dbigtex56

On 6/15/2021 at 11:58 AM, wilcal said:

Hey, you found the exact bridge I remembered and it was exactly the way I thought it was. Nice work!

Memorial Park has mentioned that the land bridge is designed to be used by animals to avoid having to cross Memorial Drive. 

I'll argue that I'm guessing a certain % of Memorial Park users are dumber than the average wildlife.

That video shows it with a raised concrete edge at some points and a flush edge at others. 

I agree that humans are capable of doing stupid things.
They've done them before. There was that horrifying incident on the Southwest Freeway a few years ago when someone lobbed a large rock off an overpass. The young mother whose car it hit was killed. 
OTOH, look at how many pedestrian overpasses cross Houston highways already. Many have no barriers in place to prevent mischief-makers from doing the same thing. Fortunately, very few take advantage of this opportunity, and I don't see why the overpass at Memorial Park would somehow be more of a temptation than those that already exist.

4 hours ago, hindesky said:

Seems like this only happens in Houston and in poor third world countries. A brand new sidewalk in front of the Lighthouse of Houston, whose primary goal is to assist blind people. A electrical light pole in the middle of the brand new sidewalk is about to be installed. WTF? Who the hell makes these dumb assed decisions?

I assume they're going to put up a big sign saying CAUTION: LIGHT POLE in Braille. 

2 hours ago, MidCenturyMoldy said:

I think so. I moved to the neighborhood in January of '79 and I was (until this thread) fairly sure the Kroger was already there. 

I'm a Johnny-Come-Lately (moved to Montrose in October '81).
At that time a friend told me that the Kroger was only a few years old, and that prior to its construction there had been a large vacant lot where the Montrose Softball League would have their games.
Tempus Fugit

41 minutes ago, MidCenturyMoldy said:

I don't remember that at all and I moved to Montrose in January of '79.

Anyone have Google Earth Pro? I've been searching for historic aerial or satellite photos of this block with no luck. if someone can provide images of this block from circa 1980 - 1982 it would be appreciated.
It's entirely possible I'm mistaken (the demolitions would have happened more than 35 years ago) but it seems like it may have coincided with the expansion of Disco Kroger.

1 hour ago, hindesky said:

Apparently he did, this was the small parking lot area on the southwest corner.

IIRC there were still a few (2 - 4?) houses on this block until the mid-eighties, when they were razed to expand Kroger's parking lot.

4 minutes ago, clutchcity94 said:

Mine is 1910, so close!

Cool. 
From what I've read, development in the Montrose area started with the establishment of Westmoreland subdivision.(1902). 
I might have to retract my earlier statement about there being no 19th century houses. Someone told me that the former Robin's Nest B&B at 4104 Greeley St. was a farmhouse that predates the later developments in the area. Whether or not that's true I cannot say.

I stumbled across HAIF while seeking information about Houston's new Light Rail. To my delight, I found a community of people whose interests were similar to my own, and who provided information and insights that other Houston media did not. 
I remember the Great Meltdown of HAIF v.1 (and the weirdo homophobe who was almost certainly behind it). Lots of great information and observations were lost. Perhaps it doesn't rival the burning of the library at Alexandria, but it cannot be completely replicated.
HAIF has led to some long-term friendships which have continued on Facebook and even IRL.  It's no exaggeration to say that HAIF was the social networking site for Houston in the early 2000's. 
Thanks to Wayne and our fearless moderators for keeping this site up and running. 

21 minutes ago, bobruss said:

Since they've had no paying riders for the last year I'm sure their budget is far from adequate to do maintenance and a lot of the plantings they had died in the freeze.

METRO resumed charging fares on July 12th 2020. Fares were waived on March 23, 2020.
Three and a half months of collecting no fares doubtlessly had an effect on their budget, but it's my understanding that fares cover only a small portion of METRO's operating costs. 

21 hours ago, Avossos said:

My comment was more of an observation of the quality of existing development. I believe there is a lot of existing development that is past it's effective use in Montrose. There are multiple layers of redevelopment needed. Ex: 1880-1940 historic homes

Forgive me if this seems nit-picky but I'm unaware of any 19th century houses in Montrose.

18 hours ago, Blue Dogs said:

Hecker's interview with Alex Jones:

Appreciate your research, but no.
No, thank you. I will not be viewing this video clip.
The prospect makes my stomach turn.

1 hour ago, Avossos said:

This is silly... just let them get started so it can be over sooner.

