Street name tiles

[DavidATX]

Does anyone know where I could purchase the same type of tile the city uses for the tile mosaic street names inside the loop (the blue and white, about 1"x1")? Thanks...

[JLWM8609]

I would try looking here:

http://www.mosaictile.com/

[DavidATX]

Thanks, I checked out the site, but they only sell loose glass tile. I think these street name tiles are porcelaine. Anyone one else know where the city gets them from? I emailed the city's works site, but no response. Thanks.

[editor]

Not exactly on topic, but...

When I was in Italy recently I noticed that a lot of neighborhoods and small towns will use identically themed ceramic tiles for their house numbers and names. It's really very quaint and attractive. Close-knit neighborhoods like The Heights should do something like this, too. It enhances the neighborhood's sense of identity, and community.

[Ross]

The tile street names in Houston date from some time ago. The City doesn't do the tiles any longer. I suspect, but am not sure, that the tiles were done in the middle of the 20th Century or earlier. They appear in the picture of the house and fruit stand on Franklin that's been around for a while. These days, the City just puts up one of the green signs on a pole.

[JLWM8609]

The City doesn't do the tiles any longer. I suspect, but am not sure, that the tiles were done in the middle of the 20th Century or earlier.

In special circumstances, The City has been known to put up new tile. I've seen some new tile at Hamilton and McGowen. It wasn't on the curb, but it was on a sidewalk and done in such a way to mimic the old blue and white tile.

[silverartfox]

The tile street names in Houston date from some time ago. The City doesn't do the tiles any longer. I suspect, but am not sure, that the tiles were done in the middle of the 20th Century or earlier.

I was a kid in Houston in the 1940's-1950's and they were installed way before then. The ones in my Broadmoor neighborhood are black and white.

Those unglazed porcelain tiles were made by an outfit known as The Mosaic Tile Company as late as the 1950's (my folks considered them for a house they were building), but I think it's out of business. Somebody is making them again because they're popular with people who are doing period restorations of early 20th century bathroom floors. They're sold on a foot square piece of mesh - wish I could give you a source for them.

[DavidATX]

Thanks for the replies...I too have seen "new" mosaics where the city has tried to be consistent. I have found several places that sell the tile as silverartfox has described, in sheets...but I am looking for loose tile. I am sure there is some company that does them...the search continues!

[Ross]

I hadn't seen the new tiles - that's great news. I've always liked the tile signs - they just look good. There's always the chance the City had a pile of tile in a warehouse somewhere. Try contacting the Public Affairs person for Public Works for more information. If that doesn't work, send them a Freedom of Information Act request for copies of any documents relating to the procurement of the tiles. The PA person can blow you off, the FOIA person can't.

[DavidATX]

Well, I sent another email, this time to city planning within the Houston Public Works. I did see something interesting near my house in the Heights. Across the street from Spanish Flowers is a rundown "motel" called the Admiral Inn, there is a parellel parking space along N. Main with "Private Property" in tile mosaic on the curb. I had never seen something like that, just the street names.

[Ross]

Well, I sent another email, this time to city planning within the Houston Public Works. I did see something interesting near my house in the Heights. Across the street from Spanish Flowers is a rundown "motel" called the Admiral Inn, there is a parellel parking space along N. Main with "Private Property" in tile mosaic on the curb. I had never seen something like that, just the street names.

I've always like the Admiral - it's a cool remiinder of a time when that was the edge of town. I had never thought about the tiles matching the street names before.

[jaypeedevlin]

Hi All!

 

First time poster but I've long been a lurker on these forums.  Thanks for all the helpful contributions.

 

I'm doing some research on the mosaic-style street names you can see in curbsides in some areas of Houston.

 

I was wondering if anyone could point me towards where best to find some history about these?

 

Additionally, I have a 2 minute survey on the topic - if anyone would like to provide a quick response that would be appreciated also: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RGBCJ6D

 

Cheers,

 

--JD.

