Fannin State Bank At 1020 Holcombe Blvd.

[Subdude]

On 5/5/2015 at 3:00 PM, Luminare said:

So when you said Bank of America I assumed you meant the tiny suburban style drive thru building, but no its on the other side. Using google images it censors one of the top names of who leases space. Does Bank of America lease space in this rather tall building?

 

Now before everyone gives up lets remember that TMC is no stranger for taking out tall buildings. From the design of the building I would say what currently sits there is at least mid-70's maybe early 80's?

 

Anyway I put together a quick graphic of the view the rendering shows:

 

http://i.imgur.com/QPDw5ru.png

 

Yes, Bank of America  is a large tenant in the tall building.  That was originally the Fannin Bank Building and dates from I believe mid-1960s. 

[Highrise Tower]

I noticed the original bank vault located in the Fannin Bank Building.  Pardon the photo of the Texas A&M University EnMed student.

I cleared out an original bank vault for Hines a few years ago. They're really cool.

[Highrise Tower]

A construction photo I found online. I believe it's from 1962. Historic picture! Both of the historic towers that got demolished on the left and right.

[Earlydays]

I worked in the IBM building under construction next door from 1968 to 1973, then moved to continue working with IBM around the country until 1992.

[ATH]

Yes, it was constructed in 1962 by Fretz Construction Company.  Herman Lloyd was the architect.

 

[cowboybud]

There were also radio studios in the building, the old KAUM/97 Rock had studios there.

[Subdude]

On 7/25/2021 at 6:54 PM, cowboybud said:

There were also radio studios in the building, the old KAUM/97 Rock had studios there.

I went there with a friend once who wanted to meet Moby!

[Katy19]

On 7/23/2021 at 8:59 PM, Highrise Tower said:

A construction photo I found online. I believe it's from 1962. Historic picture! Both of the historic towers that got demolished on the left and right.

I managed this building from 1990 to 2018.  It is really cool that A&M saved the superstructure.  The exposed parts of the superstructure on the west elevation with glass.  It replaced the Carrara Marble wall.     Pretty exciting to see what they did to modernize.   Saving the super structure prevent them from having to move the building back to comply with current set back codes.   They are now working on the 3rd building on the site.    I was also designed by the some of the same architects that did the Astrodome.    I saw the old Prudential (MDA) building imploded from the top floor.  

[BraesHeights]

On 7/23/2021 at 8:59 PM, Highrise Tower said:

A construction photo I found online. I believe it's from 1962. Historic picture! Both of the historic towers that got demolished on the left and right.

What a cool photo! The Prudential Building on the left had a Peter Hurd mural on a curved wall in the lobby and a swimming pool on the grounds.  The building that became occupied by IBM was called the Siteman Building.

[Specwriter]

That photo is amazing. Consider what is on the land between Main and Fannin now. My mother went to work for an obstetrician in the Hermann Professional Building around 1965. This scene must be much like what she saw then.

[dwinchell]

On 7/27/2021 at 8:03 AM, Subdude said:

I went there with a friend once who wanted to meet Moby!

I worked for Fannin Bank from early to mid 80's.  knew Moby and Mathews as tenants, Hannah Storm also worked for 97 Rock at that time.  Cool times for me then.

[Highrise Tower]

Here's a bank money bag with a rendering of the Fannin State Bank located at 1020 Holcombe Blvd.

Interesting. I must have forgot there was a single-story building as well.  I thought the high-rise tower was apart of the Fannin State Bank? Did the tower get built afterwards for another bank? I believe 1020 Holcombe was also another bank as well.  I'm confused.

[Dave W]

1 hour ago, Highrise Tower said:

Here's a bank money bag with a rendering of the Fannin State Bank located at 1020 Holcombe Blvd.

Interesting. I must have forgot there was a single-story building as well.  I thought the high-rise tower was apart of the Fannin State Bank? Did the tower get built afterwards for another bank? I believe 1020 Holcombe was also another bank as well.  I'm confused.

 

That was the original building. I believe that's the same building that additional stories were added on top of in the early 60s.

[brucesw]

I never knew of the low-rise building but I didn't get here until 1970.  When did it become just Fannin Bank?

