Historic Houston Demolished Buildings

[Vertigo58]

Does anybody remember that gigantic white Greek revival house with the doric columns on Fannin Street, I want to say near McGowen (now "mid town")? It was across the street from the MHMRA building. For years it was a cleaners, then it was demolished...in the late '90s I think. In the same block was an old one-story brick building that was occasionally used as a haunted house...It's been an empty lot ever since.

Noooooooooooooo!!!!!!

In another topic someone said they had found piles of old negatives & film .... later tossed in trash. (cursing under breath)

[rsb320]

The address was 3780 Gramercy, but it took up the two lots near the corner of Braes - it backed up to the Shell building. For some reason I didn't migrate the Houck house page with all the pictures to my "new" site, so I'll have to get to that..

Right, it was Gramercy. Bellefontaine is one block to the south. I'm still interested in the metal-framed structure and if that was common back in that era.

[Subdude]

Oh yeah, I see that now. He died September 17, 2007. The house was demolished in April of that year.

Looks like the "Serbin Partnership II," which owns the property, doesn't really exist anymore either.

His obituary states that he was a computer systems engineer and also had an architectural antiques business (in Pennsylvania). He moved here to expand the antique business but ended up founding Texas Commercial Brokers, Inc. "Through Texas Commercial Brokers, Richard played an instrumental role in the revitalization of the Rice Village commercial area." He also won the 2006 Greater Southwest Houston Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year award for his civic contributions.

It was a 1940s-era streamline moderne house. Very cool looking. Unique for Houston.

This is a timeline of the demise (first picture from the AIA guide, second from Karen Lantz (2004), and third right before demolition (04/2007):

Thanks for the pictures. As soon as I saw them I remembered it exactly.

[Subdude]

Does anybody remember that gigantic white Greek revival house with the doric columns on Fannin Street, I want to say near McGowen (now "mid town")? It was across the street from the MHMRA building. For years it was a cleaners, then it was demolished...in the late '90s I think. In the same block was an old one-story brick building that was occasionally used as a haunted house...It's been an empty lot ever since.

I remember that, but was that on Fannin? I keep thinking Travis or Milam.

[rsb320]

I remember that, but was that on Fannin? I keep thinking Travis or Milam.

The one on Milam is still there. I think it's a Vietnamese tax or CPA business. The brick "Spook House" that I remember is one block north of the HCC building. There's an old haunted house sign still there. That dilapidated old place need to be torn down.

[dakotafleming]

Thought it'd be fun to come up with a list of places where a significant structure or business was demolished, and now it's just a vacant lot -- development didn't work out for some reason.

Astroworld

Carousel House

1Waverly (Glassman Shoemake Maldonado house)

State Grille/Confederate House/Black Angus

Any more?

http://thestategrille.com/page/o4qj/Take_A...CircleView.html the State Grill always smelled like raw sewage when stopped at the light on that corner

[Vertigo58]

Here is more major trivia or mysteries I need solved.

Can anyone list any or most of the structures that once stood where the present Pierce elevated now stands???

Imagine what awesome homes/business's once stood there?

and I am talking all along Pierce like starting as soon you drive into downtown East to West. Surely some local historians can fill us in?

Can anyone state the year that 45 overpass frwy was placed there may be a better question? and list any notable structures that had to go "In the name of progress", grrrrrr.

[dbigtex56]

In another topic someone said they had found piles of old negatives & film .... later tossed in trash. (cursing under breath)

That was me. The photography studio was located behind the Duff house on Milam. Unfortunately, it was in a poorly maintained outbuilding and there wasn't much hope of salvaging what remained.

The one on Milam is still there. I think it's a Vietnamese tax or CPA business. The brick "Spook House" that I remember is one block north of the HCC building. There's an old haunted house sign still there. That dilapidated old place need to be torn down.

That's the Windward Court apartment building.

2819 Fannin was A. N. Dawson's Tuam Avenue Baptist Church building, built in 1902. It became Perfecto Cleaners when the congregation moved and became South Main Baptist Church in 1920. According to the Architectural Guide, the brown brick annex was built for the cleaners in 1928 by Lamar Q. Cato.

Wasn't it briefly used as a synagogue as well? Shame it was demolished - it held much potential.

.

Duff also built the three story apartment building on the corner of Milan and McGowen in 1922.

The Sheridan apartments, I think; they've been converted to condos. Formerly owned by Jay Hollyfield, who also owned 2700 Albany (Emo's, Club Some, The Officer's Club, also converted to condos)

[JLWM8609]

Can anyone state the year that 45 overpass frwy was placed there may be a better question? and list any notable structures that had to go "In the name of progress", grrrrrr.

The Pierce Elevated was built between 1964 and 1967. Don't have any names of the places that were torn down though. The Houston Freeways eBook should have a pic of the stretch of Pierce before the freeway plowed through.

