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Went to Houston Baptist University today to visit the Lee and Grant exhibit. http://www.hbu.edu/hbu/About_HBU.asp?SnID=141925366 http://www.hbu.edu/hbu/MOSH_Lee_Grant_Exhibit.asp To be honest, I was not aware that this campus even existed until I looked up where the exhibit was located. I'm not from here originally. They would not let me take any photos of the exhibit. Pissed me off because this was the reason why I took my camera. So, afterwards I walked around this small campus and took some photos of the buildings. (the campus is located in the middle of the triangle created by the intersections of Beechnut, Fondren and I-59) Here they are: http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/Houston Baptist University 7-09/IMG_3197.jpg http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/Houston Baptist University 7-09/IMG_3196.jpg http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/Houston Baptist University 7-09/IMG_3195.jpg http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/Houston Baptist University 7-09/IMG_3194.jpg http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/Houston Baptist University 7-09/IMG_3193.jpg http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/Houston Baptist University 7-09/IMG_3192.jpg http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/Houston Baptist University 7-09/IMG_3191.jpg http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/Houston Baptist University 7-09/IMG_3189.jpg http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/Houston Baptist University 7-09/IMG_3188.jpg http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/Houston Baptist University 7-09/IMG_3186.jpg http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/Houston Baptist University 7-09/IMG_3185.jpg http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/Houston Baptist University 7-09/IMG_3184.jpg http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/Houston Baptist University 7-09/IMG_3183.jpg http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/Houston Baptist University 7-09/IMG_3182.jpg http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/Houston Baptist University 7-09/IMG_3181.jpg http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/Houston Baptist University 7-09/IMG_3179.jpg http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/Houston Baptist University 7-09/IMG_3180.jpg http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/Houston Baptist University 7-09/IMG_3178.jpg http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/Houston Baptist University 7-09/IMG_3177.jpg http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i222/issaaa/Houston Baptist University 7-09/IMG_3176.jpg Adios

JLW, that place was Celebration Station. I think it is still there, it is totally seperate from the old Malibu Grand Prix that is now a used car dealership.

Building up for demo, honestly really glad about this one. This area needs some serious love, especially since its right off a major highway and close to the galleria area.

it was on bissonnett near hillcroft. i think the football stadium is still there but the F.U.N. name is no longer used. i think it was for 5th and 6th graders. they had drillteams and cheerleaders associated with each team. in 6th grade i was raiderette for the raiders who were mostly red elementary students. we had very cool uniforms and had silver glitter on our tennis shoes.

I’ve heard through the grapevine that the leases of Fiesta and the small pod that includes the Fiesta liquor store aren’t invited to be renewed. I’m not sure about the rest of the shopping center but does anyone have any inside info on this or who even owns it?

Does anyone know what happened to a bar that was in existence in Houston in the late 1970s and early 1980s called Gabs? There was also an oyster bar called Gabs 2. I would love to hear from someone who remembers either of them.

Their was Jet Set club for the swinging couple. I worked for Benard Wishnow. Barberry Coast I worked at and danced. Napoleon Square. Disco. Bonapartes Retreat disco. I could tell you a lot more. Edit: September 14, 1978

HOUSTON – (Realty News Report) – Houston real estate broker Bill Burge reports that the 7-acre Men’s Wearhouse distribution center and corporate office has been sold. The property was acquired by SER-Ninos Charter School, which will redevelop it into a high school. The 141,258-SF building, 5803 Glenmont Drive, is located in the Gulfton area, between Chimney Rock and Hillcroft Avenue and it’s on the south side of the Southwest Freeway. https://realtynewsreport.com/the-mens-wearhouse-warehouse-sol

New Gulfton bus service could become model for other Houston neighborhoods

KHOU ran a bigl article today on the gang-wars that are gripping Gulfton. As an architect, Gulfton has always fascinated me. Gulfton abuts some of the most desirable parts of our metropolis - Uptown; Bellaire; West U - but it is referred to as the "Gulfton Ghetto." Crime rates are much higher than the norm. Poverty abounds. This post will be unlike my previous post about the Sharpstown Mall. That was more about architecture and design. This is more about urban policy and tactics that could be used to turn Gulfton around. First we need to understand why Gulfton is a ghetto. Common wisdom is that the reason is apartments. It's not that apartments are bad. It's not that renters are bad. The problem in Gulfton is that the apartments there are basically all wrong. - Gulfton's apartment complexes are too big. 200 units seems to be the limit for a good, older complex. Many of Gulfton's complexes have ten times that many. - There's not much diversity in Gulfton's real estate. There are no offices or employment centers in Gulfton. - Gulfton was developed very fast in the 1970s, infrastructure never caught up. - Gulfton was overbuilt with apartments in the 1970s, and has never recovered from the ensuing collapse of the 1980s. So what can we do now? 1: First we need to go apartment by apartment and make an honest evaluation of the properties. Complexes should be ranked based on crime rates, number of code violations, and anonymous tenant surveys. 2: The lowest ranked apartments (maybe 10% of the total units in Gulfton) should be demolished, and replaced with non-apartment development. (Retail, offices, schools, libraries, etc.) 3: The next lowest ranked apartments (the next 15%) should be gutted and renovated into new apartments. 4: HPD needs to swarm Gulfton while all of this is happening. While the worst 10% of apartments in Gulfton are demolished, the 10% of Gulfton residents that are serious criminals should be rounded up and jailed. There is money to do this - but it needs to be re-directed from other functions. The City of Houston actively works with developers and State and Federal funding sources to improve apartments. Those efforts could be concentrated in Gulfton. The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs sits on huge coffers of money. If they stopped building new apartments in Houston, and started using funds to repair apartments it would go a very long way in Gulfton. I've started to believe that Gulfton will be a measure of Houston's next mayor. If his or her urban and police policies are good - Gulfton will turn. If they are a failure, Gulfton will continue to languish. These are only one architect's ideas of how to fix the "Gulfton Ghetto."

