houstonnative

"and the real mystery is how and why was it placed in your home. Verrrrry interesting. That is; who decided it would be placed there? Maybe former owner had close connections to the hotel management. You dont mention the neighborhood but if the former owner was living close by it would make even more sense. I always hear these kind of questions on Antiques Road Show. People wonder how relics ended up in relatives hands and so on. There is always a story and explanation. The house is in Alvin. I imagine when the hotel was torn down, fixtures and anything else of value were offered for sale as salvage before it was demolished. I remember when they tore down the Coliseum, and closed the Shamrock, in both instances, fixtures, etc. were sold off for whatever they would bring prior to the actual demolition of the building. Our house also has an accent wall made from brick salvaged from Alvin's first pharmacy. Obviously some previous owner was a fan of old things - as am I.

We purchased a home in 2002 that has a den with original paneling and reception desk (that serves as a wet bar now) salvaged from the lobby of the Milby Hotel, which was located on Texas Ave. downtown. I even found a postcard online depictng the lobby and yep, you can see "our" paneling. What I have not been able to find out, is when was the building torn down and exactly where was it located? I was told the hotel was built in the very early 1900s. Our house was originally built in the mid 50s, but was remodeled and added onto through the years, so I do not know when our paneled den was built. Is anyone familiar with this old hotel? I've uploaded the postcard.