dbigtex56

My favorite Houston talk show is the fictitious "Good Morning, Grant!" from Reality Bites. You'll recall that the host (played by John Mahoney) is tricked into avowing on air his love for very young girls.

Thanks!

If you mean general advertising, I'd be interested to see your source. METRO currently has advertising on buses and trains, but for only one client:METRO.

Speaking of seafood restaurants in the 80's, what was the name of the one at the southwest corner of W Gray and Woodhead? Pier One currently occupies the site. It was a white stucco building with a nautical Streamline theme - lots of stainless steel and neon. Someone had recently completed a very nice renovation when it burned to the ground, circa 1986. Among the improvements was a NOS tile floor found in a rural hardware store basement. I salvaged one of the exterior lighting fixtures, which appears to be an authentic ship light; the casting states it was manufactured in Houston.

Where'd all those white people come from?

I remember that. The man's father had built the house in the 20's or 30's and it had been their family home ever since. He didn't dispute HISD's use of eminent domain; he just asked that he be allowed to live there until actual construction was to begin. But no. Some heartless bureaucrat decided that the demolition should be done immediately, so that the land could remain vacant for ten years. There's some people you just want to slap.

You could try Historic Houston's warehouse on W Clay - their inventory varies. Historic Houston Warehouse Craftsman columns are pretty simple - an alternative is to find a house similar to your own, take some pictures and measurements, and have a capable carpenter reproduce them.

I've eaten there exactly once. On the plus side, the young man who waited on me was polite and very good looking. On the minus, I was served a turkey sandwich on what appeared to be two slices of stale cake. It was awful. I hope this never happens to me again. I'm pretty tolerant about food, but that sandwich disgusted me.

EIFS stands for Exterior Insulation and Finish Systems. The product is also called synthetic stucco Link

Someone's gotta say it. I'm sorry to see another of the original Montrose Boulevard houses bite the dust. I won't even try to defend this structure as a significant piece of architecture; it's not. Its absence will make picturing Montrose in its heyday a little more difficult. This proposed new building is welcome - in a bittersweet way.

Not sure that I understand the issue. Is this an image posted on HAIF which was appropriated by someone?

Indeed they are. That's the great thing about silver nitrate photography - it's fairly stable. I hope that digital images fare as well. What a shame it would be if our generation's pictures were lost.

So what's the consensus? i like the stone. Not crazy about another taupe/beige/gray stucco building in Midtown. I feel like I'm drowning in oatmeal.

I reluctantly agree.

Pit cats.

Actually, I meant more the cultural or social impact the community has had, but your point is well taken. And a good point it is. In my (admittedly limited) knowledge of the 'hip' or 'cool' or 'trendy' or 'alternative' neighborhoods in many cities, there's an architectural component. It entails an appreciation of something unique, distinctive, and (importantly) overlooked by the mainstream. It's the triumph of the artist over the number cruncher.

My secret vice is those police chase video shows - you know, COPS, Wildest Police Videos, etc. What kills me is that a suspect, who is armed, has just robbed a bank, hijacked a car, is driving 90 mph, running stop signs and red lights, trying to knock police cars off the road ... ... and during this high-speed pursuit, what does he do? He politely uses his turn signals. I've seen it over and over again. Crooks seem to be more conscientious than the average Houston driver. I can see them pleading in front of the judge: "But, your Honor, you'll notice that I used my turn signal before speeding through that playground."

The post was in response to musicman's concerns about empty retail space downtown, not neighborhood retail. In context, it was a faaabulous comparison case.

I don't understand how I strengthened your point. Your theories are interesting, but I was talking about reality. Please re-read the portion of my quote which you deleted - The stores that operate there have a captive customer base.

You'll notice that empty retail space is a rarity in the Galleria, even though it has (I imagine) some of the highest rents in Houston. Retailers would rather set up shop where they are assured of thousands of potential customers every day instead of a slightly cheaper space and the forlorn hope that a few dozen people might wander by. There's no rent low enough to persuade people to open a business where failure is practically guaranteed.

Bastrop, La Grange and Columbus are surrounded by lots of ....nothing. The stores that operate there have a captive customer base. Editor's neighborhood is in the midst of a city already bursting with options, which makes startup for a self-contained shopping area serving a limited number of people very difficult.

In Rochester, NY there was a bank called Security Trust; their motto was "Look Forward with Security!", which was painted in huge letters on the side of their brick 19th century building. Seemed rather ironic during the demolition of the building; wish I'd taken a photo.

What's amazing is the influence and notoriety Montrose holds despite its tiny area and population. According to Wolfram Alpha Knowledge Engine, the 77006 population is only 18,875 (based on 2000 census), and barely over 2 square miles. It can be argued that the 'Montrose Area' spills over into adjacent zip codes, but regardless...

A shame that this building is being demolished. It needs to be a coffee shop, or restaurant, or retail - anything but a vacant lot. I hope at least some of its materials are saved. Gotta love those florescent light fixtures.

Captain Benny's? I've eaten there, but it's been nearly 30 years... Must be one of those sense-memory things, but I still cannot walk down the sidewalk past the Rice without smelling ghost wino pee.