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Specwriter

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Everything posted by Specwriter

  1. Since it was (if it really was) from Randy Pace it is probably authentic. He had a big part in restoring the three late 19th century buildings on Prairie Ave back in the 1990's (one of which housed the Carter & Cooley Deli for a time) so I believe his concerns are sincere. If you don't have a cooperative owner there is not much that can be done and that's a pity.
  2. Great idea, linicinco. Baldwin Park perhaps? Settegast? Emanicpation?
  3. As it is now, 2/28/2011, I really like it and do not have any obvious recommendations to improve it. It and Discovery Green really make visiting downtown fun. Why not create a new poll to gauge how folks like the improvements. What's not to like? It is definitely much better than before.
  4. S & B Engineers. The occupy (or did) a four-story office building on one side of Park Place Blvd., next to where Burger Haus used to be, and a small one-story building (white painted brick) across the street. The one-story building is a former funeral parlor. One of the engineers took me into a back room one day and showed me the marble slab where embalming was done. At the time I visited the surface was being used to unroll and look at large drawings.
  5. One reason of course is longevity like HeightsGuy said. The other, as I have been told, has to do with creating an inspirational space. This idea goes back at least to the Gothic churches of late medieval Europe. I think the interior of the new co-cathedral is gorgeous and an outstanding example of elegance and restraint. That's not to say I don't appreciate the intricate beauty of the raredos of Byzantine churches - even modern ones like St. George's in West U.
  6. Yes, thank you, Bryant. Now I'll have something entertaining to do when I'm snowed-in tomorrow.
  7. There was a Weingarten's in the Northline Mall in the early to mid-60s. It was off a long corridor on the Joske's end of the mall if I remember correctly. We would drive from our house near the intersection of FM 149 and the North Freeway all the way to Airline and the freeway (about 5 miles) to shop there. Other smaller stores were in the neighborhood, like Io's Lucky 7 at Airline and Gulfbank but Weingarten's was the "big supermarket." Soon a Henke-Kroger* was built at the southeast corner of the North Freeway and W. Mt. Houston and a Piggly Wiggly at the northwest corner of the same intersection. Once the Randall's opened at the North Freeway and Tidwell Mother did almost all the family's grocery shopping there. I believe it was a Minimax before that. She never said why she preferred Randall's over the other, closer stores. I know there were many other Weingarten's stores around town but for the decade of the 60's (my first on the earth), my world was pretty much defined by Crosstimbers on the south, Hardy Road on the east, Aldine-Bender on the north, and Hempstead Highway on the west. That's a lot of area but there was much less stuff in it then. *The Henke - Kroger connection must have been some arrangement between the national chain (Kroger) and the local historic Henke-Pillot establishment.
  8. I remember driving from Humble to the Greenspoint area and seeing the smoke billowing up in the southwest.
  9. Again from the "believe it or not department" there was an Alfie's on Crosstimbers just east of I45! There was also a Shakey's Pizza Parlour on the same block. The last time I had fish 'n' chips was at the Black Lab on Montrose. The fish was soggy and expensive.
  10. I worked in an office near the Big Franks on Montrose and I know it was there as late as 1993 but then I moved to another job in the Greenway area. I don't know when I noticed that it was no longer Big Franks. Former UofH cougars may remember another very indie hot dog place on Hicksfield near the intersection of Lockwood and Munger (where the Metro Eastwood Transfer Station is today). As hot dogs go that place had some pretty good ones. I know it was open in the late 80's but, like Big Franks, I do not know when it closed. I didn't take advantage of the 87 cent hot dogs at JCI the other day but I did go to the original JCI downtown and had the limit (6) of 5 cent Coneys when they celebrated whatever anniversary that was. My rapidly diminishing memory tells me that was the summer of 1992. I was even on the evening news. Yeah, I was really proud to watch myself downing a half dozen hot dogs when it wasn't even a contest. Seems like I was eating a lot of hot dogs in those days. In my defense that was the time I was finishing graduate school and had just entered the work force as a low-paid intern.
