond of about three acres in area and from five to twenty feet in depth can be had on this place. On the farm is a supply of stock and farming implements sufficient for present needs, including a wagon and a large lot of drainage pipe, etc. Some alterations and repairs of the infirmary buildings to hole county convicts sent there, so that the labor may be utilized at once. Some county convicts have already been sent to the farm and are working satisfactorily. The services of Dr. T.J. Boyles as house surgeon, have been secured until the first day of January next, and an arrangement made by him with the committee giving him the right to use part of the building for the care of his private hospital patients until that time. Beginning with the first of October, the employees of Drs. Stuart, Larendon, and Boyles were continued in their respective positions in the employ of the county until further notice, with the same salaries as heretofore. A competent and experienced market gardener, to supervise the farm work, has been employed. You committee would suggest that if the necessary machinery was purchased, the cost of which would not be great, and cloth, hosiery, etc., necessary for the inmates, and no doubt more could be made and the labor of the female inmates thereby utilized. Pursuant to instructions from the committee, the county clerk has notified all indigent persons now drawing a stipend from the county treasury, that arrangements for their care at the poor-house having been made, such stipends would be discontinued after the present month. It was deemed best to give a month's notice in anticipation of this action of the court, so that no inconvenience should be occasioned them by the sudden stoppage of the allowances. The attention of the court is directed to this matter, as these stipends now amount in the aggregate to $300. Copies of the contract of purchase, etc., are in the hands of the committee, subject to the inspection of the court.

C. Anson Jones, County Judge;

Frank S. Burke, County Commissioner,

Committee