It would be interesting if we could identify all the structures along Main and Fannin.  Is that Bill Williams in the distance?  Can we see Capt. Benny's original shrimp boat?  Nah.  Too early for Capt. Benny.  What's the bank with drive through lanes on both sides?  Isn't the low building behind the building under construction the APC building - Adams (or Ada?) Petroleum Company, as in Bud Adams?

KXYZ-AM & FM shared space on the 16th floor, I believe it was, east end of the building.  There was a restaurant above us.  The FM was just a closet and just simulcast the AM ("World's Most Beautiful Music").  In '69 or early '70, ABC split off their FM's and launched Love FM, syndicated progressive rock with taped programming.  By September of 70, all 7 ABC-FMs went live with local programming and new calls.  KAUM got new, separate studios and offices on the 15th floor and in less than 2 years expanded again to the 12th floor.  

One evening before the first move I saw Dave Lamble, newsman on the FM, standing in the Chief Engineer's office looking out the windows on the back of the building. I went over to see what he was looking at but couldn't figure out what attracted his attention, so I asked.  The sunset, he said. Dave grew up on Long Island and went to school in NYC.  He said he'd never seen a sunset until he moved to Houston and he loved to watch them.

I wonder if the picture was taken from the Medical Arts building on Dryden?  That's where the studios of KFMK-98 FM were and had been - the first progressive/album/acid rock outlet in Houston.  I knew a jock who worked there who said when they put a long cut on, they'd go up on the roof and light one up.

 

[Dave W]

Bruce, I don't know when the "State" was dropped from their name, but back then all FDIC-insured banks had to have either National or State in their names. Obviously the change must have taken place by 1970.

[ATH]

On 6/16/2023 at 9:47 PM, Dave W said:

 

That was the original building. I believe that's the same building that additional stories were added on top of in the early 60s.

That  is correct.  The two-story building was constructed  in the 1950's and was connected to the sixteen story tower which was built in 1962.  Al Knapp was the Chairman of the Board for Fannin State Bank.

[ATH]

Good memory!   The private club on the top of the Fannin State Bank Building was the Criterion Club.   It was on the 16th and 17th floors originally.

On 6/16/2023 at 10:59 PM, brucesw said:

I never knew of the low-rise building but I didn't get here until 1970.  When did it become just Fannin Bank?

It would be interesting if we could identify all the structures along Main and Fannin.  Is that Bill Williams in the distance?  Can we see Capt. Benny's original shrimp boat?  Nah.  Too early for Capt. Benny.  What's the bank with drive through lanes on both sides?  Isn't the low building behind the building under construction the APC building - Adams (or Ada?) Petroleum Company, as in Bud Adams?

KXYZ-AM & FM shared space on the 16th floor, I believe it was, east end of the building.  There was a restaurant above us.  The FM was just a closet and just simulcast the AM ("World's Most Beautiful Music").  In '69 or early '70, ABC split off their FM's and launched Love FM, syndicated progressive rock with taped programming.  By September of 70, all 7 ABC-FMs went live with local programming and new calls.  KAUM got new, separate studios and offices on the 15th floor and in less than 2 years expanded again to the 12th floor.  

One evening before the first move I saw Dave Lamble, newsman on the FM, standing in the Chief Engineer's office looking out the windows on the back of the building. I went over to see what he was looking at but couldn't figure out what attracted his attention, so I asked.  The sunset, he said. Dave grew up on Long Island and went to school in NYC.  He said he'd never seen a sunset until he moved to Houston and he loved to watch them.

I wonder if the picture was taken from the Medical Arts building on Dryden?  That's where the studios of KFMK-98 FM were and had been - the first progressive/album/acid rock outlet in Houston.  I knew a jock who worked there who said when they put a long cut on, they'd go up on the roof and light one up.

 

Good memory!   The private club on the top of the Fannin State Bank Building was the Criterion Club.   It was on the 16th and 17th floors originally.

[EspersonBuildings]

On 6/16/2023 at 11:59 PM, brucesw said:

I never knew of the low-rise building but I didn't get here until 1970.  When did it become just Fannin Bank?

