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I see lots of wonderful photographs of the very early days of Houston ... what is generally available on various Houston photography archives both in person (Houston Public Library's photo archive, Story Sloane, etc) and digitally (any number of excellent websites & digital archives). What I would love to see more of, are various scenes around Houston in the 1980s ~ 1990s. I thought of this while driving on "Upper Kirby" over the weekend, as I was explaining to my girlfriend (who recently moved to Houston) what Kirby looked like in the late 80s/early 90s. I've lived here since 1987, so I'm sure many of you know what I'm talking about. Anyhow, as I tried to explain the 80s/early 90s scene to her, I could hardly remember it myself! I think it would be nearly unrecognizable to see a 30 year old photo of it. It would be fun to see some photographs of Westheimer, the Galleria, Rice Village, various movie theaters and restaurants (interiors or exteriors), during the early days of Houston's *rebirth* since the 80s crash, and onward through the 90s. This may be too broad an idea to get off the ground, but I figured it would be worth a shot. As I'll be going home to visit my family for the holiday weekend coming up, I'll try to kick this off myself by going through some older family photo albums to see if there are any photos of interest. If there are, I'll digitize them by any means necessary and attach them to the thread. I encourage you to do the same! Ben

The Rendezvous Houston topic got me thinking about the big downturn. Bank failures, "see-through skyscrapers" and the "foreclosure belt". On the positive side, traffic got a lot better. Some places answered their phones "Houston Proud! How can I help you?"

Those of us who enjoy preserving Houston history often get caught up in a cycle of pessimism, and dare I say it, mild depression :closedeyes: . It is easy to forget there ARE many people in Houston who value history and want to see it preserved/restored. Whether for personal satisfaction, economic gain, or whatever, their efforts are definitely appreciated. I think we should take time here to thank those that quietly go about their daily lives, yet manage to keep a little bit of old Houston alive and well. No fanfare, no drama, they just do it. Here is a link to a Houston House and Home (PDF) article highlighting winners for 2008. I especially like the duplex at 1704 Kipling because there are so many cool inner loop duplexes that are large enough for today's families, if only the average homeowner or developer could see past their current multi-family arrangements. http://www.houseandhomeonline.com/home/doc...nt_0108_hou.pdf http://ghpa.org/awards/ (outdated, but has links to past winners)

All, Hey, I am looking at a few older condos/homes in Montrose and had a question. It seems that most of what I like was built in the 70's and some have the original appliances. Anyone have in info one what kind of building codes were in place with respect to wiring? I am going to check out fuseboxes this week but wanted a little info on the area as a whole. Thanks!

I have recently seen a medallion from this State Fair. Does anyone know or have any information to share on the subject. How did it get to Dallas if it is the same one?

Some more that my Dad took with his Argus C3 camera: Original Humble Oil Bld: