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EspersonBuildings

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  1. EspersonBuildings
    I'm almost sure the lobby is original (restored). The molding is quite beautiful.
  2. EspersonBuildings
    You can also see the remants of 1970's Krogers on another former Montrose (77098) location 3443 Kirby, now an Office Depot (I used to shop there also in the early 80's) as well as Energized for Excellence Academy School at 6201 Bissonnet. Can't 100% be sure of this one but the building structure certainly screams a 1970's Kroger building. Like the Fiesta on Patton and Fulton, the arches on Office Depot and the Excellence Academy are dead giveaways.
  3. EspersonBuildings
    Y
  4. EspersonBuildings
    Yes, yes, yes! I'm glad I'm not the only one who scratched my head when I saw "more than 17 years" I just thought huh? My very first apartment was in Montrose back in 1983 and I remember it then being called "disco Kroger" Not exactly sure how long it's been there but for sure "MORE THAN 35 YEARS" would be more accurate! "
  5. EspersonBuildings
    Thank you!
  6. EspersonBuildings
    Anyone know what this will be? The block north of the Metro Building and west of 1801 Main Street.
  7. EspersonBuildings
    Thanks "rechlin" That's kind of what I thought. And good point about "new total height" of the building!
  8. EspersonBuildings
    Does anyone know if the former antenna mast on the roof still serves a purpose? I know with the completion of Allied Bank Plaza (now Wells Fargo Plaza) and Texas Commerce Tower (now Chase Tower) it somewhat blocked the usefulness/operational functions of the antenna. But I came back to Houston in 2000 and the antenna still looked the same. However currently it seems to be stripped down to just a pole. Again, anyone know if it still serves a purpose?
  9. EspersonBuildings
    Was downtown today and I was awestruck at what is now visible! Sadly if it is true that it will be covered up once again, any architecture buff should make the trip to see this. The terracotta, sculptures, figurines or whatever they are called are so beautiful and seem to be pretty much intact. Perhaps the covering actually protected it. They were power washing it today. This (1101 Main) is not the Dollar Store that had the fire last week, that was the Dollar Store at 901 Main. Another clarification, the modernization with slip covers on some of the older buildings on Main did not occur in the 80's, it was more like the late 60's/early 70's. Examples were the original Carter Building at 806 Main (now JW Marriott Hotel). I can remember in the 1970's the building that now houses Holy Cross Chapel (905 Main) had a godforsaken ugly, tacky gold metal cage like covering with an even tackier picture of the San Jacinto Monument plastered across it. I believe the tenant of the building at the time could have been San Jacinto Savings or something like that? The original Krupp & Tuffly building from 1929 at 901 Main (the Dollar store fire last week) was absolutely gorgeous before it was "modernized with the blank covering. Check out how it originally looked: http://www.houstondeco.org/1920s/krupp.html If it's neighbor (now Holy Cross Chapel) could have been restored then why not 901 Main (unless last week's . fire made it no longer salvageable) and of course 1101 Main which we are now seeing what is underneath. I agree with what "dbigtex56" said - Can't the Landmark Society or Downtown District (or whatever those entities are called) approach the owner? Perhaps financial incentives could be made...or, permits denied? Maybe if the public outcry is strong enough? Or is this just wishful thinking of myself just like "dbigtex56"
  10. EspersonBuildings
    Awesome! Love the vintage pics of downtown Houston!
  11. EspersonBuildings
    Address is 1906 Cleburne Avenue. Built circa 1925 as Albert Sydney Johnston Junior High (with I believe virtually the same floor plan as Sidney Lanier Junior High and Stonewall Jackson Junior High, probably also built the same time). Sometime in the 1950's the new "Johnston" was built in the Meyerland/Westbury area, not Sharpstown. The 1906 Cleburne building was then renamed "William E. Miller Junior High". I'm not quite sure who he was but for some reason I think he was a black educational person from HISD in those days. It remained Miller until the early/mid 1970's The Contemporary Learning Center used it's campus (they set up temporary buildings). Miller became extinct at or around the 1976-1977 school year when the temporary buildings were now being used for CLC Middle School and the 1906 Cleburne school building became CLC High School. CLC High used the 1st and 2nd floor while the 3rd floor was for administrative offices called Staff Development. Around the 1980-1981 school year the middle school moved into the 3rd floor. About this same time they built a cafeteria on the Chenevert side of the campus. The old cafeteria was on the 3rd floor. Sorry if this is too much information but I got carried away. I attended CLC Middle School for the 1977-78 school year and CLC High School for the 1978-79 school year before returning to traditional high school. I believe the building is now a college preparatory high school for girls as CLC is now defunct
  12. EspersonBuildings
    I apologize if I've responded to this in the past (or maybe I just read it a while back). LC Cafeteria was under Walgreen's on Main @ Walker, not Woolworth's (Main & McKinney) You could enter from the front entrance on Main @ Walker via an escalator (right next to the entrance to Walgreen's) or from the back entrance on Travis @ Walker (right next to the back entrance to Walgreen's). It was huge, occupied the entire side (the basement) of the southern half of the block (Walker, Travis, Rusk & Main) directly under Walgreen's. I came back to Houston in 1998 (gone for 15 years) and by this time it was an all you can eat buffet but only occupied the western half of the original LC Cafeteria, you could now only enter and exit at Walker and Travis. Don't think it lasted very long after this and years later the entire San Jacinto Building was demolished. Across the street on Main was James Coney Island, so many eating places on street level in those days!
