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A bit of irony there, eh? 'tis an ill wind that blows no good. At least, the damage done by Ike to the Tower Theater marquee prompted a complete renovation of its facade. Some property owners were more conscientious than others in repairing Ike-damaged signs. It took the Jack In The Box on Montrose a year to repair their smashed sign.

Interesting topic. Buildings are expected to reflect the function for which they were built, often by reference to traditional forms. Yet, an attempt to recreate a modernized version of the traditional 19th century Texas courthouse would be ludicrous. The same standard applies to houses of worship; and many modern interpretations (especially in the 1960s) were thought to lack a 'spiritual' component. A courthouse should be a place of solidarity and dignity, regardless of its architectural style. I see lockmat's point; this building just doesn't seem massive ('heavy') enough to be instantly recognizable as a courthouse.

I always described it as "Mayberry on acid". In the early 80's there were still residents who had lived in their houses since they were built in the twenties and thirties, and would still sit on front porches and say hello to passersby. A walk down Westheimer might be: Oriental Modeling Studio, little old lady's house, antique shop, gay bar, dessert restaurant, clothing store, little old lady's house, tattoo parlor, head shop, adult book store, etc.

Let's hope the intruder gets some jail time, and the homeowner gets a medal.

I remember Mrs. Me's (gotta love that name!) and know I've eaten there, but can't remember where it was located.

It is indeed a lovely neighborhood, a private enclave usually inaccessible to the public. I've read that the neighborhood was laid out by a St. Louis architect, and St. Louis has similar neighborhoods built at the turn of the 20th century. This is where I saw Sally Field, while she was filming "A Woman of Independent Means".

Welcome to HAIF Cindy, and thank you for sharing your memories. Stories such as yours are what make this website worthwhile.

I hope this isn't so. However, since this is breaking news, let's hope for the best - it's not a done deal yet. Also, METRO's problems are affecting more than the people of Houston. From the Elmira Star-Gazette: "Should the project be canceled, the question is whose money got wasted -- residents of Houston, Texas, or residents of the United States?" said George Miner, president of Southern Tier Economic Growth, which played a role in CAF USA's purchase of its local facility. "Ironically, the goal of the federal stimulus program is to create American jobs now, which could be lost as a result of the (federal agency's) action, or at best case delayed an additional 20 months," he said. FTA nixes contract between Elmira Heights, Houston companies

What a shame. This is a little gem of Streamline/Moderne architecture. Reminds me of that building at the NW corner of Washington and Shepherd.

Thanks for the suggestions. I probably should have mentioned that this is a MacBook.

Always thought they'd be standard pub fare - your description of the Indian food had my mouth watering.

Anyone know of what space-age materials Sputnik is made? Wish I'd held up that well after 50 years...

OK, I should have known better, but this email came from a person I recognized (or so I thought), and the site the link took me to looked plausible. Once there (it was one of those make-money-at-home schemes), I couldn't exit the page or turn off the browser. Eventually I clicked something, and now whenever I go to a new website, the address bar immediately highlights itself, then goes back to normal, just as it would do if being copied. Has anyone else heard of a phishing or spyware program that acts in such a way? I've tried various websites that address malicious software, but haven't been able to locate anything which seems probable. Safari usually doesn't have these sort of problem, supposedly. I'm suspicious of those sites which offer to diagnose your software for free, as it may be letting me in for more of the same. (And I repeat, I should have known better, the 'sender' looked legit... no need to reiterate.)

