Manor East Mall Pictures

[IronTiger]

Recently I've been wondering about the now-defunct Manor East Mall. I have memories of passing it when I had dental appointments of a child, but never went inside until 2000.

The exterior memories include a dated pylon with a pinwheel logo and a listing of long-defunct stores including Krystal Nails and some computer training place. Bealls, Jo-Ann Fabrics, 50 Off Store, a sign that was presumably from the old theater (near McDonald's), Family Dollar, the ancient Montgomery Ward (two level or no?), and Hastings and a strip mall (built in the early 1990s).

I remember going inside once in 2000 to go to Animal World to get stuff for our new kitten we bought earlier that day. It was blue cinderblocks inside with small windows lining the sides. It had benches and was a maze to get to the pet store. Presumably, much of the walls were drywalled-off storefronts.

There was an abandoned Wal-Mart behind the mall. I don't know if it connected or not.

Does anyone have pictures/memories of the old mall?

[liammclaren]

Where is it? I haven't heard of it.

[IronTiger]

The mall is now known as TEJAS CENTER, which opened in 2003. It is at the corner of Texas Avenue (BS-6) and Villa Maria Rd. (FM 1179).

In 2003 or 2004 the enclosed mall plus the vacant Montgomery Ward was leveled to build a new H-E-B.

[Mark F. Barnes]

Growing up in Bryan Manor East Mall was a big deal, or so we thought at the time. Manor East was the big addition, because up until then all there ever was on that end was Townshire Mall, which wasn't really a mall at all, it was more of a strip center. Townshire had the Sear & Roebuck one the North end and Mr. Keyser's Hobby store on the other. Manor East was the first walk-through Mall BCS ever had. It was built in the late 70's where the Old Drive in was. (No not the Skyway Twin) There was an old drive in theater over where Manor East now resides, Manor East Had a Beall's, JC Penny's, and few other stores. But it was the first walk-through Mall in BCS. When Post Oak Mall was put in, it pretty much was beginning of the end for Manor East. The old Wal-Mart you spoke of, was never connected that I can remember. That came along later, when Manor East had slowed down it's growth. I grew up as a kid going to old downtown Bryan, to the Woolworth. That was about it for us. If you wanted something from Sears it had to be ordered from the catalog or you drove to Houston. We'd usually go over to the Queen Theater and catch the matinee while the Moms went shopping. After we'd meet at the soda fountain in Woolworth. Those were big times in downtown Bryan in 1960.

[txshady]

I remember Manor East primarily as it was in the 1980's. The Wal-Mart was connected to the main mall at that point, there was an Arcade in the mall, as well as a Shulman 3 Screen Movie Theater, which was and still is used by the Theatre Company as a live play theater. Mix 104.7 KKYS had their station in side the mall at the very end next to the 50% off store, and Montgomery Ward was also there, but it was only one floor. There was a kids hair cut place, a higher end salon, a popcorn store, Eckerd Drugs/Pharmacy before they built their own building and turned to CVS across the street. Let's see, Bealls has always been there, there was another fabric store but it was not called Jo Anne, but I can't recall the former name. There was also a mexican restaurant next to the radio station and a few nick-nack stores in the center of the mall that carried collectables and things and the Manor East Pets store which was next to Wal-Mart at that time. And the last main store I can recall from the 80's was the Crafts Ect. store was next to Montgomery Ward. I have some old pictures somewhere from the 80's, but will take forever to find them.

[citykid09]

Growing up in Bryan Manor East Mall was a big deal, or so we thought at the time. Manor East was the big addition, because up until then all there ever was on that end was Townshire Mall, which wasn't really a mall at all, it was more of a strip center. Townshire had the Sear & Roebuck one the North end and Mr. Keyser's Hobby store on the other. Manor East was the first walk-through Mall BCS ever had. It was built in the late 70's where the Old Drive in was. (No not the Skyway Twin) There was an old drive in theater over where Manor East now resides, Manor East Had a Beall's, JC Penny's, and few other stores. But it was the first walk-through Mall in BCS. When Post Oak Mall was put in, it pretty much was beginning of the end for Manor East. The old Wal-Mart you spoke of, was never connected that I can remember. That came along later, when Manor East had slowed down it's growth. I grew up as a kid going to old downtown Bryan, to the Woolworth. That was about it for us. If you wanted something from Sears it had to be ordered from the catalog or you drove to Houston. We'd usually go over to the Queen Theater and catch the matinee while the Moms went shopping. After we'd meet at the soda fountain in Woolworth. Those were big times in downtown Bryan in 1960.