[Vertigo58]

The Pierce Elevated was built between 1964 and 1967. Don't have any names of the places that were torn down though. The Houston Freeways eBook should have a pic of the stretch of Pierce before the freeway plowed through.

WOW, WOW, WOW Thank you for a most rare photo!

This pic is taken facing EAST. You can see Sacred Heart Church on left then St Joseph right after. Then if you note that building on right at top of pic it was always used as an admin office building. That was where my dentist (Mr Garza) had his office circa 1967-70. That building was considered state-of-the-art modern for its time. However, had they known the city would boom they would have placed all of these buildings farther apart. Was it 1999 when they tore the whole thing down and redid? It was a nightmare and seemed to take forever to complete. Sadly as we all know even though we redid the whole stretch, its still piles up daily.

Thanks for the trip back in time, I miss my old dentist poor man has long since passed on. He was very kind to us kiddoes always had lollipops for us. Kind of crazy right? Take care of your teeth brochure as you exited then gave you a lollipop?

[Dan the Man]

Here you go, Vertigo:

Pierce Ave @ Jackson, looking Northwest. (from Houston Freeways)

Sorry for the crappy quality. My scanner is on the fritz, so I just took a photo of the page.

[JLWM8609]

Was it 1999 when they tore the whole thing down and redid? It was a nightmare and seemed to take forever to complete. Sadly as we all know even though we redid the whole stretch, its still piles up daily.

The project took place in 1997. It wasn't a project to add capacity, but a project to extend the life of the bridge which was deteriorating, which explains why it still has traffic backups. I think they may have widened it a bit as well to make the outside shoulder slightly wider, and they modified the striping of the lanes that enter it, but that's all.

[Vertigo58]

Pierce Ave @ Jackson, looking Northwest. (from Houston Freeways)

Now that is a very rare glimpse to the past! Check out the stop lights. I can only imagine what stories the former tenants could tell of their business's and homes in that now gone district.

and yes, Pierce elevated was in a bad deteriorating state hence the complete makeover in 97. Tks all!

More Houston mysteries solved at last.

[yuan1274]

The Pierce Elevated was built between 1964 and 1967. Don't have any names of the places that were torn down though. The Houston Freeways eBook should have a pic of the stretch of Pierce before the freeway plowed through.

I like aerial photos of old highways. I remember going to Busch Gardens when I was 12. I heard that it folded long ago. I don't know if these photos of Busch Gardens and Anheuser Busch are the ones in Houston or some other city.

[rsb320]

Ah, St. Joe's without the giant cross. The giant Ma Belle robot building and 2016 Main. It's interesting that the electrical thingy was there way back then.

It's amazing that we're considered a less densely populated city - I mean, look at the comparison of what it was.

[barracuda]

Ah, St. Joe's without the giant cross. The giant Ma Belle robot building and 2016 Main. It's interesting that the electrical thingy was there way back then.

It's amazing that we're considered a less densely populated city - I mean, look at the comparison of what it was.

It also appears there were townhomes just west of the Pierce even back then.

[kylejack]

Whoa, Texas Art Supply used to be across the street from 2016 Main.

[AtticaFlinch]

Whoa, Texas Art Supply used to be across the street from 2016 Main.

I seem to remember the boy scout shop being somewhere around there. Anybody have any ideas?

[kylejack]

I seem to remember the boy scout shop being somewhere around there. Anybody have any ideas?

Was it the same as the big Scout building? There was a building like that in Midtown that someone was going to turn into a restaurant called...Ibiza, I think? Could be wrong on the name.

[AtticaFlinch]

Was it the same as the big Scout building? There was a building like that in Midtown that someone was going to turn into a restaurant called...Ibiza, I think? Could be wrong on the name.

I think that's the one. I remember it being an oddly shaped building whose oddly shaped roof just poked over the top of the Pierce Elevated.

[kylejack]

Found it mentioned on Swamplot, about turning 1911 Bagby (Boy Scout building) into a sushi restaurant, from 2 years ago: http://swamplot.com/secret-midtown-boy-scout-sushi-location-revealed/2007-12-17/

Don't know if the project ever got any traction, but their other project, Hearsay, opened a few months back, so maybe there's hope for it after all?

[AtticaFlinch]

Found it mentioned on Swamplot, about turning 1911 Bagby (Boy Scout building) into a sushi restaurant, from 2 years ago: http://swamplot.com/...led/2007-12-17/

Don't know if the project ever got any traction, but their other project, Hearsay, opened a few months back, so maybe there's hope for it after all?

That might be it, but my often faulty memory seems to remember it differently. If I am remembering it correctly, it had a tall banana-shaped roof. I don't know. I was a kid then. I'm probably mixing buildings together from opposite sides of town.

