ABC Grocery Store At 710 Telephone Rd.

[Dan the Man]

For years, one of my favorite buildings in the East End has been that old commercial building near the Southeast Corner of Leeland/Telephone & Lockwood. The building is French Ecelctic in style, with a neat turret that is topped with a tile roof and weathervane. (I'm really amazed that nobody has stolen the weathervane yet!) The building is very unique for Houston, and looks like something that would be more common in a Northern city. I believe the building is currently painted pink, and is occupied by some business like an insurance agency. Does anyone know the history of this building? It looks like it dates from the late 1920s or early 1930s.

I am inclined to think that it originally housed a grocery store, due to this Bob Bailey photo that I found of a similar building (see attachment). This may may even be the building in question, as I've never stopped to take a picture, in order to compare it to the Bailey photograph.

[silverartfox]

For years, one of my favorite buildings in the East End has been that old commercial building near the Southeast Corner of Leeland/Telephone & Lockwood. The building is French Ecelctic in style, with a neat turret that is topped with a tile roof and weathervane. (I'm really amazed that nobody has stolen the weathervane yet!) The building is very unique for Houston, and looks like something that would be more common in a Northern city. I believe the building is currently painted pink, and is occupied by some business like an insurance agency. Does anyone know the history of this building? It looks like it dates from the late 1920s or early 1930s.

I am inclined to think that it originally housed a grocery store, due to this Bob Bailey photo that I found of a similar building (see attachment). This may may even be the building in question, as I've never stopped to take a picture, in order to compare it to the Bailey photograph.

It was the ABC Food Store in the 1940's, as seen in the Bob Baily photograph from a few years earlier. As I recall. it was either white or cream color stucco at that time. My family and I lived in Eastwood then and I remember it well. It always reminded me of a castle in a fairytale book. For some reason, my mother didn't shop there; instead, she preferred Weingarten's at Harrisburg and Dumble and Henke's on Polk near the underpass.

Across the street from the ABC was the Eastwood Theater, a small Art Deco movie house that showed second-run films. Above its marquee was a tall tower with Eastwood on it, lit with red neon and topped with a silvery sphere. In the late 1940's we neighborhood kids went to the Saturday Morning Fun Club there. Admission was 25 cents and we saw a serial (often "Flash Gordon" or "Superman"), several cartoons and a feature film starring Johnny Weissmuller, Gene Autry, or some similar Hollywood star.

On the corner of Telephone and Dumble is a "transportes" station housed in what was originally a filling station. My uncle worked there pumping gas during WWII (he was medically disqualified from the armed forces). The building facade and canopy are also in what might be called French Eclectic style and miraculously, they are still intact. I often fanticize that someday, someone will buy it, move the bus company to another location and resurrect the building as a sidewalk cafe or ice cream parlor. But, this being Houston, the entire block will probably be razed so we can have another tacky strip mall.

[EastEnd Susan]

For years, one of my favorite buildings in the East End has been that old commercial building near the Southeast Corner of Leeland/Telephone & Lockwood. The building is French Ecelctic in style, with a neat turret that is topped with a tile roof and weathervane. (I'm really amazed that nobody has stolen the weathervane yet!) The building is very unique for Houston, and looks like something that would be more common in a Northern city. I believe the building is currently painted pink, and is occupied by some business like an insurance agency. Does anyone know the history of this building? It looks like it dates from the late 1920s or early 1930s.

I am inclined to think that it originally housed a grocery store, due to this Bob Bailey photo that I found of a similar building (see attachment). This may may even be the building in question, as I've never stopped to take a picture, in order to compare it to the Bailey photograph.

Is this the building thats close to Dumble that had a jewelry store in it in the 1960's and 70's?

[Vertigo58]

Here is a list of some of the business's that used to be in that building or they at least were all in a row at least up until the 80's.

Starting under the turret:

Patrician Beauty Shop

US Post Office

Auto Parts store

Then the adjacent row of shops were part of the same design as the turret bldg..

Payless Shoes

A swank 60's type Cocktail Lounge

Hogan's Barber Shop (still there)

Record store

Dentist

and several other business that have moved in and out over the years. Some of the other East End originals could provide more detail. East End Susan?

[TheNiche]

On the corner of Telephone and Dumble is a "transportes" station housed in what was originally a filling station. My uncle worked there pumping gas during WWII (he was medically disqualified from the armed forces). The building facade and canopy are also in what might be called French Eclectic style and miraculously, they are still intact. I often fanticize that someday, someone will buy it, move the bus company to another location and resurrect the building as a sidewalk cafe or ice cream parlor. But, this being Houston, the entire block will probably be razed so we can have another tacky strip mall.

Actually, the owners of that block just completed a renovation of the buildings (dubbed the Tlaquepaque Mercado) not too long ago. Of all places, it'll probably be among the first retail complexes to gentrify in the East End, and with Kamowan and Bohemeo's, it has already got a great start.

As the Mexicans are displaced through gentrification, the bus station will be displaced along with them. There's no telling what will become of the old gas station, but by that time, there's no reason to think that there wouldn't be a need for something like you suggest.