MartiMoser

Not to be the correctness cop, but lower income families have to live somewhere. And as far as I know, if my dad, grandmother,and the 2 littler siblings lived there in 1936 it definitely wasn't Silk Stocking Lane as daddy always called the fancier parts of Houston. They didn't have a pot to pee in or a window to throw it out of. 

In an unrelated and related subject, my little brother born in 1959 was a red headed freckled mess. He was nicknamed Mr. Olshan after the demolition branch of Olshans. If given the chance I know for a fact he'd be able to tear up an anvil. ❤️

Photo was snapped shortly after throwing a few brick around from the bbq pit construction situation. 3 years old. Old Chocolate Bayou Rd memories.

Lol. 

I heard they opened today. On the morning news

My late husband was a 63 year stone mason and bricklayer, Local 5 Texas. I bought this print for him for his birthday one year from Sloane Gallery. These are the immigrant workers who laid the brick streets. 

I couldn't help noticing that a bricklayer's  biggest pet peeve has been committed on some replies. Whether you have 1 brick or 1000 brick, it is never bricks. They did not build bricks walls or bricks houses. Just keeping y'all up on the lingo. I miss him every day. He was a walking encyclopedia of Houston, particularly downtown. And we would find a parking space close to Allen's Landing and walk the streets with him pointing out the rare rings left in the sidewalks to tie your horse and buggy, old stone buildings that I'm sure are no longer there and then Old Spaghetti Warehouse, finishing up at La Carafe. 

There used to be a government site that you could look up the ownership history of an address. My dad bought my grandmother a home in Denver Harbor in 1942. He was 17 and the developer financed. I'd love to see the tax information on value. I have an insurance renewal and the coverage was for total coverage plus garage and contents was valued at $1100.00. The premium was 8.57 for 1 year and she paid it in 52 week increment. A lady with a receipt book would come by to collect for that and life policies she had on all members of the family. Even in 1942 could $1100.00 be right? 

Hello again. I have been contacted by Troy Polly's grandson. I was reading Jolly all these years. He knows almost nothing of his grandfather Troy. If anyone comes up with more photos he would be grateful. I have the Sloane collection so if you all have snapshots of your family skating please post. His name is Mark Polly and he is starving for his family history. 

Courtney there is a young lady on our Houston history Facebook site trying to reintroduce her 17 year old uncles case from 1975. He was a Vargo family member from the restaurant of the same. How can I help her get in touch with you?

Thanks

Marti Moser

Can anybody guide or help me with information on old (really old) ice houses on the Northside. 

My dad had an ice route in the late 1930s and from what I understand he serviced the ice houses and beer joints on Airline, Tidwell, Jensen and Parker. He was only around 11 when he went to work. Hoping to find one of the old joints still in existence. Thought they might want a picture on the walls of way back when. 

My dad came to Houston in 1935 when he was 10 yrs old. One of his first jobs after WWII in 1946 was for Mr George. He also worked for Horton & Horton. In 53 or 54 he opened his wholesale building material business on Holmes Rd. Both jobs he was a concrete salesman. He aggravated the whole bunch because he could figure a job in his head before they could get their paper and pencils ready. 

On 9/29/2019 at 10:45 AM, gnu said:

SE corner of Holcombe and Almeda

 

Google Map link

My dad was in the VAhospital for an extended time in about 1967. We could smell the cookies and crackers baking. Dad knew they had a storefront and my mom would bring him different things every night, still warm. He called it the Nabs plant. The smell was intoxicating for a small child. We weren't allowed to go in to see him. We'd stand on the lawn and he'd wave from the window. 

How could any red-blooded native Houstonian NOT love this blog site. I've yet to see a subject that many others jump on and inform or connect. I treasure my native status. Wish we'd had more history lovers in charge. Our history has been lost. 

On 12/13/2016 at 6:30 AM, HoustonIsHome said:

With all these plants, ice cream palours, etc,  downtown and midtown seemed like it was an interesting place just a few decades ago. 

It was. Our family moved to Pearland in 1960. But my dad and his family lived downtown, The Heights and then bought a home in Denver Harbor. But any shopping, eating, etc was still done downtown when we settled in Pearland. I was the 4th of 5 kids and if the older kids wanted the car they had to take us 2 youngest brats with them. To this day I can remember my precious big sister with the cone with double side and a quadruple dip ice cream. We called her Little Lotta after the comic book character. We went to a place above a street level storefront that sold clothes. Piles and piles of the weirdest misfit stuff. The owner's name was Sol Stimble. I came home once with 1 red patent leather shoe. Couldn't find the other but I had to have that shoe. I was probably about 8. Oh the fun we had downtown. We didn't need an amusement park. We made our own. 