Moslims and Islam Were Part of Twin Tower's Life (New York Times, Sept 12 2010) "He staggered out to the gathering place at Broadway and Vesey. From that corner, he watched the south tower collapse, to be followed soon by the north one. Somewhere in the smoking, burning mountain of rubble lay whatever remained of the prayer room, and also of some of the Muslims who had used it. Given the vitriolic opposition now to the proposal to build a Muslim community center two blocks from ground zero, one might say something else has been destroyed: the realization that Muslim people and the Muslim religion were part of the life of the World Trade Center. "

Montrose has matured. One can be over 30 now and still be accepted. It helps if you accept that you're no longer 20-something. However, wisdom doesn't always come with age. While there are still perfectly nice young gay men who come to (or live in) Montrose, 'cruising' is no longer fashionable or safe. If a guy who's twenty years younger and twice as good looking strikes up a conversation, it's plausible that he's trying to hustle, scam or mug you. I speculate that ricco67's friend either hasn't learned that lesson or was trying to buying crack. So far as the Tower Theater bunch, good chance that some of them missed their curfew (or were expelled from) Covenant House, just around the corner.

Geez. I can't imagine how such data would be compiled (or why it should.)

My recollection of the Guardian Angels is from the mid to late 80's - their headquarters was where the Avant Garden's parking lot is now. They wore raspberry berets, and would get pissed if you sang the Prince song within earshot. Lower Westheimer was also notorious as a destination for runaways at about this time - they would squat in the big abandoned Victorian houses (reading Anne Rice books, presumably.) The most notorious motel - I forget its name - was closed down and extensively remodeled for use by the Montrose Clinic (now Legacy.) There's a certain irony in that some of the clients being treated may have been infected in the very same building....

Part of the reason may be that the appraised land value has changed from $750k in 2005 to $1.1m in 2010. Taxes are $30k a year. HCAD

Perhaps it's being replaced by a brass Colonial carriage lamp. You know, modernizing.

Thanks for the elucidation. And, what's up with the snotty attitude? Your friends are concerned. [edit] PS: your link is broken.

Parking lot seems possible. The fill dirt has been leveled on the site of the slab, the adjacent vacant lot (behind Lola's) and the recently demolished house on Converse. Hope they don't cut down the remaining mature trees on the block.

Glad that people remember what a peculiar and wonderful place this was in its heyday. Hobos and heiresses mingled*. *(from Mirriam-Webster: mingle: to bring or mix together or with something else usually without fundamental loss of identity)

I see your point. I really do. But, times have changed. Pornography in public is no longer fashionable. People have DVDs, and STDs are viewed warily. We cannot turn back the clock. There are other battles to be fought. And one is more likely to take United Airlines than the White Star Line to cross the Atlantic. I imagine this building would make a fine restaurant.

Well, sort of. The front portion of the Midnight Sun was demolished. The back part (where they had the drag shows) was adapted and is now a veterinarian clinic for cats. So not all's lost. (Even in the gay community, the loss of the Midnight Sun is bearable.)

I moved to Houston - that is, Montrose - in 1981, because of its reputation as a free-wheeling, fun, affordable and stimulating place. Especially appealing was the prevalence of gay bars - nearly 30 at that time. It was a magnet that rivaled San Francisco. The optimism was palpable. Jobs were plentiful. People started businesses in the spare rooms of rented bungalows - resale, hairdressing, antiques - all the cliches'. They lived out their dreams. We had a sympathetic mayor; raids on gay bars ceased. All was good. Then came a double-whammy; an economic downturn, and the devastation that AIDS brought. Young men went from healthy one month to sickly the next, to dead a few weeks later. It was horrible. Radio DJs made unpardonable jokes about Montrose. Did you know that realtors used to be obligated to tell potential buyers if the previous owners of a house had died from AIDS? Houses sat vacant for months on the market. There were even HUD houses on the auction block. Yet, Montrose persisted. Drag queens bravely plied the streets; artists painted and played. There was a new comraderie. We were staunch. In the mid-90's Montrose changed. A plethora of townhomes suddenly appeared. Fast food franchises moved in, gourmet restaurants opened and rents increased. Montrose went from a funky, lovable yet disreputable neighborhood to fashionable, seemly overnight. Which is where we find ourselves now. But yeah. Montrose is still worthwhile.