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I was reading the newspaper The Thresher dated April 25, 1952 and came across an advertisement for The Carousel Lounge located at 2919 Shenandoah Street. Anyone recall this place, or know its history? Announcing the opening of The Carousel Lounge Houston's Smartest Cocktail Lounge 2919 Shenandoah In the Town & Country Apt. Shopping Center

In my younger days (1960's), my mom's boss lived on Laurel Drive. His best friends lived across the street - two houses, two different families, and they were both gorgeous homes. I would like to go there to see what everything looks like. I wonder how much it has changed. Anyone else remember the "This House Is Not For Sale" signs? In the 60's, the neighborhood was full of them.

So, browsing around Google Earth the other day (I think I was trying to locate the location of the "mystery photo" to no avail) I found another mystery I wanted to ask. It's these apartments, near MacGregor and 288. I want to say that they were projects of some sort, though they had an awfully short life--by 1978 the ones that weren't demolished for 288 (the 1950s aerial has modern-day roads overlayed on it to help you figure out where this is) were being torn down (you can see the partial demolition on Google Earth), and by the 1980s, they were completely gone. The large footprint and the short life suggests they were projects of some sort, but it still intrigued me nonetheless--can someone help me out?

Anyone know about this grocery store market Brand's Super Market located at 3249 Dixie Drive? This would have been in the 1940s. Near where present-day Levit Green is! It's across highway 288. November 21, 1946: Our New Store . . . will open its doors in the near future . . . Watch for the announcement! Brandt's Super Market Sonny Brandt, Owner. 3249 Dixie Drive "When you think of food remember Brandts"

Philip Hoffman was the fifth president of the University of Houston, and the first chancellor of the University of Houston System. Hoffman also served as president of the Texas Medical Center from from 1981 until 1984. From the newspaper The Bellaire & Southwestern Texan dated September 15, 1965: U of H Women's Tea Will Be In President's Home The University of Houston Women's Association in having a Tea honoring the Newcomer's to the University. The Tea will be held at the home of Marry Hoffman, wife of the President, Dr. Philip Hoffman, 3612 Parkwood between the hours of 3-5 p.m. on Saturday, September 18. The committee in charge consists of Romayne McElhinney, chairman, Yvonne Owen, Claraader and Lola Dudely, with assistance from A.J. Joeman and her Newcomer Committee.

I was reading the newspaper The Bellaire Texan dated August 3, 1950 and came across Leopold Meyer's residences. Leopold L. Meyer, 3308 South MacGregor, vice chairman of the finance committee of the Houston Fat Stock Show and Rodeo, said that the show for 1951 will have a budget of $330,-

I was reading the newspaper The Bellaire Texan dated April 6, 1950 and came across where Phillip Battelstein lived in Riverside Terrace. Phillip (Pop) Battelstein, 81, 2115 Wichita, who came to Houston with practically nothing, unveiled his new multi-million dollar store on Main Street while his sons, Abe, 3615 Parkwood, Harry, 2328 Underwood, and Ben, 2333 Underwood proudly stood by.

I was reading the newspaper The Bellaire Texan dated June 22, 1950 and came across Tobias Sakowitz's residential home. Tobias Sakowitz, 2620 Riverside Drive, president of Sakowitz Bros., presided at traditional "rising of the tree" at new $8 million Sakowitz Bros. store. His quests: construction workers. Refreshments: beer and sandwiches.

I was looking at the Houstonhistorymagazine's Riverside Terrace and Environs: An Architectural Tour and notice the Abe Battelstein home designed by Joseph Finger.

I was reading the newspaper The Bellaire Citizen dated March 23, 1950 and came across a school listing for the Southland Elementary School located at 3535 Dixie Dr. The ad was for a religous meeting from minister E.C. Coffman of The Riverside Church of Christ. It goes on to say a "new" location of the Southland Elementary School. I know Southland Elementary (Now Thompson Elementary?) has been located at several locations around the South/Southwest/Southeast side of Houston. They can't seem to find a permanent location!

