Diane

My mother lived in West University Place while growing up (she's 94) but is trying to remember the name of an old dance hall where she went with her parents back in about 1925-30. She remembers that it was in the East End & thinks it was close to Park Place. This hall had the name of a woman. That place holds fond memories for her & I'm hoping I can find an old picture of it, if I can first find the name of the hall. Thanks a bunch for any help.

I was 10 or 11 when the very first shopping center in Houston opened less

than a mile from our house. It was called Palm Center. It wasn�t a mall or

anything, but it was the first of its kind at the time. It had JC Penney and

Lewis & Coker Grocery store as its anchors. It also had Three Sisters,

Nathan�s, Brown Toy Store, Walgreens, Gordon�s Jewelers, a hair salon,

and other stores whose names I can�t recall.

found this text here http://www.justjac.com/id10.html

I LIVED IN BROOKHAVEN SUBD ON HOLMES ROAD & THEN IN THE AREA JUST NEXT TO PALM CENTER SO WAS IN THERE FREQUENTLY. THERE WAS A BAKER'S SHOE STORE, A RECORD

SHOP, HOUSTON SHOE HOSPITAL, WALTER PYE'S, J.C. PENNEY'S, LEWIS & COKER GROCERY STORE, A SMALL GIFT SHOP, THREE SISTERS DRESS SHOP (I BELIEVE THAT WAS THE NAME), ZALE'S JEWELERS & A DRY CLEANERS. I'M SURE THERE WERE MORE BUT THAT'S ALL I CAN RECALL. ACROSS THE STREET WAS A USED CAR LOT, A "DOLLAR WAVE" BEAUTY SALON & MONTGOMERY WARD'S.

Back in the mid 50s, I took piano lessons, with Ms. Olive Rouse, at the "Christiansen School of Music" that was located on the top floor (just under the "hat") of this lovely old building. We held our music recitals in the dance area downstairs. I was asked to audition for accompanist for Ms. Pritchard's students but since I had to ride the bus all the way into town from Brookhaven Subdivision (out off of Holmes Rd), that would have been too much for a 16 yr old. It was a nice honor to have been considered though! This was just a lovely old home, but at that time, the upstairs area particularly needed quite a bit of repair work done. Wish they could have saved it though as too many of Houston's old historic homes have already been lost.

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Molina's "Mexico City" on Main St. I've never had mexican food like that since they closed and the "new" location just doesn't seem the same. The Woolworth's downtown location also had good hot dogs & for a quarter, you could have a dog & a malt too. Also, "Ye Olde Cottage Inn", close to Rice Institute (then), with their little "flags" stuck in the baked potatos claiming that, "You may eat my jacket. We have been rubbed, tubbed & scrubbed." I really miss Valian's pizza too & the salads were the best.

Thanks for posting this picture of the old OST. I was in the audience there at least once a week for either the Friday night feature or the Saturday morning "Fun Club." Mr. Foster, the manager, ran a "tight ship" & would patrol the aisles with his flashlight making sure that we behaved ourselves. On Sat mornings they would often have local "stars" show up to give autographs to the kids. I remember one morning when wrestling star, Ray Gunkel & country star, Jerry Jericho, were there but none of the kids, except me, seemed to know who Jerry was. We didn't have a TV yet, at that time, but I was a big c/w music fan & listened to the KNUZ c/w shows religiously. The kids in Ray Gunkel's line stretched all around the lobby but Jerry Jericho's line only had one fan.....me. I remember feeling sorry for him & tried to make conversation but was too shy to be very convincing.

As our group got older, the Friday night feature became more appealing & we didn't particularly care what was on the screen, we just went to "see & be seen." It was even better if your current "interest" was there & sometimes, Mr. Foster would open the balcony seats for "hand holding", if we were lucky. Such innocence in the fifties. Thanks for the memories!

In the 1950s, I used to listen to KNUZ Radio. They had daily programs featuring Biff Colley, his wife, Marge Colley, Laura Lee McBride, Paul Berlin & another disc jockey whose name I can't remember. Seems like it was Larry "something." On the c/w progams, (the first 3), they advertised a dance hall that was way out South Main. I'm trying to remember the last name of that Larry ? & also the name of the dance hall. Bob Wills & Hank Thompson played there often but I was too young, at that time, to go! Darn!

The sculpture building near U of H used to be a skating rink. I guess on Calhoun near MLK.

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Was that rink, out by the U of H, a roller rink or ice rink?

Anyone know how George came up with the idea of his "identity"? It was Bob Hope. Hope told him that if he wanted to make it big, he needed an act, something to distance himself from the rest.

