Historic Houston Banks & Financial Institutions

[blue92]

Does anyone remember the round bank building in downtown Houston? It was on the west side of Main Street.

I went to Google Earth and looked for it but couldn't find it and noticed downtown Houston has a lot of vacant lots from torn down buildings, looks kind of sad from the satellite view. 

[kylejack]

A one-story building?

[blue92]

A one-story building?

 

Yea I think so.

[acamarillo]

was that the one across the street from foleys that later was a burger king or something like that?

 

 

[sevfiv]

What's the time frame on this? Can you narrow down north or south?

[blue92]

Downtown Houston.  It was still there when I left Houston in 1979, it was a bank then. I used to park near it to go pick up watch material from a watch supply house by the name of Kurtz. I also had watch repair accounts close by that I would deliver and pick up the watches to take to my shop that was just east of Memorial Shopping Mall.

[blue92]

Downtown Houston.  It was still there when I left Houston in 1979, it was a bank then. I used to park near it to go pick up watch material from a watch supply house by the name of Kurtz. I also had watch repair accounts close by that I would deliver and pick up the watches to take to my shop that was just east of Memorial Shopping Mall.

 

Somewhere between the 600 block and the I-45 spur that runs thru the south edge of downtown. Which wasn't built at the time yet.

 

[IronTiger]

I think I read it was a Burger King in later years, yes.

[mollusk]

That would have been across Dallas from what was then Foley's, adjacent to the old Humble Oil building.

 

It is now the entry court for the downtown Marriott, across Dallas from the Hilcorp headquarters a-buildin'.

[ArchFan]

I remember there was an oval-shaped one-story building on the NE corner of the block just south of Foley's.  Downtown folks can verify this, but I think the major structure on that block was the old Humble Oil HQ.  I remember the oval building housing a ticketing office for Braniff Airlines, but was occupied by some kind of retail (I think) after Braniff went belly-up.

[Specwriter]

I remember there was an oval-shaped one-story building on the NE corner of the block just south of Foley's.  Downtown folks can verify this, but I think the major structure on that block was the old Humble Oil HQ.  I remember the oval building housing a ticketing office for Braniff Airlines, but was occupied by some kind of retail (I think) after Braniff went belly-up.

I remember this as well. In the early '90's the windows were boarded up. I seem to recall a green metal frieze too. That was the circular part.

[ArchFan]

Yeah ... I could be wrong, but my fuzzy recollection is that the top edge of the building was decorated with what looked like a strip of small oxidized copper panels.  As a kid, I though it had a sophisticated look.

[Specwriter]

Yeah ... I could be wrong, but my fuzzy recollection is that the top edge of the building was decorated with what looked like a strip of small oxidized copper panels.  As a kid, I though it had a sophisticated look.

 

Arch, you and I are definitely thinking of the same building but I'm not sure it is the one in question. Any HAIF'er, could it have been a travel agency at one time?

 

[blue92]

That would have been across Dallas from what was then Foley's, adjacent to the old Humble Oil building.

 

It is now the entry court for the downtown Marriott, across Dallas from the Hilcorp headquarters a-buildin'.

 

Yea I think that's it. I looked on Google Earth back to 1978 and saw that corner did have a round building on it. For some reason I remember it being a Southwest Bank. Was that Humble Oil building a 12 story building?

 

[mollusk]

It's a bit taller than 12, but not much.  It's now occupied by a couple Marriott concepts.

 

The old Humble Oil Building can be seen in some of the photos in the 1111 Travis thread - it's the obviously older, dark brick building.

[blue92]

It's a bit taller than 12, but not much.  It's now occupied by a couple Marriott concepts.

 

The old Humble Oil Building can be seen in some of the photos in the 1111 Travis thread - it's the obviously older, dark brick building.

 

If it's the building I'm thinking of I used to have a watch account on the 8th floor of that building. I'm trying to find a 1978 Jewelers Board of Trade book that list all the jewelry stores and their credit ratings each year so I can remember the name of that store for a list I'm making of all the stores I did work for when I lived in Houston from 73 thur 79.