DMac
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Posts posted by DMac
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Circa 1940'-50's Cnty 2 Courthouses in downtown Houston. The 2 specific I have in mind are (1) Criminal Courthouse & Jail facility (8 Flr's.) w/a street address of 624 Bagby @ corner of Capitol w/old 400 yo Hanging Oak Tree in front yard, tree still stands today (2K18). Believe Bldg. was opened in 1927 & torn down sometime during the 60's. At the time (1940) Bldg had some 15 tenets in the Bldg. Source data does not indicate who occupied floors 6-8. Cnty TB Assoc. was next door to it as a sm. stand alone Bldg.
(2) Harris Cnty Courthouse (w.Domed roof, remodeled 2K10 and still occupied today) @ 311 Fannnin tween Congress & Preston Str's. Had some 59 tenets in Bldg. at the time (1940). This Bldg is very well documented w/many photos and narrative reports over its century of occupation.
The old Historical Bagy/Capitol facility has hardly any recorded history @ all. This is the one I would like to concentrate on and ask for assistance from Peps familiar w/the area at the time. Any photos, stories, narrative reports etc. would be most helpful.
Source materials for most of my data: 1945-46 City Directory located @ Houston Metro Research Facility inside 1923 Julia Ideson Bldg.
Respectfully
DMac
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On 12/1/2015 at 0:50 PM, gmac said:
And a nice spread in this publication: http://houstonfirememorial.org/HFD-Pictorial%20Hist%201895-1980/3-HFD-Book-Proof-Copy-Chapter-3-new.pdf
Man what a great photo of new City Hall, Colosieum (Conv. Cntr.), Sta 2 w/4 bays & 8 Flr. County Courthouse & Jail Bldg's. w/400 yo Oak Tree N front yard.
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Been doing some snooping & came across the following:
Also snooped @ GM (Google Maps) & came up w/an address of 310 North str. tween Main & Manfold. Key Map 493C. Zoomed in tight for a close up of Ravens Tower.
DMac
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your 18 photos were unavailable for viewing. Therefore a waste of both your time and mine.
Respectfullu
DMac
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Yes it was. And across the str. (Capitol Str. bridge 'Y') was the old (8 flr)Cnty criminal courts/jail Bldg. built in 1897/98. Capitol Y = long leg of Y is Capitol w/top left as Capitol & top right as Rusk.
As time permits you might want to visit old 7's (now a museum) and ask to peruse three photo collection & also the paper trail of records for central & 1's house. The 8 bay photo as shown is central's 4th house. The Bldg @ the corner of Preston (w/2 bays) & San Jac. (w/6 bays) remains standing 2day but is part of the Harris Cnty justice sys. However U can still see the remnants of the bays as they were closed off & covered over. I remember in my youth (10 or 11) tagging along w/my older sister to the 1910 Cnty court house for some business, standing on the second flr & looking out the window towaeds old central1 block away & seening all the apparatus sitting out on front bays. What a site for those really old historical apparatus. The 1 that most impressed me was the tiller truck w/a long overhang behind the tillerman & also the old life safety net.
If you should make it to the museum (old 7's) might you share what you learn here?
Respectfully
DMac
DannyMac, do you know the exact location of the b/w photo of the 4-bay fire house beside the Convention Center?
Was it where the defunct Music Hall and new center is? (I forgot the new name).
Cool pic, thanks.
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I realize you have inquired about 1's house before it became the aquarium but I thought I would show you a photo of 2's old historical 4 bay houst adjacent to the 1928 convention center.
Respectfully
DMac
Here's one from Scott Mellott's Facebook page. He's a retired HFD fireman and unofficial department historian of sorts. He has some great pictures up on Facebook.
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You could also check to see if your local branch for either Houston or Harris Cnty library systems have a copy. Save yourself $14 during these economic hard times.
There's already a book for that, called Houston Then & Now, available on Amazon NEW for $14.
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Found sum additional data yesterday (Tue. 6/5/2K11) while doing some research @ SFA university's East Tx. Research Center located on 2nd floor of Steen library.
L-C Cafeteria located @ S/E corner of Main (824) & Walker next door to Walgreen Drugs w/an address of 820 Main. GM @ that time was a Jerome J. Kristynik. 2 day there is a multi story parking structure labeled as Walker @ Main parking. However I find no listing for the cafeteria in the 45-46 directory. Will continue looking for some photos. My sister used to eat there every Wed w/her husband who worked @ LL Ridgeway Blueprint located @ concorse 8 BOSW Bldg. Directory shows a 22 flr. So. Coast Bldg. @ other end of block (806) Main @ Rusk.
