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hydeaway

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  1. Irontiger - the architects were likely out of Cincinnati. The mall was developed by Federated Department stores - Foley's owner since 1945 before they were sold off to May Co in 1988 and then to Macy's. I would love to find pics of the Mall's early days with the anchors, hallways, etc.
  2. Palais Royal was located between The Patio/Sears wing and the CenterCourt (where the waterfalls were) and faced Greenspoint Drive. (Friday's, El Torito). Bealls replaced Battelstein's first. In response to the prior comment about Foley's being green -- Macy's apparently painted it green. You will notice the structures on the roof match what the color once was - white. I was at a training course recently at the greenspoint Marriott and ventured into the mall. Foley's is really sad. Macy's closed the entire first floor and has black curtains hanging to prevent you from seeing up there. The escalators are blocked off. The store smells and several associates told me the upstairs leaks like a sieve and they are getting sick from the mold. You can actually see mold growing on the glass that still fronts the elevator structure. It used to be a beautiful store. The entire mall is so sad looking. Nothing like its previous life. I was speaking a commercial realtor regarding our moving our office and she said not to rule out greenspoint. According to her, the current owner is out of California. He has refused to sell several times. One business arrangement involved them totally redoing the mall (heard that one before) and he even signed 6 restaurants that committed to building in the mall parking lot. He never did anything so they sued him. Now he is in finanical trouble and the realtor hopes he finally sells She said the return of greenspoint is not an if, it is a when. There have been plenty of interested parties with the pockets to pay for a redo. The other entities are interested due to the proximaty to the airport and freeways as well as the Class A office buildings.
  3. I spoke to the family (I went to high school with Sylvia, Tina and Manny). The Greenspoint location was no longer profitable. They were the only original tenant that was left from the original food court (called The Patio for the first 20 years). Brothers has locations in The Woodlands (Grogans Mill Shopping Center), Magnolia (Westwood Village Shopping Center), Willowbrook and Cypresswood. I have patronized the Woodlands and Magnolia locations and they are just as tasty as the original in the mall.
  4. Firebird, did you have a time frame when you were intending on scanning the photos? Thanks!
  5. When I was in high school in 1981-1985, our drafting class was shown blueprints for an upscale mall that was to be built in the Greens Crossing portion of Greenspoint just across the freeway. It was to include a Bloomingdales and an ice skating rink. The Paragon building(s) -- one of three that was actually built -- was supposed to be connected via a skywalk. When the energy bust came, the plans were scrapped and they build the now defunct "power center" that had included Phar Mor, Children's Palace Toys, Circuit City, etc on the site. Did anyone else see those blueprints or know about this? What was the name of the planned mall? Any other prospective tenants you were aware of? It shows how upscale Greenspoint was at its zenith. Remember Lord & Taylor, Walter Pyes, Benetton, Jarrod's Polo Shop, Isabell Gerhart and other high end stores Greenspoint Mall had in its quiver?
  6. Does anyone have any pictures of Greenspoint in its heyday?
  7. I remember Dalt's and Houlihan's that were by the entrance to Joske's at Greenspoint Mall. Dalt's also had a location on Westheimer. Victoria's Station was great by Greenspoint as was Fajitas on Greens Road. Maggie's was on I-45 by Greenspoint as was Scooby Doo's Fun Factory Pizza. Birra Poretti's took their space over later. Foley's had the Greenhouse restaurant and Lord & Taylor had their own. Smuggler's Inn was on the Beltway 8 interchange by Greenspoint Mall. York Steakhouse was good. It was in the Joske's wing of Greenspoint. Duff's Smorgasbord was a change of pace in Humble.
