Historic Houston Clubs

[Subdude]

When you say singles bars, are you talking about the pressure cooker clubs? If so Houston had a few of them. The Cedar lounge was the most popular located on Airline drive just down the street from Dance Town USA. Mostly frequented by men that worked evenings they would show up there around noon time. The women that showed up there were mostly house wives and probably a few single women looking for a man. I was once there with a friend looking for her boyfriend and the place was very dark. You had to be in the place a few minutes to get your eyes adjusted before you could see. they had a juke box or a band and the dancing was fun but all the men were intent on going home with someone before about three in the afternoon. Just for the record, my friends boy friend never showed up. Had he walked through the door we would have seen him at once but he could have never seen us. So their relationship was saved for another day. There were a couple of more in town but I did not know the name of them.

 

There was another "pressure cooker" bar called the Four Palms that was apparently somewhat well known.  Topic about it here:

http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/topic/10266-the-four-palms/?hl=%2Bpressure+%2Bcooker

[vaughan2374]

There was also another one called Yesterday Once More. I worked nights there as a waitress and it was the best money a single mother could make. They thought nothing about how much they tipped. It was nothing on a Friday or Saturday to go home after work and you had made about $200.00 to $300.00 in tips. And on Friday & Saturday nights it was a packed house. Waitress's had to raise their trays up over their heads and work their way through all the people. Those were the good ole days.

Edited August 25, 2014 by vaughan2374

[Earlydays]

Boccaccio 2000 in Montrose (Lovett @ Taft), name derived from the Fellini movie "Boccaccio 70"

 

[Specwriter]

When you say singles bars, are you talking about the pressure cooker clubs? If so Houston had a few of them. The Cedar lounge was the most popular located on Airline drive just down the street from Dance Town USA. (T)he place was very dark. You had to be in the place a few minutes to get your eyes adjusted before you could see.

 

Ah the Cedar Lounge . . . Rumor has it that it was frequented by at least a few of the priests from the nearby Catholic church. There is nothing wrong with clergy enjoying an occasional drink and I'm sure most appreciated the relative level of anonymity the dark space afforded. I'm also sure the bartenders were discrete as well. Who knows, perhaps Father X or some of his colleagues were looking to reform sinners as they enjoyed their refreshments. I was told it was called a pressure cooker club because the housewives who spent their afternoons there would rush home and  throw something in the pressure cooker for dinner.

[Purpledevil]

That's the way I've always heard it too. Another "pressure cooker" club like this is the old "Name Dropper" on Yale, just before Parker Rd. We used to live two blocks away from this little doozy, and our neighbor catty corner from us used to get dressed up in her little tight pants and heels, sache down the street around 11am, then come running back home around 3:30-4, ditch the get up, and be outside to greet her husband in the driveway donning a pair of sweat pants and tennis shoes, when he inevitably showed up at home around 5. My wife caught this going on daily, after we first moved to Parkway in the 90s, got me to start paying attention, then it continued until they subsequently divorced and moved out of the house. Gee, I wonder why?

You never have to worry about the Name Dropper wrecking any more marriages, though. Caught fire and burned to the ground in the early 2000's, only the neon sign remained afterwards. With the widening of Yale last year, even that relic has been removed. There's very little trace of the ol' Dropper left now.

[Amsterdam]

I remember back in the 70's, "Uncle Sam's" was a very popular disco. It had a lighted dance floor (lights underneath the floor) and a disco ball. It was quite popular immediately after "Saturday Night Fever" hit the movie theaters. Being a rocker, I shunned those discos but looking back, people were just having a good time and hurting no one...except their ear drums, liver and nasal passages. It's interesting to think what an influence on pop and dance culture Travolta had on America; Saturday Night Fever and Urban Cowboy created dance studios for disco and C&W dancing, discos and C&W bars and ballrooms, radio stations changing their formats from rock to disco or C&W. Quite amazing.

[msteele6]

I was never in the place but I heard stories about the Four Palms on Telephone Road (which is funny because I was in many other joints on Telephone Road). If I'm not mistaken it was so notorious it actually made the newspapers at one time. 

 

Subdude, sorry, I didn't notice your post already mentioning the Four Palms.

Edited August 28, 2014 by msteele6

[mollusk]

We certainly didn't need John Travolta to get us some kicker bars.  Urban Cowboy was set here because we already had a more than adequate supply of them.