Mr. Barnes, I didn't know you were from Bryan. I remember the Walmart being connected to the mall. I also remember Montgomery Ward, the pet store, a sports wear store 50% off came after the mall became dead. Do yall remember that big stage in the middle of the mall? I don't think it had a foodcourt.

[txshady]

Mr. Barnes, I didn't know you were from Bryan. I remember the Walmart being connected to the mall. I also remember Montgomery Ward, the pet store, a sports wear store 50% off came after the mall became dead. Do yall remember that big stage in the middle of the mall? I don't think it had a foodcourt.

I do remember the stage, the spot were they would always put Santa and the Easter bunny. The mall never did have an established food court, just a few places scattered around.

[Mark F. Barnes]

Mr. Barnes, I didn't know you were from Bryan. I remember the Walmart being connected to the mall. I also remember Montgomery Ward, the pet store, a sports wear store 50% off came after the mall became dead. Do yall remember that big stage in the middle of the mall? I don't think it had a foodcourt.

Yes my family is very old Bryan folk. We came to the area in 1833. I have many relatives still in Bryan, I come back for family get together, I mostly visit out on Dilly Shaw at the family place.

When I was referring to Manor East I was speaking in terms way before Wal-Mart was ever around. Wal-Mart was a later addition, Manor East at first was a fairly nice enclosed walk-through Mall. First one BCS had ever seen. Like I said before it was a pretty big deal. Bill Schulman owned some of the original property there, like I said before, many many years ago there was a drive in Movie was More over towards the creek, It was an old single screen that Bill Schulman had, you entered off of Villa Maria up where the McDonalds is now. The rest was just a open field, before they built Manor East. Bill Schulman put a walk-in theater in the new Mall, after it was finished. Bill Schulman at one time own every movie house in all of Bryan College Station. Drive-in, Walk-in or otherwise. But like I said before, the coming of Post Oak Mall was the death sentence for Manor East. It was pretty much doomed after that. It hung on a lot longer than it probably should have.

See I remember when 29th street turned into a dirt road at East Villa Maria and was not much more than a pig trail leading back to the TV Station, (Radio station back then) and it dead ended into Carter Creek, (the actual creek, not the street.) That was all woods around there. This is back before Bryan High School or anything, even St. Joseph's Hosp, was not where it is. Hell East Villa Maria was barely a back road to get back over to 25th street. There was no by-pass no nothing. Boonville Cemetery was out that way and farm houses, Old Reliance Community and the back way to Wixon Valley, out where Joe Dan's Beer Joint was on HWY 21. Everyone hung out at Sam's Drive-in for burgers and talking Hot-Rods. Sam Urso also made the Jack and Jill Doughnuts every morning. I would hitch a ride on one of our Milk Trucks in as a kid, helped with a few door to door deliveries like everyone use to get, we'd swing in to see ole Sam making them fresh doughnuts @ 4 am and get a whole rack of them in trade for milk butter and cheese. And would make it back to the farm in time to change to go back to town to school.

They had a place out on the Brazos River called the "Avalon", it was a more or less legal gambling establishment and whore house, that Sheriff JD Hamilton allowed to conduct business for many many years. Out where the Brazos intersected with Hwy 21. JD Hamilton ran Brazos County his way and there was no other way to speak of, if you valued living a long life. When they popped Ronnie Miller and LA Ford and them out at the lake house back in 1990, that was nothing, Ronnie Miller was a Saint up next to JD Hamilton. If you were local folk you really could do no wrong, but if you were from out of town, Brazos County was not a place to be screwing up in.

[IronTiger]

Hmm, I know that my uncle was born at St. Joseph's in the late 1940s...are you sure it wasn't there?

[Mark F. Barnes]

Hmm, I know that my uncle was born at St. Joseph's in the late 1940s...are you sure it wasn't there?

Absolutely Positive. He was born at the Old St Joe Hosp in the original building, known as "Old Bryan Hospital," near downtown Bryan. They Didn't wind up out where they are now until 1971.

[Mark F. Barnes]

Did you get it figured out yet? The Old building is over on West 28th and Sims.

[txshady]

Just a few blocks away from the old Bowie School. It is the Horizon's now, and I think BVCASA also uses that building too.

[Scotch]

These may or may not make for interesting reading:

Tejas Growth Spelled H-E-B

Topic from MyBCS.com about old Walmart and the Tejas Center

[Bryan Guy]

Does anyone have pictures/memories of the old mall?