[capt. kirk]

Thought it'd be fun to come up with a list of places where a significant structure or business was demolished, and now it's just a vacant lot -- development didn't work out for some reason.

Astroworld

Carousel House

1Waverly (Glassman Shoemake Maldonado house)

State Grille/Confederate House/Black Angus

Any more?

1. meyer speedway, was located behind playland park (before astroworld)--playland park--used to be on south main/ost area

2. majestic theatre, 908 rusk, january 29,1923--the 3rd one--first theatre with air conditioning in houston, 1971 demolished

3. metropolitan theatre, 1018 main (next door to the lowe's theatre)--december 25th, 1926--2300 seats at a cost of $2 million--1973 demolished

4. west end ball park, 1905--was located at andrews and heiner streets just south of downtown--under what is now the pierce elevated--made

entirely out of wood, single level--seating for 35,000--the salary for the players in those days was around $100 per month--players had to

provide their own uniforms, shoes, socks and gear--then they build buff stadium, just north of I-45 at cullen (the location of the finger's

furniture store) ---there was the knot hole gang--white boys between the ages of 7 and 16--i.d. cards cost 25 cents

5. san jacinto high school--home of the golden bears and the gauchos (the girls drill team) located on holman--the same building where the

hcc main campus is located now. the last class was in 1969.

6. lennox bar b que--5420 harrisburgh--60 + years in houston--i believe it closed earlier in 09

7. the ranch house restuarant--was located on telephone road near hobby airport--had the best po boy sandwiches in texas

8. mizes bakery--was located in gulfgate mall near the old bank--great sandwiches

9. crystal pool--was located on south main about a mile north of 610--an olympic size swimming pool, hockey games, 3 diving boards, water slide

and the imfamous Bubble (located at the bottom of the deep end of the pool--12 ft i think--you could swim underneath the bubble and breathe

in a canopy shaped bubble

10. the shamrock hilton located on holcombe blvd--built by glenn mccarthy--had too many things to mention here--look it up

11. the capital building of texas--at one time located on broadway near the overpass and shanghai reds near the ship channel--the name of the

town then was harrisburg, tx--the capital twice before it moved to austin,tx

12. princess' drive-in-----one on cullen near the university of houston and one on main in downtown houston and there was one on federal road

at market st.

13. alabama theatre--located on alabama just north of 59--was cautus records for a while and then a book store

14. tower theatre--located on main st near montrose--one of the last live performances was the best little whore house in texas

15. telephone rd. drive-in between hobby airport and pearland--king center drive-in near mykawa rd and bellfort area--there were also 6 screens

off of 610 where all the big warehouses are now--also airline drive--and one off of clay rd and one off of shaver near spencer--also who can

forget the redbluff drive-in............the broadway theatre was near milby h.s.--the navaway used to be on navigation near 76th--the santa rosa was on

telephone road near gulfgate mall--and the theatre across the bridge at gulfgate

16. astroworld/waterworld

17. sonny look's restuarant--main st at 610 the best steaks in houston

18. nick's fish market--1st floor of first city bank downtown--$40 abalone steaks--each table had it's own private telephone

19. cutter bill's western wear near the galleria--a backroom bar to loosen their customers up a little--federal agents raided the store--impounded

all merchandise and auctioned off everything that the owner had, including the store's landmark golden horse

20. the esquire club on hempstead highway--i think the building might still be there but not by much

21. the carousel motel near reveille and gulfgate

22. sears department store--one downtown underneath 59 and the one on harrisburg between garcia and wayside--had the best candy counter

and hot fresh popcorn--the cashews tasted so good

23. frizzelle pontiac was located on harrisburg (where thunderbolt transmission is now, maybe) it had a big indian statue out front

24. richie's department store was located on canal at 76th--almost like the dollar stores that we have now--great stuff

25. armco steel and baytown works--was located on federal road between the washburn tunnel and market st--they filmed robocop there

[e streeter]

26. gaido's on main street

also about the pierce elevated. my brother was born in sep 1962 at st. joseph's and i remember standing on dirt where they were clearing land for the pierce elevated and my mom standing at the window so we could "see" our new baby brother.

also the surrey house or cathay house on main street was raised over water. as a kid, i used to call it the "fishy" place and my dad used to take me there to see the fish swimming around.

who remembers when the tornado hit the mitchell inn (i think that was the name of it) on main street? it was on the east side of main, south of where 610 is now. it was a motel.

and remember when they built the new front to the chief motel? the motels along that part of main street always looked dumpy to me even in the 60's.