Instead of turning the Astrodome into a hotel, why don't they just make both a roller and an ice skating rink?  Or is that a stupid idea?

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Sounds like a wonderful idea but probably wouldn't be that lucrative. It would take a bundle to keep that place cool enough for an ice-skating rink, I would think.

Didn't the Gateway Pool on South Main have skating?

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There was a large roller skating rink, in the 50s, close to Crystal Pool on South Main. That was the place to be seen on a Saturday night!

El Chico is gone and has been for years. Guess you can call it demolished because I'm about 99.9% sure that building is no longer in existence.

Funny thing is that El Chico became just another run-of-the-mill TexMex place later, but back in the day of the restaurant pictured above, it was a pretty fancy place. I remember my parents getting dressed up for a night-on-the-town type evening to go out for dinner there. They didn't take us kids to such a fancy place! Funny to think of El Chico that way, or any TexMex place, but that's how it was back then.

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Remember Molina's "Mexico City" restaurant? I think the original location was on Fannin or Main - delicious food & perfect atmosphere. I would love to find one of the old menus because for many years, it was a "family tradition" in our family to go there on Christmas Eve. Great pics! I have many good memories of Valian's too.

I remember Haystack Calhoun on the West Coast in the 60s, along with Ray Stevens. Danny McShane would be considered positively skinny these days, wrestler or not.

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How about "Gorgeous George" who came into the ring throwing gold hair pins from his flowing blond hair. Then there was Ray Gunkel & Cyclone Anaya. Now that was REAL show biz!

The weather globe was advertised on TV and radio, and there was a jingle that went with the ad explaining what the colors meant.

Does anyone recall the words to the jingle?

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I do!

Red light, warmer weather,

White light, cooler weather,

Green light, no change in view,

Blinking light, rain is due.

I can remember standing in my front yard which was miles from downtown, out off of Holmes Rd. & checking the weather prediction on the "weather globe."

Among those I remember are:

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I remember going to the grand opening of the "Trail Drive Inn Theater" & Gene Autry was there. Since he was a 3rd cousin to my Dad, I was anxious to meet "my hero" which was quite impressive for a 10 yr old. We talked briefly with Gene as he was leaving the theater & it was obvious that he wasn't interested in meeting us & didn't remember my Dad. So much for "hero worship." I remember though that someone asked him why he didn't bring his horse, "Champion" & his reply was that Champ was currently dating one of Bing Crosby's mares & wasn't interested in going along on the trip to Houston. Personally, I didn't think that Gene was either!

What a great memory! I am 52 years old and grew up in Bellaire & Sharpstown until I was 9. Mom & Dad used to take me to ride those ponies at OST & Main. One of my early childhood fond memories.

Other memories in Houston as a child . . .

*  Seeing Snow White at the movie theatre in the old shopping center on the north side of Bellaire Blvd. just east of the train tracks on the east end of Bellaire.

*  Going to see Kitirik at Channel 13 and Captain Bob on Channel 2 at their old studios on Post Oak Rd.

* The deep drainage ditches along Avenue A (now Newcastle) and Post Oak Rd. in Bellaire.

*  Movies at the Trail Drive In, and the new Sharpstown Drive In.

*  Bissonnet was still called Old Richmond Road from the curve at about Edloe, down through Sharpstown.

* A big discount store on Hillcroft in Sharpstown called "Globe".

* That jingle . . ."Summer winter spring or fall, stroll in the air conditioned mall, with one stop to shop for all, at Sharpstown Center."

*  The old Sears on South Main just south of Downtown

*  U-Tote-M was a fairly large chain of convenience stores in those days. Their radio jingle? "Just in case anyone should ask you, you tell 'em U-Tote-M." Their sign incorporated a totem pole.

Probably a lot more stored in this old brain here!

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not too long ago, kipperman's pawn shop on bellfort was taken over by "Mr. Money" pawn shop.  does anyone know about this change of hands or why it happened?

had anyone ever been to kipperman's?

it was quite a trip...

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Ted Kipperman had a photography studio in Houston back in the '50s. I had a portrait done there as did most of my friends from San Jacinto High School. Later I read that he became a licensed minister & also opened the pawn shop. Guess he just finally retired.

I think there is a trailer company where the rink was, I don`t remember any info though. Info was second hand from family member.

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I don't remember exactly where it was located but I loved going to the old Polar Wave Ice Palace for ice skating back in the '50s. My Mother had also skated there in her earlier years so I know it wasn't a new rink at that time. After it closed, they made ice skating available periodically in the old Houston Coliseum Downtown.