I was browsing the newspaper The Jewish Herald-Voice dated September 22, 1938 and came across a Happy New Year ad from Mr. and Mrs. Joe Levit and Family - 2612 Wheeler. I assume this was where Joe Levit lived back in 1938. Back then, they used to include a residential address to go a long with the news article, or photograph. The Hines Life Science development called Levit Green is named after Joe Levit and his family. Very cool!

July Mod of the Month Houston Mod invites you to join us this Sunday, July 25, 2021 for a Mod of the Month open house event from 2 - 4 PM. Please help us find a new preservation-minded owner for this outstanding vintage modern home located in Riverside Terrace, about five miles southeast of downtown Houston. Thanks to Houston MODern Market for sponsoring this FREE event. 4505 N. Roseneath Drive, Riverside Terrace, Section 15, Houston, TX 77021 HAR Link | Google Map Boldly contrasting horizontal and vertical elements make the P. R. Daniel house, 4505 North Roseneath Drive, one of the most memorable in the Riverside Terrace area. Henry MacGregor developed Riverside Terrace starting in 1924 on picturesque rolling terrain along the banks of Braes Bayou between Hermann and MacGregor Parks. Architect Bailey Swenson designed the Daniel house in 1949 and construction began in early 1950 situated on a half-acre plus site. Swenson is known for his uniquely inventive combination of organic and international styles of architecture. Even though one story spreading houses were desired in the 1950s, the neighborhood deed restrictions required houses to have two stories so the mother-in-law pop-up room was created. The house is composed of stone, brick and redwood and features an impressive array of built-in furnishings and a large abstract mural by prominent artist Jacques de la Marre who worked with Swenson on several projects. Bailey Allen Swenson (1907-1979) was from Houston and graduated from Rice University in 1932 with a BA in Architecture. He married Kathryn Thomas in 1949. She operated the first art gallery in Houston and he had an architectural office, both at their live/work home at 3106 Brazos Street. Swenson designed KSOX (1950) in Harlingen and KNUZ TV 39 (1953) which became KTRK 13 and later KUHT 8 located at 4513 Cullen Boulevard in Houston. He designed the Western Skies Motel (1952, demolished) at 2806 Old Spanish Trail described as opulent, luxurious and Houston's swankiest motel. Two of his earlier residential designs, 2330 Dryden Road (1936, demolished) and 2506 Riverside Drive (1936) had art deco styling. The heaviest concentration of his known work is more modern and located in the Riverside Terrace area including: 3934 Roseneath Drive (1949, especially fantastic), 4619 N. Roseneath Drive (1953), 3315 N. MacGregor Way (1948, demolished), 3126 S. MacGregor Way (1952), 3448 S. MacGregor Way (1952), 3819 S. MacGregor Way (1954, demolished, built for motel developer Leon Green), 3403 Charleston Street (1954), 3417 Charleston Street (1950) and 4216 Fernwood Drive (1948, endangered). In Galveston, Swenson designed 4402 Caduceus Place which is similar to the July Mod of the Month. For his church, St. Matthew Lutheran, he designed the parish hall (1942) located at 5315 Main Street. The AIA Houston Architectural Guide by Stephen Fox has more information about this area. Take the Riverside Terrace and Environs Architectural Tour by Stephen Fox for Cite Magazine here. If you have more information about these, or other vintage modern houses and/or architects, please contact Houston Mod so we can include it in our Modern Houston Index on our new website. The Mod Squad will be on hand at Sunday's event to assist with membership and publication purchases. After Alden: Midcentury Architecture in Brazosport, Texas, Houston Mod's new publication by Marty Merritt with a forward by Stephen Fox and photography by Benjamin Hill, will be available at Sunday's event along with our other publications. Or, you may purchase a copy online at our website. News & Upcoming Events A handsome mod for sale in Galveston, 59 minutes southeast of downtown Houston: 124 Strand Street. Sadly, the Rice Media Center (1970), given to Houston by John and Dominique de Menil and designed by architects Howard Barnstone and Gene Aubry has been demolished this week. How should the Astrodome be reused? Please help our friends at the Astrodome Conservancy by taking their Future Dome survey. The AIA 2021 Silent Auction is open for bidding on some wonderful items including a Houston Mod Family Membership and complete collection of Houston Mod publications. Bid now. Houston Mod is a friend organization of Docomomo US, a national non-profit organization dedicated to the Documentation and Conservation of the Modern Movement. Docomomo US has been dedicated to this mission for nearly 25 years as a chapter of Docomomo International. A single Docomomo US Domestic membership may be added to any Houston Mod membership for the 50% discounted Friend Organization rate of $45.00. Houston Mod is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) membership organization dedicated to promoting knowledge and appreciation of modern architecture and design in Houston and Texas. Houston Mod advocates the preservation of this cultural legacy and seeks support from its members and the general public in achieving this goal.