[plumber2]

Can't forget Cody's. The views were spectacular up there.

[djrage]

Actually the Railhead turned into Club 6400 and has been about 10 clubs since.

The Boston Tea Party was on Westheimer I think where Molinas now sits.

Is Michealangelos closed. I ate there a couple of years ago?

Since Railhead the building at 6400 Richmond at Unity became

Fizz (1984-1986)

Hippo (1986-1988)

6400 (1988-1/8/1989) burned down 

 

New building (1991)

Back Alley

Fitzgeralds West

Texas Live

Peter's Wildlife

6400 Sports Bar

T-Town 2000

Club Bar Rio

Stereo Live

[belmontdrew]

My mom was telling me about a disco club that was on West Alabama Street near the Galleria and she and my dad can't remember the name of it.  Anyone remember?  Please help us solve this mystery..haha!  Thanks!

 

Oh yeah, and does anyone know where the 80's club called "Wave's" was?  I am thinking it may have been somewhere on/near the Richmond strip.

[Subdude]

I'm guessing she is referring to Confetti's, which in other incarnations was also Foxhunter, Cowboy and R&R.  It was on West Alabama behind the Galleria.

 

 

 

 

[Michelle C]

A great Country and Western club was Van's Stampede Ballroom AKA Make Mine Country. Popular in the early 70's it was a really fun place to go. It was located on Richmond just east of Mandel in an old Weingarden store. I think there is an art gallery there now.

[Carolyn W]

On 4/30/2016 at 8:48 PM, belmontdrew said:

My mom was telling me about a disco club that was on West Alabama Street near the Galleria and she and my dad can't remember the name of it.  Anyone remember?  Please help us solve this mystery..haha!  Thanks!

 

Oh yeah, and does anyone know where the 80's club called "Wave's" was?  I am thinking it may have been somewhere on/near the Richmond strip.

It was the Scene West....one of my hangouts.

[SteamboatWillie]

There was a CW club back in the corner of a strip center on the South side of Westheimer near Fountainview.....anyone remember the name?

[SteamboatWillie]

Fool's Gold?

[SteamboatWillie]

Anyone remember Steamboat Springs on Alabama behind Joskes/Dillard's?

[Tumbleweed_Tx]

It was Fool's Gold, then it became Cardi's when Fool's Gold moved further out Westheimer

[trymahjong]

On 8/26/2014 at 8:53 AM, Earlydays said:

Boccaccio 2000 in Montrose (Lovett @ Taft), name derived from the Fellini movie "Boccaccio 70"

 

Was this in one of those big houses that got torn down, where the Townhomes are now? Have any pictures?

[Earlydays]

Yes, it was a big old house (NW corner).....sorry, no pictures. My wife and I went there a couple of times in the early 70's.

It was a cool place...dinner club and dancing.

[Neil]

There used to be a dance hall/pool room just south of the Hobby Airport and north of Almeda Genoa on Telephone road in the late 1960s and early 1970s, but I understand it was burned down. Does anyone have any information on the name or history on it? It has a lot of good memories for me and my family. Thanks.

[Richard Valley]

Yes, those were truly the Good Ol' Days:  Gilley's, Bavarian Gardens, Catacombs, Love Street Light Circus & Feel Good Machine, Market Square, Elan (Ocean Club), 

[OjazosNegros]

Thought I would post this for anyone interested: http://buffalobayou.org/event/love-street-light-circus-with-bayou-buddies-2017/

[OjazosNegros]

On 6/7/2006 at 11:46 AM, nmainguy said:

Thanks sub-great pic.

 

On 6/7/2006 at 11:09 AM, Subdude said:

The Pink Pussycat!

This came up in another topic. It was at 219 Main at Congress.

Picture is from early 1970s. Sorry for the quality.

Drawing from "Last of the Past"

Was The Pink Pussycat ever located elsewhere in Downtown? I thought I remembered it being nearer to Minute Maid Stadium-where there is now a bail bonding company. Also, was there an adult movie theater around the corner but next to it?

 

[Firebird65]

1 hour ago, OjazosNegros said:

 

Was The Pink Pussycat ever located elsewhere in Downtown? I thought I remembered it being nearer to Minute Maid Stadium-where there is now a bail bonding company. Also, was there an adult movie theater around the corner but next to it?