Source: Houston City Directory (Polk's) Vol. 68 pg. 697
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Here are some I remember....
If I may B permited 2 opine. The tall Bldg. w/the big stick antenna on roof I believe is shell Plaza & the Bldg. in front of BOSW is I believe Tennesee Gas. Would U happen 2 know the names of the yellow checkerboard Bldg. behind Julia Ideson library, also Bldg. in front ot Julia Ideson library? And lastly the tall Bldg. just to the left (north) of City Hall? I believe the Bob Casey Federal courthouse is now @ that location
Thank U 4 your earlier response.
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In the book Houston Freeways, on Pg. 126, there's a photo of the skyline circa 1967 that appears to be taken from Allen Parkway. The sign is quite visible atop the building since a number of the tallest buildings obviously aren't there at that point.
Here's a lower-res copy of the shot from the e-book version
As someone who still gets out to Gulf stations fairly regularly... wouldn't mind seeing one of these signs atop one of our buildings around here.
As time permits might U be able to ID some of the Bldg's to jog my youthful memory? I will await your answer B4 asking specifics.
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Anyone got a picture or postcard of our skyline when the giant Gulf sign was up? (Subdude?)
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Attemptiing 2 read some interesting materials (and hopefully photos too) re: LC Cafeteria, downtown. N my youth I seem to recall a stand alone surface Bldg, but both my older sisters recall they would walk down a flight of stairs to get to it. Both believe it was located in the lower levels of Walgreens. 1940 merchants map (very rare/unique map source) shows 2 Walgreens stores @ address as noted above in topic title.
Respectfully
DMac
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I drove by it again today and I was struck by how far it's set back from the street. What is the point of having a huge parking lot in front of the fire station? It's not going to be a fire station plus CVS, is it? (j/k).
So you can move applianes out front & back to clean bay floors.
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Sum additional data/info. The old hisorical 12 story (no #10 noted from source, mechanical maybe?) Bldg. had a (710-20) San Jacinto address w/no address noted for Rusk. It is sited on the S/E corner of Rusk/San Jac w/a compass oreintation as north to south.
In the lobby of the Bldg. was Eddie Rapp Cigar Store.
The 4 adjacent streets are as follows: Capitol (1100 blk) w/Southwestern Bell Telephone across the str.
San Jacinto (700 blk) w/old Sam Houston Post (now US Customs House) across the str.
Rusk (1100 blk.) w/Alright Auto Park across the str. &
Fannin (700 blk.) w/Houston Post, Tx. State Hotel, & Walgreen's across the str.
Sources: 1940 Donwowner map w/specific details of ALL merchants/Bldg's.
1945-46 City Directory w/specific details a to ALL known tenents w/n each Bldg. etc.
Respectfully
DMac
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How many do you thank there are. Here is a list I have put togather:
HPD (+ additional cpd's for incorporated cities w/in the Cnty)
SO
Marshals (both city & federal)
Coast Guard
Harbor Police? (a unit of HPD or independent unit of Navagation District)
Airport Police? (unit of HPD or airport authority)
JP Constables
School Dist's.
University's/colleges
Medical Cntr?
MTA (Metro Transit Authority)
ATF
DEA
BOP (Bureau of Prison's)
FBI
Secret Service
Federal Protective Serv. (State Dept, Judges & elected + staff @ Federal Office Bldg.)
DPS (State Troppers)
INS
CBP (Customs & Border Protection)
Customs House security serv.?
DHS (Dept. of Homeland Security)
DOJ TF/ST (both state & federal, made up of interagency LEO's)
EPA?
NOAA?
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Does anyone remember the old yellow pages from the 50's 60's and 70's? The front covers were all done by the same artist and they were so much fun to look at. They had quite a few characters they would use over and over every year, along with some new ones. There was the cat with the litter of kittens, the alien, the buffalo, the oil derrick, the herd of cattle and tons more. They were all hidden somewhere in the sketch of Houston. I couldn't wait for the yellowpages to come out so I could try to find them all. I tried to find something on the internet about it but came up with nothing. Does anyone remember the artist? Wish I had some of my grandmas old yellowpages.