I saw this album cover on Facebook and immediately recognized the house as being a home on N. MacGregor near Burkett. Makes sense as Little Junior Parker was on Don Robey's Duke Label. Duke was a subsidiary of 5th Ward based Peacock Records, and from what I've been told, Don Robey lived in a home not far away from the home pictured here at the corner of Southmore and Hancock. As for the N. MacGregor home, it's still standing. It was almost lost to a fire about 4-5 years ago, but it was repaired. Some of the original mod touch is gone as a result of the repairs, but I believe the original bricks still remain on the house, and you can still tell that it's a 1950s design. https://www.google.com/maps/@29.71056,-95.365294,3a,75y,354.33h,68.87t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sY7CM2K5YfwHYeAD1PUdnsA!2e0

There's a proposal for Riverside Terrace to become a Historic district, but some residents are not happy with that idea. I thought this proposal would help preserve the area while also slowing gentrification. https://abc13.com/riverside-terrace-third-ward-historic-district-proposal-civic-association/11842455/

According to Slotboom's Houston Freeways, "In the late 1960s right-of-clearance for the wide South Freeway corridor was underway. Jack Caesar’s house was relocated to south Houston and occupied by another owner." Does anyone know where it went? Does anyone know where Caesar went? (There is a small amount of background information about Caesar and Riverside Terrace here). This is the warranty deed with the State of Texas for the property: File No: C831056 Grantor:CAESAR JACK ETAL Grantee:STATE OF TEX FC: 100292481 Date:19681217 Type:W/D Desc:RIVERSIDE TER 01L0011B0001PT/LT Vol-Page:7444379 And this is the only other Riverside Terrace entry for Caesar - a deed of trust - so maybe JW Robinson is the one who got the house? File No: C697236 Grantor:CAESAR JACK JR Grantee:ROBINSON J W FC: 092331699 Date:19680425 Type:D/T Desc:RIVERSIDE TER L0001B0011 Vol-Page:6339454 Then, the next year there was a lis pendens on the property: File No: D000320 Grantee:CAESAR JACK JR ETAL Grantor:HARRIS CTY ETAL FC: 110252446 Date:19691014 Type:L/P Desc:RIVERSIDE TER Section:01 Lot:L0001 Block:B0011 Vol-Page:0037083 and here's the civil case against Caesar: Docket number: 178391 Defendant: CAESAR JACK JR ETAL Plaintiff: STATE OF TEX ETAL Nature of proceedings: CONDEMN Date opened: 01-22-1970 Docket number: 178391 Defendant: CAESAR JACK JR ETAL Plaintiff: COUNTY OF HARRIS ETAL Nature of proceedings: CONDEMN Date opened: 01-22-1970

Noticed a sewer disconnect demo permit.