[Luminare]

If you are just looking for mosaic-style curbsides you will find them scattered all over between the Galleria and Downtown mostly south of Westheimer. I'm sure there are plenty others as well. If you are looking for the history of these? I would start with the city. I'm sure if you look into construction records then you might find actual documents about these and when they were built. Just a hunch of course. I'm certainly not an expert nor do I have a lot of experience finding info on stuff like this (though I should try to make more of an effort to find out). Good luck to you. I've certainly been curious about those for awhile.

 

I'm also curious about the vertical stone post makers scattered throughout this area as well. They provide the same function as the mosaics, but they seem much older.

[Specwriter]

I'm also curious about the vertical stone post makers scattered throughout this area as well. They provide the same function as the mosaics, but they seem much older.

 

I've seen these all over town. We even had them in HIdden Valley (subdivision just west of I-45 at W. Mt. Houston) where I grew up in the '60's. The developer must have put them in because the area was not inside the city limits of Houston at the time. Those were made of concrete and the street names were molded into the faces of the posts. The lettering was usually painted black which wore away after a while. The posts did not last. Many became the victims of turns taken too sharply.   When the COH annexed the area including Hidden Valley in 1978 regular street signs on metal poles went up. I don't remember if any of the concrete markers were still around then but they were probably removed at that time.

[NenaE]

Those concrete corner street posts were in Oak Meadows in the '60's as well. The houses were built in the early to mid 1950's. I always saw the blue and white porcelain curb markers in older neighborhoods, 1940's >.

[mollusk]

In Woodland Heights, we have both the tiles and the obelisks (to the extent they've survived).

[JLWM8609]

The older tile mosaic street name signs were black and white instead of blue and white. There are some in Riverside that are black and white. I guess they date from the late 20s at the earliest. I think there was some overlap between the days of the obelisks and the tiles, especially if the street didn't have curbs.

 

I've seen obelisks outside of Houston, too. I've seen one in Fresno in eastern Fort Bend County near the Brazoria County line on E. Dallas (turns into Brazoria Co. Rd. 59 about a 1/4 mi east) at Laurel. In its current condition, the obelisk is either oriented the wrong way and E. Dallas was once known as Magnolia St., or, its orientation is correct and E. Dallas was once known as Laurel and Laurel was formerly Magnolia St. You can see it here: https://www.google.com/maps/@29.539915,-95.438677,3a,15y,250.62h,66.67t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sMoiicthVczw8j5QSSKzQNQ!2e0

 

There's an unmarked obelisk on Wilburforce and Joe Louis Ln. (yes, the boxer) in Acres Homes. Remember, Acres Homes wasn't annexed until the 1970s, and these obelisks date from the 50s and 60s.

 

The interesting thing about some of these obelisks is that they don't have the street names carved into them. I'm guessing the street names were painted on and the paint has simply worn off over the past 60 years. In addition to the unmarked obelisk in Acres Homes,there's another unmarked one at the intersection of Canfield and Rosewood in Third Ward.

[NenaE]

The older tile mosaic street name signs were black and white instead of blue and white. There are some in Riverside that are black and white. I guess they date from the late 20s at the earliest. I think there was some overlap between the days of the obelisks and the tiles, especially if the street didn't have curbs.

 

 

I was really thinking about the time period for those small tile street signs, as well. My great-grandmother's bungalow had tile kitchen countertops. It was built in the twenties. Certainly, with the introduction of the Spanish or Mission style, tiles were used extensively. During the forties, many buildings had black tile details. At one time, pale green tile was popular...theaters, like the Santa Rosa reflected it. 

 

Correction to my previous post...meant to say 1940's <.

 

A bit astray from topic... but, I've been studying Acres Homes a bit. Interesting history, beautiful lots so close to the city. It's a very distinct area, when viewing GoogleEarth. I was reading that the area is attracting a few artists who can't afford their previous haunts, such as Montrose. 

[mollusk]

BTW, in answer to the OP's question, Dal Tile carries that sort of thing, though you may have to order it.  The street names (and for that matter, the little hex tiles) are an unglazed porcelain tile.  Even though it comes in sheets, nobody said that you can't pull the individual tiles off of the sheet.