It looks like this topic has been discussed pretty thoroughly already but I can't help myself. I have MANY memories of Manor East Mall, unfortunately, no pictures. Someone had posted them on this forum in an earlier thread though. I was born in Bryan in the late '70s and Post Oak Mall wasn't built until '82. As a kid I referred to Manor East as the "white mall" and Post Oak as the "new mall". I recall stores such as The Fair (which became Crafts, Etc later), a jeweler, an asian import store, an Orange Julius, the JC Penney (which later became Food 4 Less), there was an upscale lady's store, video arcade, KKYS, a photo finishing store (Fox maybe?), Eckerds, the ice cream stand in front of Bealls that hung on forever after the mall began declining, the pet store, an optometrist, a home video rental store (long before the days of Hastings, Blockbuster, etc), Montgomery Ward's that my grandmother shopped at religiously and still had a catalogue order/pick up counter, an indoor putt-putt course by the movie theater (remember the foil wallpaper in the theater lobby?), wasn't there a Court's or other western wear store at one point?...I had more than one set of pictures made with Santa and the Easter Bunny on that center stage let me tell you. Pier 1 Imports was even in the strip center at the corner of Texas & Villa Maria and El Chico was located in the building that now houses the three restaurants facing Texas Ave.

It was so sad what a dismal site Manor East had become by the late '90s. Once Wal-Mart moved to Briarcrest that was the last nail in the coffin....not that it'd been a great addition to begin with but I think the Culpepper's hoped it would help the mall hang on for a while after Penney's and others started heading south. Unfortunately, Manor East's lingering demise probably really pulled all of central Bryan down with it for a time. Inroads are being made daily to reverse that trend now but it has a long way to go. Its great to now drive by the Tejas Center and see a jam-packed HEB, a Starbucks (in Bryan!...who would've thought), Bealls, Baskins, Golds Gym, Hastings, small stores, restaurants, etc.

[IronTiger]

Apparently there was once a Sears here that moved to Post Oak Mall. Where was the Sears?

[Scotch]

Sears was in the Townshire Shopping Center. After Sears moved to Post Oak Mall the space was home to a hardware store then Blinn College and after a substantial remodal, Albertsons(now closed).

[slyk]

Ahh yes Sam's Drive-In and Jack-n-Jill donuts. We went there a lot when I was a kid. Trying to remember though, did Sam's Drive-In turn into Jack n Jill or was Jack n Jill where Winchell's donuts was?

The hardware store you mention of was Central Texas hardware. I think prior to moving to the old Sears location at Townshire they were somewhere downtown Bryan.

Speaking of donuts, rememebr when Shipleys had a donut/hamburger place on South College, near Pepe's where "the Burger House" is?

[Mark F. Barnes]

Ahh yes Sam's Drive-In and Jack-n-Jill donuts. We went there a lot when I was a kid. Trying to remember though, did Sam's Drive-In turn into Jack n Jill or was Jack n Jill where Winchell's donuts was?

The hardware store you mention of was Central Texas hardware. I think prior to moving to the old Sears location at Townshire they were somewhere downtown Bryan.

Speaking of donuts, rememebr when Shipleys had a donut/hamburger place on South College, near Pepe's where "the Burger House" is?

Sam's and Jack and Jill were one in the same. Sam Urso was married to my dad's little sister Ruby. She's still alive living out in Reliance. Sam passed away a few years ago from cancer. Their oldest son Steve is married to a beautiful Cuban girl has three kids, and has a kids dentistry practice there in Bryan. Gary is a lifer in the Marine Corp, due to retire anytime now. He lives in San Diego, Susan is married to the V.P. of the First Bank of the Caymans, and they live there on the island, she has two kids. I only see Susan and Gary once a year at family reunion, but I see Steve quite a bit, he hunts my place in South Texas and Pagosa Springs CO, and they come Montgomery to visit and the girls hit the Woodlands Mall. Steve was a lot closer to my age, and was more like a baby brother to me.

Once Sam sold the place there were several other food joints there, including a seafood place run by a Vietnamese family. Can't remember the year they knocked it down, but it has been quite a while. It was right there where Twin Blvd came out on Texas Ave. When Sam's was still open, Sam and Ruby had a house on Carter Creek, forth one from the Northeast corner of Carter Creek and Esther. When Sam sold his place they moved out to the farm in Reliance. Sam had a bid pig farm out there for many many years. He sold all the swine in the 80's but still had the Sam's Grocery there on Old Reliance Rd up until he died. He still made good donuts, burgers and BBQ.