[Earlydays]

12. Prince's Drive-in, not Princess - there was also one on S. Main

14. Tower Theater was on Westheimer near Montrose, not Main St.

[yuan1274]

12. Prince's Drive-in, not Princess - there was also one on S. Main

14. Tower Theater was on Westheimer near Montrose, not Main St.

This is all I could find. Is it what you're talking about?

[yuan1274]

1. meyer speedway, was located behind playland park (before astroworld)--playland park--used to be on south main/ost area

2. majestic theatre, 908 rusk, january 29,1923--the 3rd one--first theatre with air conditioning in houston, 1971 demolished

3. metropolitan theatre, 1018 main (next door to the lowe's theatre)--december 25th, 1926--2300 seats at a cost of $2 million--1973 demolished

4. west end ball park, 1905--was located at andrews and heiner streets just south of downtown--under what is now the pierce elevated--made

entirely out of wood, single level--seating for 35,000--the salary for the players in those days was around $100 per month--players had to

provide their own uniforms, shoes, socks and gear--then they build buff stadium, just north of I-45 at cullen (the location of the finger's

furniture store) ---there was the knot hole gang--white boys between the ages of 7 and 16--i.d. cards cost 25 cents

5. san jacinto high school--home of the golden bears and the gauchos (the girls drill team) located on holman--the same building where the

hcc main campus is located now. the last class was in 1969.

6. lennox bar b que--5420 harrisburgh--60 + years in houston--i believe it closed earlier in 09

7. the ranch house restuarant--was located on telephone road near hobby airport--had the best po boy sandwiches in texas

8. mizes bakery--was located in gulfgate mall near the old bank--great sandwiches

9. crystal pool--was located on south main about a mile north of 610--an olympic size swimming pool, hockey games, 3 diving boards, water slide

and the imfamous Bubble (located at the bottom of the deep end of the pool--12 ft i think--you could swim underneath the bubble and breathe

in a canopy shaped bubble

10. the shamrock hilton located on holcombe blvd--built by glenn mccarthy--had too many things to mention here--look it up

11. the capital building of texas--at one time located on broadway near the overpass and shanghai reds near the ship channel--the name of the

town then was harrisburg, tx--the capital twice before it moved to austin,tx

12. princess' drive-in-----one on cullen near the university of houston and one on main in downtown houston and there was one on federal road

at market st.

13. alabama theatre--located on alabama just north of 59--was cautus records for a while and then a book store

14. tower theatre--located on main st near montrose--one of the last live performances was the best little whore house in texas

15. telephone rd. drive-in between hobby airport and pearland--king center drive-in near mykawa rd and bellfort area--there were also 6 screens

off of 610 where all the big warehouses are now--also airline drive--and one off of clay rd and one off of shaver near spencer--also who can

forget the redbluff drive-in............the broadway theatre was near milby h.s.--the navaway used to be on navigation near 76th--the santa rosa was on

telephone road near gulfgate mall--and the theatre across the bridge at gulfgate

16. astroworld/waterworld

17. sonny look's restuarant--main st at 610 the best steaks in houston

18. nick's fish market--1st floor of first city bank downtown--$40 abalone steaks--each table had it's own private telephone

19. cutter bill's western wear near the galleria--a backroom bar to loosen their customers up a little--federal agents raided the store--impounded

all merchandise and auctioned off everything that the owner had, including the store's landmark golden horse

20. the esquire club on hempstead highway--i think the building might still be there but not by much

21. the carousel motel near reveille and gulfgate

22. sears department store--one downtown underneath 59 and the one on harrisburg between garcia and wayside--had the best candy counter

and hot fresh popcorn--the cashews tasted so good

23. frizzelle pontiac was located on harrisburg (where thunderbolt transmission is now, maybe) it had a big indian statue out front

24. richie's department store was located on canal at 76th--almost like the dollar stores that we have now--great stuff

25. armco steel and baytown works--was located on federal road between the washburn tunnel and market st--they filmed robocop there

I remember Pig Sandwich drive-in restaurants. It was a good a filling sandwich.

[sevfiv]

^Yep, ours on Washington was No. 7:

http://arch-ive.org/archive/pig-stand-houston/

[yuan1274]

^Yep, ours on Washington was No. 7:

http://arch-ive.org/...-stand-houston/

Is this restaurant still in operation? Those are late model cars parked there. I thought I read an article a few years ago which said that the whole Pig Sandwich chain was having financial trouble and that all of the restaurants would close down.

http://michaelwitzel.com/wordpress/the-texas-pig-stands-drive-in/

http://crm.cr.nps.gov/archive/19-9/19-9-5.pdf

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/MYSA040308_01A_PigStand_38a7856_html636.html

Here's part of a closed-down Pig Sandwich stand in San Antonio:

[sevfiv]

I took the Pig Stand No. 7 picture in April, 2004 - it was added on to and turned in to Sawyer Park Sports Bar recently..