DMac

That threw me, as Commercial Bank is on the NW corner, as opposed to SE.

The reason I stated that the Bldg to be in the S/E corner of the quadrant: standing in the middle of that city block bordered by Commerce to the north, Franklin to the south, Travis to the west & Main to the East. By mentioning it was on the east side of the old SP Bldg. & @ the corner of Main/Franklin, that would place it in the 200 block of Main. & 900 block of Franklin. And looking @ the amazing photos you will note that the current address is 917 which is a Franklin address and matches the old records listing Western Union @ that corner & w/that adress. I can see that I have some mo research to do as the address & location I have for Commerical Nat'l Bank is 116 Main @ the N/E corner of main & Commerce.

It may be possible that @ some time in the past Commerical Nat'l Bank purchased the old WU bldg. & relocated from the 116 address. The Downtowner map reference in my initial inquiry does not have CNB listed nor does the '43-44 Morrison & Fourmy city directory.

Citing my sourse as the 1940 Downtowner map & Morrison & Fourmy's '43-44 City Directory {pg. 1207}, is the Old historical Western Union {6 story} Bldg. located @ the S/E corner of Main & {915-919} Franklin {w/no Main str. address} standing today? It would have been adjacent to the old SP General office Bldg. {now known as the Bayou lofts}, on the south end of the bldg.

If anyone knows current status of bldg. may I request same. Also would love to see some photos of if, wheather or not it is still standing

Sitting here @ Julia's place in the city and just returned from a walk about the Heritage Plaza. Could find no graphics for an address on either the Bagby or Dallas/Brazos entrance. The main entrance faces Dallas/Brazos @ an angle. The foot print for the bldg. as it occupies the entire block {except for a very small section on the N/E quadrant, which houses the old historical Farm Credit Banks (3)} is Bagby to the west, Brazos to the east, Dallas to the south & Lamar to the north.

Went into the lobby and headed straight for the bldg. directory. Only 36 names w/floor and suite #'s were listed for a 55 story bldg. Now I realize that there will be some % of vacancy but w/only 36 tenants listed, they either occupy some huge square footage for office space or multiple floors.

Also noticed the vast open areas of both square and cubic footage for lobby/mezzanine areas. I'm sure same applies to upper levels. Do not know short history of bldg. but the only noticeable graphis are Heritage Plaza. And as I stood outside on the east side of Brazos look'n up, that is 1 very tall bldg. Yesterday I went up to the 59th floor of Wells Fargo to the observation area and @ that elevation you get a very good perspective of heigth.

Another bldg. w/vast open areas @ ground level anyway is B of A. Whew, I do mean vast. But soime of it functions as a working environment of a bank. Latter this morn I will be trodding on north to Chase to tour there observation area @ 70th floor, so I'm told.

Does anyone know or have any history for the 2 major alarm system companies for police & fire? American District Telegraph (ADT) & Gamewell Fire Alarm systems.

When did each 1st come to Houston, where where they located (address) & when did they last perform service?

Was either tied in with Western Union as a subsidiary?

Have been searching thru Google images & several forums w/in HAIF w/out much success. In the past the good folkes of the Historic Houston Forum have always come through w/some really good photos of old historical Houston prior to tear down or total abandonment. So as time permits would someone be able to provide some photos or perhaps a link to go & view?

They probably meant (I'm too lazy to scroll up and read the original post..) that if the firefighters quarters were built over the bays, then you could add that many more bays where the first floor quarters are now.

8's house is really quite large for a fire station. I thank you'd be hard pressed to drive about Harris or any of itz 7 surrounding Cnty's & find an 8 bay house. You will find several 4 & 5, maybe evan a 6, but 8 is rare. I thank Bellaire has some discabobalation of 6 or 8, but I thank that a couple of them are sealed shut. The former 1's @ Bagby/Preston {which is now a restaraunt} had 4 double doors as access to 8 bays, & prior to that were the 10 @ old Central's Preston/San Jacinto. I don't even thank the big airports have that many bays & they house some damned big assed ARFF apparatus, multiples of them.

I'm not sure I understand your meaning of additional floors to accomodate more apparatus. I'm pretty sure that when 8's opens you will find that all 8 bays {when looking @ renderings. note that 2 of the bays will have squared doors not framed w/an arch} will have apparatus in them w/some having 2 & 3 each depending on size of apparatus. ALL bays will be quite deep for the reasons just stated. I also thank that when the house goes N2 service that it will be a double house, i.e. 2 of everything {Eng's, Trk's, Medics}+ support, command/ctrl & Chief officers to make up for the fact that located w/n the inner loop HFD has only 1 {a single house} station to accomodate the billions of $'s in high value structures. Any other major city in the country would most likely have a minimum of 3 or 4.

So from the git go the new super house will probably be maxed out w/both apparatus & personnel. There is also a possibility that the configuration of the finished plan will have access for apparatus to respond out onto both Louisiana & Milam. This was a common practice for old central's many years ago when it was located @ the corner of Preston & San Jacinto. I believe there were 6 bays that faced Preston & 4 more that faced San Jacinto. Any way upon completion, 8's will fill a badly needed void downtown, but again Houston is without a central or station #1. HQ's, shops, logistics & 911 are all located on Girard @ Elder, in the shadows of the high canyons. Key Map 493 G&L

Danny

I don't see anything wrong with the design aside from the fact it seems to me they should have made it a multi-story building to allow for more trucks and eqiupment if the need arisis.

Maybe they didn't want any poles to slide down while they were sleepy.

