EspersonBuildings

I grew up southeast of this area and yes, I do believe that was originally a Dairy Queen.  And the second pic, definitely originally a Pizza Hut.

I think what he meant was the 1920's Jefferson Davis Hospital.  Because of course, yes, the vehicles do scream 1970's! 😄

That would be a big lean, almost giving the Leaning Tower of Pisa some competition 😄 I think it might be more of how the photo was taken.   Great historic photo though!  I love these vintage photos you provide us Highrise, thanks!

Playland Park was way before my time, but my parents used to talk about it.  I definitely do remember the west side of South Main being higher.  Like Dave W mentioned, it stayed that way for years.

Cool photo.  However, this building was not at 515 Travis Street.  This building was at the southwest corner of Fannin and Walker.  You can see the four-story Krupp & Tuffly Building to the right.  And across the street on Main from the K&T Bldg you can see The Commerce Building (now Commerce Towers).

Below is a photo of The Krupp & Tuffly Building, completed in 1929.  You can see the Electric Building to it's left, or whatever structure that was at the southwest corner of Fannin and Walker.

No.  Would have been cool if it was.  What was cool was how the basement level of Woolworth's was connected to it.

The Montague Hotel (originally The Cotton Hotel or Hotel Cotton) was in the 800 block of Fannin, probably 800, 801, or 802.  It is now the current site of 801 Main.

Built in 1906 - C.H. Page & Co.  Thanks for the cool picture Highrise.  Enjoyed reading this old thread.  I lived in Houston House from 2000 to 2010.  Strangely enough, I don't recall it's demolition.  Only that it was still standing (barely) one day and gone the next.  I learned a couple of things from reading the old post on this thread.  I never realized it was a virtual dupe/twin to the Beaconsfield, would have never guessed.  Only after seeing this pic that Highrise sent, I can see it certainly does look like a twin to the Beaconsfield, only not positioned on Main like the Beaconsfield.  When I used to look at it on Main (boarded up and laying decrepit) it reminded me of a New York 7 floor walk-up tenement building.  I always knew it was quite grand when built, Highrise's picture confirms this.  But it looks like the entrance was always facing Main on its narrow side, unlike The Beaconsfield.  I wonder now if originally it had a grand garden of sort facing Pease Avenue.    

South is the Hiram Clarke area, where Madison High School is (77045).  North is the Willowbend/Willow Meadows area (77035), and West would be the Westbury area (77035).  Whenever our relatives would ask where we lived, my father's usual reply was "south of the Domed Stadium."

I have never been inside of their headquarters but have always been curious about it.  My parents bought their first home just south of it in 1963 where I grew up.  We always passed by it on the way home from being out.  The Art Deco style with the reflecting basin is rather classic.

Excellent two more to add (and also interred in Houston).  Had no idea Heiner was responsible for The Cotton Exchange Building, awesome structure!  And I just realized my blunder in the thread title, I only listed 6 but titled it 7! 🙄🤔😵  Was trying to figure out why earlier today I could only remember 6 of the 7. 😆

1923 to be exact.  Per "Houston Architectural Guide, Second Edition" (1999) : Sullivan designed this house for his family and it is due to filial piety that it survives in good condition.  It represents a combination of attributes often seen in the 1920's: the English-influenced picturesque manor house, prominently displaying an Italian loggia, a cultural conjunction that must have been especially welcome in sultry Houston"

Around 10 years ago it was turned into a commercial banquet, restaurant, club type of business.  Don't think it did too well.  Not sure if before that it was still residential.  When I first bought this book, I could have sworn this was the house at the southwest corner of Almeda and Blodgett (facing Blodgett).  I have always admired this beautiful house (built in 1931).  

Much appreciated.

Thank you!

ALFRED C. FINN, MAURICE J. SULLIVAN, WILLIAM WARD WATKIN, JOSEPH FINGER, JOHN F. STAUB, & KENNETH FRANZHEIM

They were all born between 1883 and 1892 and all are interred in Houston.  It's hard not to admire all they contributed to Houston in the first half of the 20th century.  Anyone know if there are any writings, books, documentaries, etc. on their works, lives, etc.  I sure would enjoy this or something similar.

I always love reading about Joseph Finger, Alfred Finn, Maurice J. Sullivan, and William Ward Watkin.  All left their mark in Houston, and all are buried here (or at least died here).

Remember South Main Drive In very well.  We would go there often before McLendon Triple was built (originally and very briefly named Astro 3).  Not sure about the golf course/range, I guess like you said, was a different decade, and before my time.  I only remember the go carts and put golf a little further up South Main from Stella Link.

Isn't the Byrds Dept Store Building at 420 Main, NE corner of Main and Prairie.  What is 806 Main Street in the subject title referring to? 🤔  Cool pics though, thanks!

I've always loved that photo!

I believe this building lasted all the way through the first decade of the 21st century.  811 Main now occupies the site, completed in 2011.   It was in pretty bad shape before being demolished (along with the Montague Hotel) and housed a convenience/dollar store facing Main and a few shabby shops facing Rusk, all pretty seedy.  In fact, that strip of Rusk (between Main and Fannin) was pretty much decaying towards the end.  It always reminded me of a slice of Manhattan.  I think the Rusk side housed a fancy nightclub in the 1930's/40's.  

Is the Scottish Rice cathedral still standing?  Where was/is it located?  

I think it's already been determined (but please correct me if I'm wrong) that there was no Groggan Street but that this company was in Suite 505.  I'm a little confused on the picture of The Electric Building.  I don't think this is the same building in the 700 block of Main.  The building being discussed (the offices of The Groggan Company) was originally built in 1908 for the Texas Company (later Texaco).  In 1922 it expanded horizontally all the way to Capital Avenue (still standing today with Shake Shack on the ground floor) and became The Bankers Mortgage Building (in the 1970's Walter Pyes Dept Store was on the ground floor, where Shake Shack is now).  This looks like The Houston Lighting and Power Building at Fannin and Walker (before it too was expanded).  The photo I'm attaching is the original 1908 ten story building.  The Gulf Building (now The Chase Bank Building) would later be to its immediate left and the 1922 horizontal expansion to the immediate right when it became The Bankers Mortgage Building.

I'm 99% sure, yes that was a chapel.  I couldn't really tell until you blew up the photo in the last picture.   In 1987 my brother was in a motorcycle accident and was life flighted to Herman.  He remained there for about a month in a coma before dying.  That building attached to the chapel was the Emergency Room/Trauma Center, etc. at the time.  It was touch and go for him the first few weeks in the ER.  At one point about 2 in the morning the doctors told us he had only hours to live.  As a courtesy to the family (us), they opened up the chapel so we could pray for him.  This was October 1987.  Seeing this picture brings back a very sad time for me but it's all good, because I still love old vintage photos of Houston.  Thanks!

Wow, seeing those Indians really brings back a lot of memories.   Never dined at the restaurant but always remember driving by them on "South" Main in the early 70's and, as a kid, thought those Indians were so cool!

South Loop near Holcombe Blvd?  Yea, I was scratching my head on that one too!  🤔   But cool pics, nonetheless. 😀