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jm1fd

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Posts posted by jm1fd

  1. Wow. Those are some incredible houses. Not terribly surprising to see that they're gone however. They were obviously some very wealthy folks that built those houses, and it seems like the wealthy are more likely, or at least more likely than those without tremendous means, to teardown and rebuild or move elsewhere.

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  2. Was at Wayside near Lawndale across the street from the Gus Wortham Golf Course. Where there is now an overcrowded, jammed Fiesta market and adjacent strip mall once stood a Plantation-like mansion with tall elegant columns painted white with a huge fountain in the front of the curved/circular expansive driveway. You could imagine Scarlett O'Hara rushing down the grand staircase to meet Rhett. Had tall oak trees lining the drive. Bulldozed around 1975 for this ugly over-developed heap. To make matters worse they crammed an elementary school in there. Pure insanity.

    I think that was the Sims estate. Not 100% sure tho.

    Also...let's not forget the big houses in Forest Hill on Alta Vista and Pasadena. The one on Pasadena looks like it is about ready for the bulldozer....you can see all the way through the house in some places you shouldn't be able to...like the roof. The two on Alta Vista are doing better, espescially the one with the red tile roof. The one next door could use some serious help, but isn't hopeless....yet.

  3. Surprised I'm the first to post this revelation (at least I think I am), but the Allen House is slated to be re-developed. Notices were on the doors of 3535 and 3505 Dallas and 3601 Allen Pkwy. June 1 closing.

    Mixed used development planned...kind of explains all of the recent structure torn down in the area.

    Surely the Chronicle will be on this news.

    As for me, well its been home for a bunch of years...

    That's not a huge surprise...they were past their prime, and seems like the Allen Parkway has been a hot commodity recently.

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  4. Yeah, I would definitely say they took a step backwards with the design of that new courthouse...but maybe the new courthouse has a much more grandiose interior <_< . When did they tear down the old one and build the new one?

    They did the same thing with the Nacogdoches Co. courthouse....lovely old building, torn down to build an icky looking terrible low slung thing.

  5. Yes, they do have wi fi. I intend to come back and I will be bringing my iBook with me.

    My family has lived in the East End for quite some time now. Brother still lives in the homestead. Cafe Flores is hiring students to serve and when I went there, I advised the young man behind the counter about the religious aspects of coffee drinking. ( I am an old, old woman...I can get away with that now. Of course, to that young man, anything over 30 is ancient...) :)

    For example:

    If the person is going to be dining in, give them coffee in one of the heated cups (unless it's some of your school buddies...they do not know the difference and probably go for the most amount anyway)

    Everything about coffee drinking should be a religious experience. To drink your coffee out of anything else but a real cup, either china or at least some type of cup that retains heat well is inexcusable unless you are taking it to go.

    So, first question to ask is: Will you be dining in or will this be carryout?

    If it is carryout, then use the disposable cups, otherwise, use the real cups.

    I had the ham and swiss cheese sandwich and also had a salad as well. They stopped making the salads from spinach and I encouraged them to try buying their spinach from Central Market because Central Market does not use bagged spinach at all. Their spinach comes from Colorado and to me it just tastes better.

    The other thing I told him when he asked if I wanted the combo meal was to please not call it a combo meal. I am not trying to be critical here, but if I wanted a combo meal, I would go to that place that has the golden arches. I requested that he find another name for the meal. Or simply ask if I want chips with the meal. Which, by the way, I did not.

    By the way, in case this got lost in my post, I happen to love the place. In fact, I am thinking of moving back to the East End based just on this information alone.

    Now, if only there was a place that sold fresh produce so I would not have to drive all the way to the Montrose area or to the Central Market.

    America (it's not just a country, it's a woman's name)

    Thank you, for that review, Ms. Curmudgeon.

  6. My friend just took a job with AIG (American General) on Allen Parkway near Studemont. He and his family are looking for a good commute time with good schools.

    He has been told about Humble (Summerwood, Eagle Springs, Park Lakes, and Kingwood). Also Spring Trails off Hardy toll road. Anyone have info on commute times for these neighborhoods. Specifically Spring Trails (He was told commute from Hardy Toll Road would be 36 minutes at 7:30 a.m).

    As a side note they have no good info on older neighborhoods that might be good to look in. Open for any and all information on any parts of town with good commute (40 min or lower) and good schools to American General on Allen Parkway and Studemont.

    How much are they looking to spend? Do they want an old house? Do they mind transitional areas? Would they like to be closer to town, and just send the kids to private school?

    Most of the older neighborhoods don't have good schools...but then again, you can get a really nice house, close in, in a older area for not much money, and send the brats to private school.

  7. Well, let me ask you guys this. Because this is an old vinyl sided house rather than a 1930's architecturally interesting brick bungalow, and was never a fancy house: (I think they originally sold for 8-10k in 1952) Is it throwing "good money after bad" if we spend a boatload to renovate (to nearly new standards?) I mean re-sale wise. Or will it still be considered a tear down and pretty much go for "lot value" due to it's age in the future? I think it's one thing to make it a little show place for us to enjoy over the next 10-15 years - but I am always mindful of future loss/gain. By the by, the house is about 1500 sf.

    If your horizon is 10-15 years, then just do whatever makes you happy. There's no way of knowing what values are going to be like in 10-15 years....it could be worth big money, or unforseen events could make property nearly worthless.

  8. A woman whom I used to know who lived in Houston told me that she worked at a restaurant called the Potato Patch. I've never heard of it. She told me that she remembered Uncle John's Pancakes.

    DUDE!! The Potato Patch is great. It is up on 1960. Instead of putting a basket of rolls on your table they throw muffins and rolls and such at you before you food comes out.

  9. Your first mistake is thinking that the wards are restricted only to areas with certain income levels and home sizes.

    Why is that such a mistake? The intended original income strata for which something was platted and restricted determines numerous attributes about the area such as lot size, layout, and types and quality of construction, all of which are attributes which overwhelmingly define the character of the neighborhood.

    Technically speaking, Riverside Terrace and Washington Terrace were not "Third Ward", since the ward system was disbanded (1906) before they were built (1920's).
    Technically nothing. The 3rd ward encompasses whatever streets were laid out when the ward system was disbanded in 1906. That's how all the other wards in town are defined. Anything subsequent to that point was named something else.
    However, geographically, the Terraces ABSOLUTELY are part of the Third Ward.

    Well, if geography is the defining criteria, then I don't see the need for more than one category, since geography is defined as the physical features of an area, and the physical feature of Houston consists of...well....FLAT. I suppose you could have two geographical areas...one for the more southerly area of town, with costal plains, and then another area comprised of the coastal forests found on the north side of town.

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