  8. I miss Foley's, too. It was the last of the hometown department stores. When you think about how involved they all used to be in civic support, etc. Foley's, Sakowitz, Joske's, Craig's, Walter Pye's, Isabell Gerhart, the true Beall's and Palais Royal - when they were separate entities and unique. Remember the Foley's Thanksgiving Day Parade? the Foley's Academy in the basement downtown for kids struggling in school? Each region used to have their own stores, history and traditions. Look at Marshall Fields and what they meant to Chicago. Burdine's to Florida, Rich's to Atlanta, Bullock's, I Magnin and The Broadway to southern California. It is a real shame. Southern California, for instance, used to have May Co., The Broadway, Macy's (the original RH Macy Co. - not the Kmart of today), I Magnin, Emporium, Capwell's, Bullock's, Bullock's Wilshire, Robinson's, Gottschalks and Harris'. Now all they have is ONE - Macy's. Talk about no competition. Where are all the bleeding hearts and their talk of anti trust problems? Virtually every market across the country is in the same position. It all started with the greed on Wall Street allowing Campeau ( a real estate tycoon from Canada) to purchase Allied Stores and then Federated Dept Stores -- all with junk bonds, none of his money --- which eventually caused the bankruptcy and consolidation of centuries old icons. Read "Going For Broke" and "The Rain on Macy's Parade". Both very good books on this debacle.
  9. The Anna's Linens location in the pic was originally an Oshman's sporting goods. Anyone have any pics of Greenspoint when it was at its zenith? I have been searching for some across the internet with no success. Thanks!
  10. You are so correct. The original Visible Changes was by JCPenney. I believe it was one of the first (if not the first) in their chain. Another styling salon called Fascination opened in the former TJ's Hobby store by Lord & Taylor. It later became Visible Changes Too.
  11. Does anyone have photos of Greenspoint in its heyday?
  12. The pictures of Foley's are depressing. I notice they have closed off the entire second floor. That was Foley's 3rd largest store in the chain and most grossing in its heyday. Anna's Linens was Oshmans. The mall used to be lined with real ficus trees which were lit up with small lights at Christmas. In the mall's center was a 2 level waterfall with a restaurant on top called the Center Court Restaurant. One could walk under the fountains with water on both sides. The Sculpture Court featured a statue called "High Flyers" of a boy pushing a girl on a swing. It was made of bronze and was life size. By Wards was another fountain that was made of pipes. It sounded like a music box. Each pipe would gradually fill with water and gently fall on the stone which would make the sound of a chime. Each pipe was a different size making a different chime. Near The Patio (food court) was the Children's Court. It had a rubber floor and red and yellow cubes kids could play in and jump from. Foley's and Sears were the original anchors. JCPenney, Wards and Lord & Taylor were added in succession with Joske's and its corresponding wing being added in 1980. Palais Royal and Battesteins were also original junior department stores. Bealls purchased Battelsteins later. Isabell Gerhart (From The Galleria) had a store down by Foley's while Walter Pyes (another junior upscale department store) had a location by Joske's. Joske's was sold in 1987 to Dillards. Lord & Taylor pulled out in 1988. Wards closed in 2000 and JCPenney pulled out in 1995. Walter Pye's closed along with Isabell Gerhart and Beall's. New owners of the mall gutted its beautiful Central Park theme demolishing the fountains, trees and sculpture and taking up the classic tiles replacing them with hideous glow in the dark pastel tiles. The Patio was also gutted of its skylights, hanging baskets and wood detail. The mall is now a ghost of what it once was.
  13. Has anyone ever come across any photos of Greenspoint in its heyday? Such as the fountain with the restaurant on top, the "high flyers" sculpture, etc? Remember the children's play area with the rubber floor with the yellow and red cubes we climbed and played in?
  14. Has anyone got any of the old pictures of Greenspoint in its heyday? Remember the fountain you could walk through with the water falling on both sides and the cafe with yellow umbrellas on top? It was a high quality place at its zenith. I have alot of the old circulars and sale brochures the mall would send out in the 1970s and 80s listing all the stores, events, etc. I worked at Things Remembered by Wards in 1983 (10th grade) and at Foley's Men's Clubhouse in 1984-86. It was one of their top grossing stores at that time. I also attended Aldine High School with the Bekiri's that own Brother's Pizza. They were into Duran Duran bigtime. Great family. I, too, moved from Aldine to Spring to The Woodlands. By the way, who was the school teacher mentioned at Aldine? I am curious if I had him in a class as well.
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