  11. It's a hot dog restaurant. Back in the day they were built as an 'A' frame building like some of the older Whataburger restaurants. I distinctly remember visiting one in Houston during January of 1968! I believe it was on Long Point Road. That neighborhood was quite a bit different than it is today. I also (sort of) remember a Wagon Wheel which was a drive up hamburger stand nearby. My grandmother lived in Spring Branch at the time and my sister and I would spend the occasional Friday or Saturday evening with her when my parents would have an evening out (we were both in elementary school at the time). Nana was not a "cook" but she did seem to know what a couple of youngsters would like for dinner. I'm certain of the January 1968 date because the garage at our home burned on 1/20 of that year (we think it was set as a diversion for several robberies in the neighborhood). Though the living space wasn't damaged the whole house was pretty smoky so we had dinner every night of the ensuing week at friends' homes or at fast food restaurants. My sister and I thought it was kinda fun - my parents, probably not so much. Even though I remember going to der Wienerschnitzel I couldn't tell you now if they had good hot dogs. I was a little kid then and I think my tastes have changed. I might have enjoyed the novelty more than the food. I enjoy a James' Coney Island hot dog now and then. I also liked to visit Big Franks. There used to be one of those on Montrose just north of Westheimer. I looked on the der Wienerschnitzel web site and the closest current restaurants are in Bryan and around Austin. A US map on the web site suggests there are some in the Houston area but I couldn't find them.
  12. I wonder if children today, given all the sophisticated media they are exposed to, could be as impressed by a giant crab in front of a restaurant or a visit to Kiddie Wonderland or Peppermint Park as we were. I would like to think they would appreciate it because it is so real and different. I also wonder what proportion of children today have ridden a pony compared to those of us who grew up in the 50's and 60's.
  13. I was dissappointed to see that Ziggy's on Alabama at Greenbriar had closed. I just had lunch there in early January. I'm pleased to see the new restaurant opening at Main and Capitol though. I am downtown often enough during the day and evenings that I'm sure I will be making at least monthly visits. I know it is difficult to maintain more than one restaurant location. When the Carter & Cooley Deli on Prairie closed I asked the owner why that was. He said between the location in the Heights and the one downtown he was strectched too thin and feared that quality would suffer. Ziggy, I'll see you soon. Oops! There is only one 's' in disappointed. I guess I am greatly disappointed that the Ziggy's closest to my office and apartment closed. Like I wrote though, I know how to find my way to the new one.
  14. Indeed one would not expect to find a baseball museum in the basement of a furniture store. I just read the on-line Chronicle article about the reopening. The article suggests that the museum will remain and that exhibits will be rotated through. I plan to visit this weekend. I need a new sofa anyway.
  15. Don't forget Jimmy Greene Chevrolet at the southeast corner of Shepherd and Westheimer. I heard the owner got a pile of money when he sold that property. I remember the Buick Dealership on Kirby. At one time it was Al Parker Buick which had its origins as Earl North Buick which had been on Milam (see houswest's post of 12/28/07). Al Parker relocated on the Katy Freeway, I think, and his general manager Hub Fossier, opened his dealership on Kirby before that one moved out to US 290.
  16. Wow, Rusty, how you jogged my memory. Though my uncle lived in Houston he always bought his Chevrolets from Lawrence Marshall in Hempstead. This was back when the Marshall store was only in Hempstead and had a showroom that would hold only about three cars. One time though, and it must have been in the mid-70s, he bought a new Chevrolet pickup truck from a dealership on US 290 near the high school (it was also much smaller then). Again, this dealership had a small showroom. I can not remember the name now to save myself but it was a person's name like Lawrence Marshall. I believe the first name was Doug though. Anybody out there remember better than I?
  17. Here is a comprehensive history of the Tennison family from their time in Georgia in the early 19th century through their migration to Arkansas and Texas. Scroll down about two-thirds on this web site http://www.tennitex.com/ to find information about the Tennison Hotel. In its day the Tennison may not have been as important as the Rice but its location near the train station means that it probably had some visitors of significance. By the way, best wishes for a happy and prosperous 2010 to everyone.