This occured during my senior year at Robt. E. Lee and my memories are a little sketchy. I'd welcome anyone elses memories of this event. The riots occured in October of '75 in the parking field across from the school on Beverlyhill St.. The field was a drug market where students gathered as early as an hour before school to party. HPD undercover narcotics officers had been "staking out" the field for several weeks since school had started that September. They also placed several undercover (dressed up to look like school students) in the field to purchase drugs--which they did. Several drug busts were made that October in the field including one bust of a 16 year old boy selling pezz candy LSD. After one of the busts several students began to attack one of the police cars. It had it's windows broken by rocks, etc. Several arrests of students were made. Ultimately the drug busts succeeded in stopping the drug use and selling in the empty dirt lot parking field. The field is now part of the parking lot for Pappasitos Mexican Restaurant on Richmond.

EXCLUSIVE REPORTS From the October 15, 2004 print edition Upscale retail centers charge into Harwin shopping arena Allison Wollam Houston Business Journal The long stretch of clustered strip malls along Harwin Drive is going uptown with the addition of some new high-end retail developments. The street known for its knock-off designer purses, jewelry and clothing is experiencing a flurry of activity as developers look to improve the image of the "bargain mile." Central Harwin Group Ltd. is leading the wave with plans to open the $10 million, 100,000-square-foot Harwin Central Mart by Nov. 1. And Charming Charlie's, a retailer of fine jewelry and accessories, will unveil the 80,000-square-foot Haute Harwin Fashion Center just in time for the Christmas shopping season. Both developments will cater to more discriminating shoppers, offering high-end goods at bargain prices. Haute Harwin will be anchored by Charming Charlie's, which owns the center at 6959 Harwin. Houston-based Charming Charlie's will occupy about 12,500 square feet of the development. Charlie Chanaratsopon, executive vice president of Charming Charlie's, says the company will lease the remaining space to 11 retailers and three restaurants. Murphy's Deli has already signed on to open on the site, as well as a fashion clothing and bridal store. "We're hoping to give Harwin Street a face-lift with bringing a Highland Village-type shopping center to this area," says Chanaratsopon. The retailers in Haute Harwin will offer the discount prices that have long-defined the area, but will also offer a higher standard of customer service and a more pleasant shopping experience, according to Chanaratsopon. Charming Charlie's plans to open five other locations across the city but chose Harwin as the first location because of the popularity of the area with discount shoppers. "People drive here from far away to get good deals, and we're going to give them the good deals they expect plus an upscale shopping environment," Chanaratsopon says. Although the swanky center is designed to cater to more upscale shoppers, Chanaratsopon says rental rates will be about $1.50 per square foot per month, which he says is competitive with other retail centers built in the area over the last two years. The average rental rate for the area, according to O'Connor & Associates, is about 89 cents per square foot per month. Meanwhile, Andrew Chung, CEO of Central Harwin Group, says Harwin Central Mart is approximately 50 percent leased and will include about 50 retailers when completely full. Chung says he expects occupancy to be split evenly between retailers and wholesalers, some of which have leased space to display their products in a showroom. Included in the retail offerings will be perfume, jewelry, clothing, wedding dresses and upscale restaurants. Harwin Central Mart will address safety and parking issues along the strip by offering 400 parking spaces, a 24-hour security guard and high-tech surveillance cameras. The center will also offer tenants high-speed Internet access for their business needs, says Chung. Retail broker Jason Baker, a principal with Wulfe & Co., says the Harwin area is ripe for more retail competitors. "There has been so little new development along Harwin recently that these new centers do add an upscale touch to the area," he says.

Chronicle article here. Interesting to contrast this suburban-style development with the move towards denser, more pedestrian oriented retail developments inside the Loop.

Putting kids, coming from any area not just Gulfton, from the ages of 10-19 together seems to be an absolutley HORRIBLE idea. I really don't understand the rational and how they think the social dynamics of this is going to work. Just because the children are more focused on education than their counterparts, that doesn't mean they are socially mature or not troublemakers. Plenty of bright kids are bullies, just look at the suburbs. This is so sad: "The younger students already are planning their strategies for coping with potential bullies: "I'd just keep walking," 10-year-old Saul Bravo advised. "You don't want to get in a fight with the older kids. They can beat you bad."" Margaret Long Wisdom High School 6529 Beverly Hill Lane. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/mem...ws/4961490.html

Did anyone see the house on Dashwood that's up for sale? I guess the 2007 Good Brick Award put the owner in the selling mood. http://tinyurl.com/y7b36o