Unlike the other design posted by nmainguy, I WANT a firehouse to look like a firehouse. It's easier for someone that is not from the area to recognize it in an emergency.

On Dec 12th {Sunday} 1983 when the plant blew up itz address @ that time was 1900 milam. Approx. same area when station 8 is today. Itz on the back side of that block {Louisaiana} where new super station is being built. So I'm unclear as to what you mean when you say that it was off Capitol orTexas {way to far north} on other side of Hwy 59. And yes I acknowledge your statement {if memory serves me correctly}.

The Old Borden site was (if memory serves me correctly) off Capital or Texas on the other side of 59.

The current site of #9 was an old parking lot for as long as I can remember.

I searched all throughout the forums to place this request but did not locate one for public safety. Anyway, next time some one is downtown snapping photos may I put in a request for some of the the city's new 9 bay super fire station located @ the corner of Pierce & Louisiana. I believe this is the site of the old historical Borden's Milk & Ice cream Plant. Can't seem to get any info from the HFD group @ Yahoo!

Got them free from whom? You're saying there's a manufacturer's giveaway on drones? Are you sure about this?

Don't ever thank that U guvment gonna give U local guvment ANYTHING free. Anytime U big brother guvment give U local guvment sum'n U can bet U have either paid for it already or gonna have a long term comittment to do so. One reason that dollar is losing its value is because U guvment loves printing worthless paper called money. Day/nite {24/7} them printing presses @ treasury are churning out the worth currency.

Just my 2 cents worth{mo/less}

Respectfully

Danny

anything to make some extra money!

The article went on to say the cost of the drone{s}? range between $30K up to $1 mil. That's 1 hell of a range. I would thank you could purchase an entire fleet of them for a mil. And just thank of the money being spent to make mo. Governmemt thanking, thats why we're all broke!

Danny

Is Houston ready for them? HPD wants to put 1 or more in service w/in 7 months {June '08} Hunker down, stay out of site.

Respectfully Danny

Were there 2 or 3 separate locations over the years? The very old original on Elder Str, a replacement somewhere on Buffalo Bayou {now Allen Prkwy?} and a 3rd some where south and west of City Hall?

Respectfully

Danny

I've never been able to tell who or what organization is behind it. I'm curious as to who put it all together.

Has it occured to you to contact them & ask?

Respectfully

Danny

Maybe the project was postponed.

It's still listed as a project on the Kirksey website:

http://www.kirksey.com/ProjectMain.asp?ID_...p;ID_Project=66

Hopefully, someone can shed some light on the building's future.

And also, thanks for the great photo!

The Kirksey site stated that of the 3 Bldg's {1915, 1959, & 1962} the '62 Bldg wasn't consider historic {44 years is not historic?} and was razed for watt else, parking etc.

I guess the # of years attached to the word 'HISTORIC' is judgemental.

Respectfully

Danny

that do indeed have in there collections older historic annual school year books. I know that on several occations a numer of knowledgeable people w/n this group have stated that the Julia Ideson research center of the houston library sys. have a great collection of local historical docs on file @ that facility.

So my question to those of you that have been there have you ever noticed if they have old year books @ the Julia Bldg?

Respectfully

Danny McLean

Back in April I placed an inquiry about a place called Industrial home. I believe it was what today would be called a day care facility for children.

There was a gentleman who had responded that he too had been there and that he believed it was located on Gano, just south of the downtown dist.

As time permits and if he reads this message would you please reconfirm specific address?

My sister & I will be traveling to the city in a few weeks and would very much like to re-visit the old place where our father {a single parent @ that time} left us each day as he went to work, back in the late 40's of the previous century {the one preceeded w/the #19}.

Thanking you in advance

Respectfully

Danny McLean

The comms twr. I was inquiring about sits atop the the old SP Bldg. {now Bayou Lofts} @ the corner of Frankiln/Travis. Not HPD's twr on Reisner.

Anyone ever heard of it? Know where it might be located? Have any photos?

Next time someone w/a camera is out/about prowling the downtown area & as time permits may I request they snap a photo or two of that landmark structure and also determine name of it? Maybe do a quick count of floors if possible.

Thank you very much. The good people @ this site have been so very helpfull!

Next time someone w/a camera is out/about prowling the downtown area & as time permits may I request they snap a photo or two of that landmark structure and also determine name of it? Maybe do a quick count of floors if possible.

Texas Medical Center Member Institutions in 1946-47 a study was conducted that concluded the following 10 institutions as members that make up TMC:

1. Baylor University College of Medicine

2. University of Texas Dental Branch

3. University of Texas School of Public Health

4. University of Texas Post-Graduate Medical School

5. M.D. Anderson Hospital for Cancer Research

6. Herman Hospital

7. Methodist Hospital

8. St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital

9. Tuberculosis Hospital

10. Medical Library of Houston Academy of Medicine

Given the passage of almost 6 decades how many more institutions would you thank have become members & would the old TB hospital still be active or changed names and mission today?

I did take another look @ Bayou Lofts and then Googled it & HPD. The twr. as best I can tell would most likely be the one on Riesner but looking @ the photo it does'nt appear to be that far away. O, well!

Viewing a photo of Bayou Lofts @ 915 Franklin & noticed a tall communications tower in the background. Is that structure located on the roof of the old landmark Bldg, or free standing nearby? Whose tower is it? Telephone comapny?

There are 5 office buildings. The Riviana building (~18 stories), the Wortham Tower (25 stories), the Woodson building (~18 stories), the America Tower (~43 stories), and the Life building (~5 stories, behind Wortham Tower). There are also 2 (maybe 3) parking garages.

Thank you

Danny