On 6/20/2018 at 11:41 AM, s3mh said:

The market was founded by and has been run continuously by the Farmers Marketing Association of Houston.  Canino's is just a tenant, albeit the most prominent and identifiable vendor.  I have heard as many people call it the "Airline Farmer's Market" as the "Houston Farmer's Market" as "Canino's".  So, I do not see this as a big name change.  Canino's will still be there.

 

I am actually not at all concerned about the upgrades.  If the new venture is going to work, they are going to have to strike a balance between the existing vendors and their clientele and the more affluent customers who will be attracted to the promised foodie stuff.  The more affluent clientele will not buy enough produce every week to support the produce vendors.  People are too dedicated to big box grocers, which are beginning to saturate the area.   And then you have people eliminating grocery shopping altogether with instacart and similar services.  As good as Urban Harvest and other small local farmer's markets are, there is only enough demand for these markets to be open one day a week.  Finally, it will not be a tourist trap like Pike's Place market with people moving through shoulder to shoulder all day long.  Thus, the farmer's market cannot rely on upper income earners to sustain the produce market.  They will have to keep the existing Spanish speaking and lower and middle income clientele if they want to have enough business to keep the produce market open daily.  Hopefully, there will be enough increased demand from upper income clientele to offset the rent increases.

 

Hopefully, it will be a win win.  As lively as it is, the current market is in terrible condition.  If you park anywhere other than right in front of Canino's you take your life into your own hands trying to cross through the parking lot by the security guard's post.  And you buy your kids a mango flower, but there is absolutely no where to sit and eat.  And without the new money coming in, odds were pretty good that they would just have to sell and not be able to reopen anywhere.  

The Canino family are most certainly a part of the association as well as The Froberg family. If a Canino market or space is part of the new plans, it will not be the Canino family. He stated he was retiring. His children  have are all white collar, college educated attorneys, doctors & at least one dentist in the family. They simply aren't going to be taking over.  

On 6/20/2018 at 11:41 AM, s3mh said:

 

On 6/20/2018 at 11:41 AM, s3mh said:

 

 

My grandma, dad & 2 younger siblings came to Houston in 1936. My dad had a rough ice route. Airline, Tidwell, Parker & Jenson. He bought a truck from Mr. Jolley who owned Polar Ice. Well we thought we knew. I've inherited photos & letters of my grandmas. Letter came from a sailor cousin & he pined about The Polar. "He'll never forget when Bill wrecked Old Man Jolley's truck & had to buy it". " The rumble they were in that night was exciting". These 2 hood thugs became a well regarded dentist in Oak Forest, Dr. Troy N Moser & Vice President of Builder's Hardware Inc. on Holmes Rd, Bill F Moser. My dad Bill was 11 when he started the route & bought the truck at about 12 yrs old. 

I'll do further studying later. But in reference again to the Butera family, they are all directly related to the Mandola & Carrabba families. All steeped in our Houston history. My mom worked at the first Niday Funeral home on Bellfort. Next door to the funeral home was a Butera owned grocery. Had the best chopped beef sandwich I'd ever eaten. The meat case also served the delicious half or whole chicken dinners. Half or whole deviled eggs b❤️

So sorry it took so long. I have lots going on right now. I would think on the Pasternak subject I can't swear, but I'd almost bet the farm it would be yes. And Butera's definitely a yes. 

I was born in 57 so earlier history would be passed along by kin. I knew of the Pasternak starting about 5 years old. My mom's mother died at 30yrs old. Her sister I mentioned in earlier post was our maternal grandmother figure. I'm not sure who her partner was in the Jet Coffee Shop inside Houston Municipal Airport. Definitely her catering company was partner was Mr. Aaron. I have a little history on the Butera family. Now where I put it?  Lol. 

This newspaper clipping was in my grandma's treasures I inherited. She has probably 100 clippings. Even if it were friends of a friend, she meticulously cut them out and kept in envelopes. This is board of directors for Lucky 7 Supermarkets. She would have known Mr. Trahan whose store was in Denver Harbor and she knew of the Pasternaks who had Garden Villas Supermarket. My great aunt on my mom's side. Angie Runnels was the demonstration lady there. She and Mr. Aaron were partners in other ventures. She originally had the Jet Coffee Shop in Municipal Airport and their last venture was a catering company for the oil company jets. A box lunch with fried chicken, buttermilk biscuits & a slice of pie or cake. Her last job without Pasternak partnering was greeter at McDonald's on 610W & Fannin. She was in her 90s & legally blind. She lived to be 101. 