Quentin Mease under construction for its transition to an outpatient facility https://www.tmc.edu/news/2019/10/quentin-mease-under-construction-for-its-transition-to-an-outpatient-facility/

Anyone remember Southmore Lanes? On Southmore near Almeda.

My fiance and I will be moving from DC to Houston in May. She is originally from Houston, and while I am not, I was fortunate enough to spend several weeks in Houston this summer. We're both extremely excited to be leaving DC, and moving to a city where two young professionals will not be priced out of the housing market. I did quite a bit of exploring in the downtown vicinity during my time in Houston and I really like what I saw. In particular, I'm very intrigued by the Binz neighborhood for its proximity to Hermann Park, the Museums, and downtown. This area appears to be in the midst of being redeveloped and it seems like a tremendous bargain compared to properties just west of Main. I also like Washington Terrace, Riverside Terrace, and the other close neighborhoods east of 288. While I realized these areas are a bit sketchy, the architecture is great and all things considered the price seems right. My impression is that property crime (which I can tolerate) is more of an issue than violent crime (which I cannot), but I was hoping that some of you might be able offer a bit of insight on this. Likewise, I would greatly appreciate any advice that you might have regarding these neighborhoods. Thanks.

Crappy photo, but gets the job done. This house had been for sale for quite a while, and I thought was as good as gone. But the sign out front is gone, and it appears to be saved for the time being. You'll remember that this house was originally painted that dark red that typefies the work of Bailey Swenson, Len Gebhart and one Bolton & Barnstone house in Riverside Terrace. Hopefully they won't discover any problems with it.

Anyone have photos of this house? I found the one in the Architectural Guide. Looks like it was a great house.

Thought you guys might like this one if you haven't seen it already. http://search.har.com/engine/3811-Charleston-St-Houston-TX-77021_HAR30441524.htm

The Groovey Grill Mansion was located in Riverside Terrace in a mansion on N. Calumet, and was real popular among TSU students and the local black community. It closed in 1989, but the house still operates as a banquet hall called The Groovey Grill Mansion. I'm glad to see that the place and its spirit is being preserved, it's a beautiful building. It was once in danger of being demolished, but it's been saved. I'm surprised it hasn't already been mentioned here (unless I overlooked something), so that's why I started the thread about it. Does anyone here have any memories of this place in its heyday? It was quite popular, serving people such as Muhammad Ali, LBJ, Lloyd Bentsen, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Ray Charles. Here's what the house looks like today. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=2619+Calumet,+Houston,+TX&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=32.527387,86.044922&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=2619+Calumet+St,+Houston,+Harris,+Texas+77004&ll=29.716236,-95.372108&spn=0.001088,0.002626&t=k&z=19&layer=c&cbll=29.716298,-95.372194&panoid=UTKaeMguuj3nMJRstXbumw&cbp=12,36.08,,0,1.51 Article from 1987 about the Groovey Grill http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1987_487277 Article from 1992 about the then uncertain fate of the Groovey Grill building http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=1992_1062072 Groovey Grill Website http://www.thegrooveygrillmansion.com/index.htm

An article in the Houston Business Journal state that Frank Lloyd Wright designed a home in the Riverside Terrace area. Do anyone know if this is true, and if so where is the home?

The old Wright Morrow Estate at 3028 S. MacGregor will be demolished soon. It was originally bought from it's former homeowner in 2001 with intention of the land being used by UT to build a four story Psychiatric outpatient center. Residents in Riverside Terrace fought the project and suceeded as it would bring high traffic and noise into the neighborhood. The land was put on the market again and purchased by a developer to put high dollar condos on, perhaps gated. Some relatives of Wright Morrow were allowed to remove some of the old furniture the other day, I saw them taking it out. The house appears to be gutted now, and some shingles have been removed from the roof. The house has been in disrepair since 2002 shortly after UT bought it. The previously meticulously manicured gardens and lawn became overgrown, the white fence bordering the estate started to fall apart, and the exterior paint on the house was peeling off. A sad end to a beautiful estate.