  13. EspersonBuildings
    In the early 70's (I was about 9) my dad used to drive us through downtown and pass by it for kicks. I remember the big pink cat being on Main @ Congress . Great thread (and the links especially), thanks!
  14. EspersonBuildings
    Interesting, agree about time. I was aware of the demolition of the Pierce Elevated and reconstruction of US 59 (now I-69) and I-45 in downtown but wasn't aware the 59 elevated in midtown was also going to be trenched. And Fiesta's lease being up in a couple of years, no kidding, this area certainly is going to look different in about a decade. So very needed. It is quite depressing to go into that Sears and see the state it is now in. I can remember being a kid and how it was then. You couldn't shop there without having some popcorn. The display windows that are now bricked up, the restaurant sitting empty and the deplorable condition of the restrooms, very, very depressing. Good riddance to the end of this place!
  15. EspersonBuildings
    Great thread. Thank you so much as I have been curious for some time now what the old Melrose Building was being redeveloped as.
  16. EspersonBuildings
    Awesome pics of the never built Southwest Tower, thank you! I remember the time so well.
  17. EspersonBuildings
    As mentioned by earlier post, I too remember the one at Richmond and the 59 Spur as well as the one on S. Braeswood just west of Hillcroft. I grew up in the Hiram Clarke area and remember when Del Taco was built at the corner of Hiram Clarke and West Fuqua. This was in the late 70's. Last time I was in the area (about 10 years ago) it was a Popeye's Fried Chicken restaurant.
  18. EspersonBuildings
    thanks for the reply little frau, The dates HCAD list for a year a home is built is often off. The home my parents bought in 1964 (when I was 1 year old) is listed as being built in 1962, which sounds about right because they said their home was only a year or so old. This was in Meredith Manor/South Glen directly in front of Montgomery Elementary. Those houses were demolished by the Harris County Flood Control District about 12 years ago. The houses on the back side of the school (Simsbrook) my parents were told were a few years older than ours (probably built around the same time as Pamela Heights), however HCAD list them as being built in 1965. Again, off topic, if you grew up in Pamela Heights, your elementary school probably was Hobby, right? Or could it have been Montgomery, since Montgomery was built in 1960, the first of the elementary schools in the area. I went to Montgomery, then Dowling Junior High, then Madison High.
  19. EspersonBuildings
    Great thread. I have an elderly aunt who lives in the 5th Ward and has had the same number now for over 60 years! OR-3 prefix, later known just as 673. I knew back in the 50's (by looking at the ads in my mother's high school yearbooks) that at that time Houston phone number were only 6 digits, I've often wondered how her number changed when then digits were expanded to 7 numbers (since I've heard she had the same number all those years) and have found my answer in this thread, really love this site! Apparently her number used to be OR-xxxx and was modified to OR3-xxxx as it remains today. One of my aunts lived in the East End and I recall her number starting with CA. Another aunt lived near the Heights (Cottage Grove actually) and her number started with UN. I understand those prefixes Capital and Underwood. However one I don't understand is growing up (in the newely established Southwest Houston, south of South Main & Hiram Clarke) our phone number was ID3-0558 (I will never forget our first phone number, this was in the late 1960's) I believe the ID stood for Idlywood which confuses me because I know there is an older subdivision in the East End (Lawndale/Wayside area) called Idlywood. As "gruffbear" 'grandparents lived in Parkview (just north of where we grew up), the PA (72) prefix makes sense but again ID3 (433) still does not makes sense to me since the Hiram Clarke area is no where near the Idlywood subdivision!
  20. EspersonBuildings
    Yes I believe it was moved to this site but not by very much. I believe it used to face south on McGowen before being moved around the corner to face west on Milam. I'm almost sure I read this in the book that is mentioned at the beginning of this thread.
  21. EspersonBuildings
    I remember seeing him fround around the mid 1970's in front of Woolworths on Main @ McKinney. Also remember seeing him in New York around mid 90's. A NY Times article, I believe< was written about him and I believe he was originally from Louisiana, possibly New Orleans.
  22. EspersonBuildings
    Remember going to the Holiday exhibit (with Santa) at the Town Hall on the 9th floor for the first time in 1972 and each year later for a few more years. Still miss the downtown Foley's the way it once was.
  23. EspersonBuildings
    Wow, that is a good catch. Growing up the first sky (pedestrian) bridges I can remember were the two that went across (Crawford Street I believe?) between the St. Joseph Hospital buildings (now both demolished). I remember always wanting to go inside just to walk across it.
  24. EspersonBuildings
    plumber2, I have ALWAYS wondered that myself! For about 30 years I never understood that!
  25. EspersonBuildings
    They need to rebuild Rusk with concrete like McKinney & Lamar. The stretch between Main and Fannin is in horrible condition..........asphalt on top of asphalt on top of asphalt. It will only stand out even more with a shiny new tower facing it.
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