  18. Based on the size and rear-of-the-property location, I'm guessing that the structure in the last picture might have been a pump house for a water well. Many buildings had their own water wells back then. My grandmother had a house in Spring Valley that was built in the early 50's and it had its own well for at least fifteen years. Of course, it was later connected to the municipal supply. I'm also going to guess that the Minnetex Civic Club has not met in the building in a long time. That sign ought to be preserved as a fine example of the graphic communication of the era. It goes without saying (except I'm saying it here) that the building should also be preserved. The big question is, "preserved for what purpose and with what money." I can't imagine the school district spending money on even stabiliizing the building. There is quite a bit of land around the building. Can anyone determine the acreage? By the way, the architect, Louis A. Glover, was also one of the architects, along with William Ward Watkin and the Cram and Ferguson firm, of the Julia Ideson Library (1926). http://www.houstonar...on_Building.php Oops! I should have read the articles first. The land around the school building is 6.5 acres. That's a nice size.
  19. Thundercloud, yes! Attica, my memory is not so good any more but I vaguely remember a Thundercloud in Houston on West Alabama or Richmond but I wouldn't know if it had anything to do with those in Austin. We travel to Austin frequently and almost as frequently enjoy a Thundercloud sub. There was also a sandwhich shop, on Hammerly I believe, in the late 70's called Bob and Linda's (again don't hold me to that exact name) that I really liked. Does anyone else remember that? Gimmics come and go but good tasting food is always appreciated. I like traditional table service but try to get that at lunch time for a reasonable price. I prefer most other sandwhiches to Subway's. The mustard or mayo, or whatever dressing you put on a sandwhich, should be spread on the bread not glopped on top of the meat. It's messy, the taste of the mustard over-powers everything else when it is in a blob like that, and the bread still feels dry.
  20. I've eaten at the Which 'wich on Richmond a few times now. It's a good, inexpensive, and quick lunch. I especially like that you fill out your order yourself.
  21. I worked at the Orange Julius at the North Town shopping center (north east corner of Tidwell and the North Freeway) in the mid-70's. The franchise was owned by my high school chemistry teacher. He wasn't the only teacher I knew who had a second job. The man was from Newburg, New York and was militant about how clean the restaurant was to be kept. Granted it was a small place but I'll bet it was the cleanest fast food place on the north side at the time. The building was free-standing in the parking lot and the roof looked like a pleated slab of concrete. There were windows on three and a half sides so it was easy to see customers approaching in their cars or on foot. Many walked over from the other stores in the shopping center including one very cute young lady with blond hair from the Sound Warehouse.
  22. To quote hydeaway: "When you see their Chinese made Alfani instead of Armani it really exudes a lack of quality and class." "Exuding a lack of class" is a great phrase. I'm no snob (o.k. I'm a bit of a snob) and I'm definitely not wealthy but I prefer to pay for all the quality I can afford. There is no more "quality ladder" for retail merchandise, i.e. TG&Y, Wiener's, Penny's, Foley's, Neiman-Marcus. Now it is, to some extent, "pay your money and take your chances."
  23. When I saw castle's picture it brought back long forgotten memories. That same image is what I must have seen in 1977 or '78 when I first went out on my own to shop for Chirstmas presents for my mother and sister. At that time compared to the Foley's at Northwest Mall and the downtown store (the only others with which I was familiar) the Greenspoint Foleys seemed really classy. When I saw IronTiger's photo (remember I haven't been in the GP store since probably 1980) an expletive popped into my brain which fortunately didn't pass my lips. Maybe is is just as well the Foley's name no longer exists. Perhaps malls really are on their way out. I've avoided them for years and big department stores too. I get my dress shirts from a gentleman who has a shop in the Galleria area (but not too close to that mall) and my slacks and suit coats fit fine, with minor alteration, off the rack from Joseph Bank. Nice shoes: On-line (price always beats the local retail stores and I've yet to have a problem with fit or condition of the merchandise). Sports clothes and footwear: Academy. Why not the malls? It's a lot convenience, a little the perceived security (lack thereof actually), but mostly it's just depressing to go into a place you once thought was so wonderful and see it look so neglected and dead.
  24. I'm only 48 my self. I didn't feel old until I realized we are discussing things I remember well (restaurants, car dealers, department stores, amusement parks) that have been gone for more than 30 years in some cases. Maybe I'm old because I remember when the North Freeway had no overpasses. To get to our house coming from Houston one would cross the median at a patch of gravel and continue west on Farm-to-Market Road 149.
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