The old Hardware Store downtown I think of is Parker Astin, and it's still there. Some of the Employees there have worked there for 60 some odd years. Two of the Ondrasek girls have worked there at least that long. They still have odd ball stuff you will not find at Home Depot. And if you a restoring an old house, they'll have the original fixtures you need to do it right. One of the few remaining original downtown businesses still around.

[Scotch]

Parker-Astin is still Downtown but I am pretty sure Central Texas Hardware was in the building that now contains Old Bryan Marketplace and Madden's.

CTH then moved to Townshire and I think had another name before shutting down.

I remember a donut place on Texas Ave., but it was between KFC and Dabbs Mobil(now Chevron).

Actually the Asian place is still there in the same building but I think their gosh-awful "LIVE SEAFOOD" sign is no longer there. That or I avert my eyes when I drive by there. The street that runs beside it is Brook, which runs into Eagle Pass. I'll try to get a picture of that building and post it.

There is a building by Twin that my parents said was originally a DQ, it is also still there, but vacant after Sterling(formerly Allen Olds Cadillac) moved out.

[Mark F. Barnes]

For some reason I draw a blank when it comes to CTH being in Townshire. There was Sears on the North End and Keyser's near the other end, and a big fabric store, the rest is blank to me. Keyser's took up a pretty big piece of the building because the had the indoor Slot car racing track, next to the Hobby Store for several years.

And you are correct in the location of Sam's I had my wires crossed, been a few years, the other place was a DQ, and may have been a Frosty Cream before that. I grew up out on Dilly Shaw Tap Rd., and a trip to town was something back then. 29th St. turned into a dirt road at Villa Maria, and dead ended at the creek down by the radio/TV station. Where St. Joseph's and Bryan High is was all open fields. Villa Maria was a small road that ran the edge of town till it turned into a blacktop road over close to where Manor East mall ended up. What's known as William Joel Bryan was simply 25th St. Sue Haswell Park was just a wooded creek that fell between 24th and 25th streets. What is called Earl Rudder Fwy (East Bypass to some of us), was only a thought. Olen Cole cut my hair in downtown Bryan at the City Barber Shop for 40 years. Man how the years slip away.

[Scotch]

Locations are about the only thing I am good at, glad to refresh the memories. CTH moved into the old Sears location at Townshire.

Aside from that, I really only remember Keyser's being there back in the 80's, but I would go inside there fairly often. They still had the track when I went.

Domino's was there many years, and Sav-On Office Supply moved in probably about 15 years aqo.

[keyser]

Aside from that, I really only remember Keyser's being there back in the 80's, but I would go inide there fairly often. They still had the track when I went.

As someone who is unused to seeing my last name anywhere, particularly in the town I now live in(!), can you tell me what Keyser's was?

[Mark F. Barnes]

As someone who is unused to seeing my last name anywhere, particularly in the town I now live in(!), can you tell me what Keyser's was?

Keyser's was a big Hobby store. High end models, gas powered and electric, trains you name it. They also had a big slot car racing facility next door, back when slot car racing was a big thing.

[rcj0618]

There is a building by Twin that my parents said was originally a DQ, it is also still there, but vacant after Sterling(formerly Allen Olds Cadillac) moved out.

That was Burger Chef.

Keyser's Hobby Shop was a spinoff of Kelly's Toylane that was in downtown Bryan.

Mark Barnes - do you have a brother named Kirk? I attended BHS with him in the late 70s.

[Mark F. Barnes]

Kirk is my first cousin, might as well be my brother, were that close.

[rcj0618]

Here's a picture of Manor East Mall before the "mall" part was added to the left (east) of Monkey Wards:

[IronTiger]

Cool! When was that photo taken? And can anyone remember when Wal-Mart opened?

[citykid09]

Here's a picture of Manor East Mall before the "mall" part was added to the left (east) of Monkey Wards:

Is that Kroger where Hastings is now? If so I don't remember that building behind it. Is that where Whatabuger and the other places are now along Texas Ave?

[Scotch]

The Kroger building became Hastings, and there was also an addition built towards Texas Ave. that included Starship Hallmark, Payless Shoes and now contains Subway, Papa Murphy's and Los Molcajetes.

The side that had the Kroger sign had windows added below where that sign was later. That is the side that faces Villa Maria.

[IronTiger]

There was also "Lease Town" which later became "Rent City". Anyways, a few questions:

1) How many years were there between when Montgomery Ward was built and the mall was built?

2) What replaced JCPenney? A grocery store? And then did Bealls and JoAnn replace that?

3) When did Wal-Mart open?

4) When did Montgomery Ward close?