 

 

Hey, uh, I'm not trying to be a downer or bust your bubble, but I have noticed you've been replying to a lot of very old posts in the past few hours. In this particular case, were you aware the post to which you are replying is to 11 years old? A kid born on the day that post was made would be in fifth, maybe sixth grade now. 

 

It's not like I haven't done it myself, so please don't think I'm trying to ridicule you. I'm not. But you have been replying to quite a few hoary posts today, so just in case you're not aware of it (and maybe you aren't), a lot of those people have moved on from this board. It's unlikely they're going to be reading it or replying. Again, not criticizing you or ridiculing you, just giving you what I hope is a helpful FYI. 

Edited August 24, 2017 by Firebird65
grammar

[OjazosNegros]

Hi Firebird65,

Jajajaj, oh no not in any way feeling butt hurt :0) I don't have too much time to surf the net and I finally had a chance and I ran with it. I don't mind that people have moved on or not read any replies or posts of mine. Every so often I get nostalgic and I remember something from my youth and I look it up and if I find what I am looking for-hey, the world is a better place to me. I figure if I am looking at a post that interests me, no matter how old it is-then someone else who hasn't been on awhile must be looking at it too. Or not-the sun is still coming up either way. Thanks for your concern and hope you are doing good after the storm. Feel free to write again if you would like to chat.

~S. 

P.S. I will be posting some pix in a bit-watch out! LOL

[Firebird65]

30 minutes ago, OjazosNegros said:

Hi Firebird65,

Jajajaj, oh no not in any way feeling butt hurt :0) I don't have too much time to surf the net and I finally had a chance and I ran with it. I don't mind that people have moved on or not read any replies or posts of mine. Every so often I get nostalgic and I remember something from my youth and I look it up and if I find what I am looking for-hey, the world is a better place to me. I figure if I am looking at a post that interests me, no matter how old it is-then someone else who hasn't been on awhile must be looking at it too. Or not-the sun is still coming up either way. Thanks for your concern and hope you are doing good after the storm. Feel free to write again if you would like to chat.

~S. 

P.S. I will be posting some pix in a bit-watch out! LOL

 

Since I replied to you, I did myself respond to a 3-year-old post. However, I did on purpose knowing it was an old post and that the person I responded to might not ever see it. Normally I wouldn't do that, but he had asked an important question I had the answer to, so I made an exception, just in case he came back or anyone else was interested.

 

Also, by sheer coincidence, I came across another post of mine yesterday in a thread similar to this one, where someone had replied earlier this year to a very old post. In this case, it was a 10-year-old post - in fact, 521 weeks (10 years and 1 week) had passed since the previous post in early 2007. So I replied to the 2017 person and asked if that was some kind of record for longest time for a reply. If it was, it's not anymore. You beat it!

 

I will be on the lookout for your pix.

Edited September 1, 2017 by Firebird65

[OjazosNegros]

1 hour ago, Firebird65 said:

 

Since I replied to you, I did myself respond to a 3-year-old post. However, I did on purpose knowing it was an old post and that the person I responded to might not ever see it. Normally I wouldn't do that, but he had asked an important question I had the answer to, so I made an exception, just in case he came back or anyone else was interested.

 

Also, by sheer coincidence, I came across another post of mine yesterday in a thread similar to this one, where someone had replied earlier this year to a very old post. In this case, it was a 10-year-old post - in fact, 521 weeks (10 years and 1 week) had passed since the previous post in early 2007. So I replied to the 2017 person and asked if that was some kind of record for longest time for a reply. If it was, it's not anymore. You beat it!

 

I will be on the lookout for your pix.

Oldies but goodies! I almost replied to my reply on the post about the wax museum we used to have here, lol

[Michelle C]

Another great old dance hall from the late 60's and into the 70's was the Texas Ball Room. It was located in the V at Stubner Airline (now called Veterans Memorial Parkway) and Shepherd or right where Shepherd and I 45 merge. The always had a live band. It was a fun place then had penny a pound night on Thursdays. They has a scale and it cost the guys a penny a pound to get in and the girls was a flat dollar to get in. Wednesday night was free for the girls and cost the guys regular price. Arch Yancey DJ at KIKK would advertise the club and say the girls get in free and the boys know it.

[ggmsmolly]

Who remembers the old Oggero's Pizzaria on Belfort & Mykaya.  Best Pizza around.