Better yet, just cancel the damn thing, and get it over even sooner than that.

1 hour ago, Blue Dogs said:

I'm wondering how her former colleagues at Fox 26 KRIV-TV Houston are handling what Hecker did ?

Dunno. 
However, I notice that her YouTube channel (above) has the following message: 
This video has been removed for violating YouTube's Terms of Service.

1 hour ago, Houston19514 said:

that section of what is now Westheimer was "Hathaway"

It (Hathaway) was one of the "Shakespeare" streets, which included Avondale and Stratford.

For some reason, this song/video  has resurrected itself to become a recent obsession with me.
Strange coincidence that this airport-themed video was shot at WTC. Also, notice the theme of keys being twirled by the various women.
The blonde, especially, has such a star quality on camera. 

I assume that this is the project being referred to?
From the Montrosehx.org Project-Priority-List.pdf :
Waugh, Commonwealth Dr & Yoakum 12,900 Alabama St Dallas St Dedicated Bike Ln, Mill/Overlay Pvmt and Sidewalk Replacement $3,300,000

On 1/14/2021 at 1:20 PM, HouTXRanger said:

What made that section so weird to begin with? Why doesn't Lovett just continue straight?

So tempting to say "Because it's Montrose, duh!" 🤪, but in reality, at one time Lovett Blvd. did go straight, and it was altered when Commonwealth was extended past Westheimer, sometime after 1956 (according to this map.)

On 6/16/2021 at 12:21 AM, Tumbleweed_Tx said:

do some of y'all not know the difference between a local news channel and a national news channel?

Apparently she recorded footage of the (probably also now fired) sales manager of Fox 26 telling how the CDC is buying ads pushing the covid crap, and from what I gather (the sales manager couldn't put two coherent sentences together), the CDC is outbidding other advertisers. These purchases are affecting the news content

People who cannot put two coherent sentences together do not become sales managers. 
However, people who record and edit footage can manipulate it to suit their purposes. For example, if you ask someone an idiotic question, their response will seem strange if taken out of context. 
Ms. Hecker's demonstrable lack of journalistic ethics and professionalism indicate that she's not above using such ploys to influence the gullible.
(PS: Any updates on the sales managers imminent dismissal? Or is this just speculation on your part?)

On 1/21/2021 at 10:50 AM, phillip_white said:

It looks like the contractors got a kick in the rear because the pace of street pouring has really increased.

Was nice while it lasted. Another kick would be welcome, as they seem to have stalled in the Webster/Hadley block for weeks now.

Another cringe-able moment brought to us by Ms. Hecker. 
Unfortunately, her embarrassing antics will be reported far and wide, and reinforce perceptions that all of Texas is occupied by hicks and yahoos.

9 hours ago, j_cuevas713 said:

Wow any pics? Anyone?

Haven't found any pics yet but found this mention in The Montrose Voice  (Feb 26, 1982) on page 5 (third paragraph of "Montrose Mouth"):

"The offices of the MONTROSE VOICE will be at 3317 Montrose, third floor, starting next week."
"(The 3317 Montrose Building is across the street from Kroger - the building that houses Kwik Kopy.)"

Will the abandoned ROW between Block 468 and 469 also be for sale?

1 minute ago, j_cuevas713 said:

Wait so the Art Institute was located where the Walgreens is now? I went to the Yorktown location and the 59 location when they moved. 

On the same block.
There was a 1950's mid-rise yellow brick office building (known as "The Kwik-Kopy" Building) on the northeast corner of Hawthorne and Montrose, with parking behind. 
Don't recall offhand what occupied the northern half of the block, or what else fronted on Montrose on that side of the street.
 

I like it.
It's like the big brother to the spiral hill at McGovern Centennial Gardens in Hermann Park.

6 minutes ago, clutchcity94 said:

I feel like the days are numbered for the Walgreens across the street. Anyone know how long it’s been there? I know the CVS further south on Montrose & Richmond has been there since 2005.

Walgreen's was built sometime before 2000, probably mid-1990's. 
I remember, because the Art Institute left some great furniture curbside when their building was demo'd.
(edit: 1994, per HCAD)

On 6/14/2021 at 9:02 AM, thatguysly said:

RIP Disco Kroger.

It seems weird to build another Kroger in its spot with an additional element like residential. Its not like there is much room there to build a bigger Kroger and have parking.

If they incorporate underground and/or podium-style parking (which seems certain), it will result in even more land available to build a larger Kroger with ample parking for both residents and customers.