Susan, as time permits may I suggest you search out the local chapter of Telephone Pioneers of America. Perhaps many of the retired folk might still retain the original printed versions or the local chapter may have a historical archive some where in the Houston/Harris Cnty area.
As an aside, the (still operational) historical SWBT Bldg. @ the corner of Capitol/San Jac, is where my sister (now 72yo) took her training and worked the nite shift sum 5 decades ago.
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Could this photo from the Bailey collection be what you're looking for?
Yes, thank U so much. This a good start. Now if I can just find some mo. BTW, might the big tree in the foreground be Houston's 400 yo Oak?
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Check around the year 1953. That was the year that the new Harris County Courthouse was opened at 301 San Jacinto. In later years, this became the Criminal Courthouse, and several years ago was renovated to become the Juvenile Justice Center. Fannin never really vacated. It was remodeled in 1954 (badly), and continued in service until its current restoration to its original glory.
Thank you for your response. The attached photo is the old historical domed Courthouse that is currently undergoing preservation. It along w/many Bldg's in the CBD has four addressed entrances as follows: 311 Fannin (official mailing address), 1115 Preston, 312 San Jacinto, & 1115 COngress. FYI, Benjamin J Proctor operated the cigar stand in the lobby of the 1st flr.
I am specifically searching for photos of the Capitol str. Courthouse that had the jail occupying the 4th & 5th floors. It was very near the corner od Bagby (600 block) & across the street was city FS #2, a 4 bay house.
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Have discovered Harris Cnty had 2 operational court houses during 1945-46. (source: CD {City Directory}) Fannin (curently undergoing restoration) had some 15 court rooms and damned near every Cnty function immaginable. Capitol had 5 court rooms, jail etc.
Fannin did not have a jail but both list SO's offices. Still researching when Capitol was built/torn down & was Fannin vacated. Cnty site doesen't have much courthouse history on it so gonna have to relie on CD's for data.
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Anyone have any photos of the old historical Bldg. (now removed) formerly located @ the corner of Captol & Bagby, very near the 400 yo Oak tree? Would very much like to view during construction & other misc. photos of same.
Respectfully
Danny
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There is not much of anything left in the Western Union Building except for an old back up generator (too big to carry out the door).
Old timers say that because Western Union was located at the corner of Louisiana and Capitol this intersection became the point where all the wires met, both telegraph, phone, power, etc. This intersection remains diverse with telecom and power connectivty.
Would anyone be able to state for certainty the name of Bldg. or Bldg's. that occupied the block (Capitol/Rusk/Louisiana/Smith) that is now occupied by the massive 56 flr. B of A Bldg prior to its construction back in about '81 or '82?
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I found a small photo of the building on this page.
I saw this small photo earlier but was hoping that others showing complete Bldg. and maybe other Bldg's x the street or next door. I know in the past this site (HAIF) has been a most reliable source for older historic Bldg's in/about Houston. Keeping my fingers crossed that maybe sum additional photos may magically appear. Thanx for sharing what you found.
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To get started, last evening I read a story about a (2 story) WU bldg. located @ the N/E corner of Capitol/Louisiana being encapsulated by the existing Bldg. now know as Bank of America. Can't hardly believe that tale as last year I walked thru the lobby twice and found no evidence of such.
Anyone in HAIF that was present @ the time of construction for the B of A Bldg. who maybe took photos of WU facility prior to & after being enclosed?
Anyone have any historical narratives as to WU in Houston w/particular emphasis on both the Capitol/Louisiana & Franklin/Main Bldg's + photos. Would like very much to view photos of both Bldg's.
I'm having a tough time understanding how/why one would build over an existing Bldg. and then @ sum point in the future tear down or remove that Bldg. It just does not seem logical to me. Just thank of all the additional expense to do so.
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There is not much of anything left in the Western Union Building except for an old back up generator (too big to carry out the door).
Old timers say that because Western Union was located at the corner of Louisiana and Capitol this intersection became the point where all the wires met, both telegraph, phone, power, etc. This intersection remains diverse with telecom and power connectivty.
Does anyone have any photos of the former Western Union Bldg (620 Capitol) before it was encapsulated by the contractor of the existing B of A Bldg. x56 flrs?
Gable Street Power Plant At 511 McKee St.
in Historic Houston
Posted
Patrick Feller
Houston Lighting & Power Gable Street Power Plant, McKee St., Houston, Texas 0925101234BW