On 6/21/2018 at 7:29 AM, innerloop said:

 

I think the Houston Farmer's Market is a bad name from a Marketing perspective.  Houston is a huge sprawling place so "Houston Farmer's Market" lacks specificity.  We're already seeing lost tourists in the Heights on Saturday mornings stopping to ask directions to "the farmer's market" that they've heard about, but they don't know which of the many different one's they're really looking for.  It could be Canino's or many times it's one of the many small collections of individuals at places like Onion Creek, etc.

 

Retaining Airline or Canino's in the name would help them stand out from the rest.

    

Correct. We went 2 places for produce  on Saturday mornings...Farmers Market or Produce Row. We knew both clans but I don't ever remember saying Caninos or Elizondo Brothers. 

Susan T have you tried Humblegen.org?

On 6/14/2018 at 2:44 PM, Susan T said:

I'm trying to remember the restaurants in the 45/airline/Dyna road are in the 1980's

11 hours ago, Specwriter said:

There's nothing wrong with being 'country' in my book. What I meant was Aldine was in the process of ensuring its students were well prepared for college or the work world when they graduated. One rumor (possibly apocryphal) was that one had to have a 'B' average from an Aldine school back in the 1950s to be considered for admission to the U of H when a 'C' average from most other Houston area schools was acceptable. When I started college in the late 1970s I was as well prepared as many of my counterparts who attended private college prep schools.

 

I agree, MartiMoser, if someone wants to enjoy the peace and quiet of the rural life one must expect to forego some of the "conveniences" of the big city. One really cannot have it both ways.

Our main thoroughfare is FM1128 (Masters Rd). It was dirt road when my husband moved to this property. It is still a 2 lane road, but it's the back road shortcut for Medical Center, Midtown and beyond. It is also the favorite of bicyclers on weekends. None of the above is a bother. I just have one itch to scratch. It is a very young adult male on a Japanese motorcycle that apparently only has 2 notches on the speedometer. Stop & 120 mph. You literally don't hear him coming until he's here. It sounds exactly like a Formula1 Ferrari. I wasn't going to do anything about it, I'd mulled it over, his business, none of mine, etc. But I've decided to do the correct thing & speak to someone at the police department. I am saving his life, not tattling. I would hope a stranger would do the same for my children. With all the unbelievable lunacy coming from the shining house in the East, I'm not going to change who I am as a person. That is a mother, wife, daughter, sister & good citizen of this country. Nobody will make me cower. Nobody.

On 7/31/2014 at 9:50 PM, sevfiv said:

Here are the Jack in the Box listings (of 47 listed, 23 are still Jack in the Box)

 

4819 Almeda Rd. (remodeled but has the old school top kind of like this)

11602 Bellaire Blvd. (demo)

6901 Bellfort St. (vacant - old school top - talked about here on HAIF before)

5320 W Bellfort St. (AutoZone, but I took this picture a while back behind it - might be the old drive through window)

5131 Browncroft (?)

94 E Crosstimbers St. (demo)

10598 Fuqua St. (Domino Pizza mentioned above)

2727 Hillcroft St. (demo)

9602 Houston Dyersdale E Rd. (?)

1120 Jefferson St. (was in building?)

12310 Kingsride St. (?)

6103 Kirby Dr. (currently River Oaks Plant House)

4330 Lockwood Dr. (AutoZone)

8303 Long Point Rd. (old style - currently taqueria)

14504 Memorial Dr. (rebuilt - Burger King)

3402 OST (rebuilt - gas station)

7545 Park Place Blvd. (rebuilt - Texaco with Jack in the Box combined)

5602 Savoy Dr. (?)

9324 Stella Link Rd. (parking lot)

18003 El Camino Real (currently Daddio's)

3333 Red Bluff Rd. (currently car title loan place)

2213 Strawberry Rd. (old style - currently Burger and Shrimp Galley)

218 Spencer Highway (demo)

The Jack in the Box at 6901 Bellfort was our teenage hangout on Friday & Saturday nights. We went there between 1972-1975. Innocent kid stuff. Drive thru backwards, place goofy orders, things like that. I ran with 2 friends & we were definitely The 3 Musketeers. We girls were so shallow. We went to Houston from Pearland. The boys in Pearland were not allowed long hair, so our boyfriends went to Jones, Milby & Austin. Hair was not a problem. Ha. 15 yrs old. First car. Summer of 72

I googled Bobby McGee's for information. First thing that pops up? HAIF WordPress, 2014. Ha. Discussions on different chains & kind of a where or what are they now. July 2014

On 6/10/2018 at 9:18 AM, Specwriter said:

That's great, MartiMoser. I guess once a teacher, always a teacher. There have been several in my family going back to my great grandmother's sister. My own sister retired at the end of the 2016-2017 school year after 26 years on the job. This past year she has done quite a bit of substitute teaching!