It would be interesting if we could identify all the structures along Main and Fannin.  Is that Bill Williams in the distance?  Can we see Capt. Benny's original shrimp boat?  Nah.  Too early for Capt. Benny.  What's the bank with drive through lanes on both sides?  Isn't the low building behind the building under construction the APC building - Adams (or Ada?) Petroleum Company, as in Bud Adams?

KXYZ-AM & FM shared space on the 16th floor, I believe it was, east end of the building.  There was a restaurant above us.  The FM was just a closet and just simulcast the AM ("World's Most Beautiful Music").  In '69 or early '70, ABC split off their FM's and launched Love FM, syndicated progressive rock with taped programming.  By September of 70, all 7 ABC-FMs went live with local programming and new calls.  KAUM got new, separate studios and offices on the 15th floor and in less than 2 years expanded again to the 12th floor.  

One evening before the first move I saw Dave Lamble, newsman on the FM, standing in the Chief Engineer's office looking out the windows on the back of the building. I went over to see what he was looking at but couldn't figure out what attracted his attention, so I asked.  The sunset, he said. Dave grew up on Long Island and went to school in NYC.  He said he'd never seen a sunset until he moved to Houston and he loved to watch them.

I wonder if the picture was taken from the Medical Arts building on Dryden?  That's where the studios of KFMK-98 FM were and had been - the first progressive/album/acid rock outlet in Houston.  I knew a jock who worked there who said when they put a long cut on, they'd go up on the roof and light one up.

 

You mean Medical Towers Professional Building on Dryden (now The Westin Houston Medical Center Hotel), not Medical Arts.  Medical Arts was located in downtown on the northern end of Houston Center, demolished in the early 1970's, I think.   I am the youngest of five kids who were all born at Methodist Hospital (the first four on Bertner, me on Fannin) and our mother's OB doctor's office was in The Medical Towers Building.  I visited the KAUM offices in the Fannin Bank Building when I was 16 in 1979 and tried to meet DJ Joannie Brennan.  Unfortunately, they would not let me see her but gave me a KAUM bumper sticker.  I did manage to speak to her on the phone later and she mailed me a picture of herself in front of her DJ microphone with a big beaming smile.  I might even still have that picture (somewhere boxed up).

[brucesw]

3 hours ago, EspersonBuildings said:

You mean Medical Towers Professional Building on Dryden (now The Westin Houston Medical Center Hotel), not Medical Arts.  Medical Arts was located in downtown on the northern end of Houston Center, demolished in the early 1970's, I think.   I am the youngest of five kids who were all born at Methodist Hospital (the first four on Bertner, me on Fannin) and our mother's OB doctor's office was in The Medical Towers Building.  I visited the KAUM offices in the Fannin Bank Building when I was 16 in 1979 and tried to meet DJ Joannie Brennan.  Unfortunately, they would not let me see her but gave me a KAUM bumper sticker.  I did manage to speak to her on the phone later and she mailed me a picture of herself in front of her DJ microphone with a big beaming smile.  I might even still have that picture (somewhere boxed up).

Thanks for the correction on Medical Towers.

 

Edited June 24, 2023 by brucesw
correction

[EspersonBuildings]

You're welcome.  Interesting post you wrote.  BTW, you are correct, the low rise behind the building under construction is indeed the former APC Building.  This is a guess on my part, but I don't think Bill Williams would have been visible from this angle because it was located immediately north of Dryden (where the Marriot now stands but facing Main).  This would be just below the motor bank with drive throughs on either side in this picture.  I could be wrong on this but thanks for making me pick my brain.  

Edited June 27, 2023 by EspersonBuildings
clarification

[Dave W]

3 hours ago, EspersonBuildings said:

You're welcome.  Interesting post you wrote.  BTW, you are correct, the low rise behind the building under construction is indeed the former APC Building.  This is a guess on my part, but I don't think Bill Williams would have been visible from this angle because it was located immediately north of Dryden (where the Marriot now stands but facing Main).  This would be just below the motor bank with drive throughs on either side in this picture.  I could be wrong on this but thanks for making me pick my brain.  

You're correct about the location of Bill Williams. It was north of Dryden, and Youngblood's Fried Chicken was in the block north of Bill Williams.