 

I was in Aldine schools in the 1960's - 1970's. Then Aldine was in the process of shedding its 'country' image. I was fortunate to attend during what I consider the golden era of the school district. Our English teachers from junior high on demanded the best from us. That said, those teachers were also most willing to give their best as well. I was in that group who hungered for knowledge. Looking back 40+ years later I am most appreciative of my teachers' dedication and the sense of personal accomplishment for its own sake my parents instilled in me.

 

Getting back to Canino's (singular possessive ), I was there 34 years ago last Saturday (which was also a Saturday - June 2, 1984) picking up fresh fruit for my wedding reception which was held that same afternoon. The caterer was a personal friend of the family. Her wedding gift was to cater the reception so I was most happy to help her out. Among the many, many, visits I've made to the farmers' market, that one will remain the most memorable.

 

Oh yes, I am still married to the same brilliant, beautiful woman. We will celebrate our anniversary with a trip to New England later this month. What could be more romantic than getting away from the Houston heat and humidity. 

First, let me say Happy Anniversary!  

First topic at hand would be de-countryfying (is it un or de) (is contryfying even a word? If not, it is now)

I was 2 yrs old when we moved outside the city limits of Pearland in June of 1960. The census was 1,700.00.  Mama & Daddy bought 5 acres with 3 barns & a home. $16,000.00. Pearland is headed to toward the 2020 census predicting close to 170,000 citizens. We live in Manvel & it was very country in the 70's. Now we have folks coming to live in the country, but they don't like the "inconvenience" of our damn slow trucks & the quaint tractors going up & down the road at a snail's pace. They've got a latte with their name on it By God!  Sorry. How dare they feed your beef and grow your veggies. Bunch of rubes.

4 hours ago, Specwriter said:

I like your comment (and I officially "liked" it as well ) but I wasn't referring to the people creating the flyers. The person or persons who created the rendering are most likely educated architects or graphic designers and should know how to write the plural possessive. Anyway, this looks like a great project. I hope it will be seen as Houston's version of the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia.

I popped off before I did my do diligence. My mistake. I saw on the image of the original entrance it had Canino... everything correct. Then I read a couple of the members posts and saw what you meant. 

I am the 9 month younger cousin of a previous Head of English Department at Austin High School in HISD. She felt very fortunate to have the hungry for knowledge, brilliant students in her classes.  She now teaches, what I call "The Incorrigible Crowd" in a Pearland ISD school.   I digress, but trying to describe my tough, meticulous red head white girl from Denver Harbor.

We played school VERY early in our childhood. She taught and I was critiqued...alot. I learned to read and write before I started school and a very top hand in spelling and grammar. If I slip she corrects me on Facebook. I'm 60 & don't care. As usual though, I thank her and edit the post. 

On 2/24/2018 at 1:51 PM, Specwriter said:

I just watched the video. Very nice and eerily realistic (except all the people seem to Anglo and nothing else). I do wonder why "caninos" (first letter not capitalized) is on the gable end of one pavilion. Is the family still involved? Where naming rights sold with the land? Keeping that bit of tradition does not upset me though. I like it

 

One thing I will bring up, since I'm on a grammar tear today, is the signage at what must be the main entry and which reads "HOUSTON FARMER'S MARKET." Why is the possessive of FARMER'S singular and not plural, i.e., FARMERS' ? Is there only one farmer?  

I'm pretty sure they were hustling their a*ses off peddling produce & didn't get too involved in the punctuation & grammar. There may also be a few participles dangling in the weekly circulars. 

On 6/8/2018 at 11:08 AM, s3mh said:

 

It is how the new media landscape works (sort of).  In the olden days, magazines and newspapers would get more for their ad space based on their circulation numbers.  Now, online publications try to get more money for their ad space by tracking social media activity.  So, instead of circulation numbers and numbers of subscribers, online media companies boast about the number of times their content is shared/liked on facebook, twitter, etc.  

Sooo, 

Being the "A" Type competitive Leo, I believe I'll be wearing the winner crown in no time.