dbigtex56

Michael's Outpost 1419 Richmond Ave. (713)520-8446 They have sing-alongs some nights- call for info.

Thanks for a timely reminder. Hurricane season starts in less than a month, and now is the time to make sure that trees have been trimmed well away from utility lines.

Thanks to Houston Mod for expanding the point of view of those who would like to summarize Houston in less than 1000 words. How refreshing to read a travel article that doesn't paint Houston in terms of rednecks and rodeos.

So, Houston's future is Dallas? Not sure that I'm thrilled by that concept...

There was a segment on MSNBC this morning about a couple who discovered that the copyright had expired on Girder and Panel, and so have revived it without having to pay the intellectual rights fees. Girder and Panel website, Tekton Tower building set. Bridge and Turnpike and Hydrodynamic kits look pretty cool, too.

Received a prompt reply from M. Martin, who said basically the same thing as Furious Jam (see above.) Should be more info soon.

Well if there wasn't one before, there is now:City Place thread

According to Nancy Sarnoff, Jonathan Farb, grandson of Harold Farb, will build apartment buildings at 306 Mc Gowen, in Midtown (article says at the corner of Bagby; Google Maps puts it between Baldwin and Helena) containing 185 units. Article I think it's the vacant lot with the big-ass radio tower on it.

Good times, for a change... According to the Culturemap Houston website and the River Oaks Examiner, this property is no longer scheduled for demolition, and will soon open as Ocean's, "a casually sophisticated oasis for cocktails and a price-friendly menu of modern Mexican cuisine inspired by the brothers' [Jorge and Isaac Alvarez] international upbringing." The restaurant will feature a cerviche bar, and attention has been paid to retaining original period details, while updating kitchens and bathrooms and bringing the gardens back to their original glory. Ocean's is scheduled to open May 21st.

Without the bottom of the food chain, there's no top of the food chain. I'd hate to think we're causing damage that will affect all living things for the sake of coddling some perverted standard.

It's interesting to see the color variation between pre-midcentury (beige) and post-midcentury (gray) buildings.

Texas Watchdog article Lisa Falkenberg article(Houston chron) I'll second that. The damn fool may have cost Houston the federal funds required to compete the next phase of rail construction, if I'm reading the news correctly. Wonder why Mayor White never put pressure on Metro the way Mayor Parker does?

Haven't found any updates on this, so sent an email to the organizer of the petition. I'll post any info as soon as it's received.

I was, thank goodness, mistaken. The Houston Press has an article about the progress being made on the Tower Theater's renovation, along with a picture of the restored marquee. From the article: "Sadly, no tenant is planned for the space. The [real estate company]representative merely stated that they were hoping the renovated marquee and exterior would attract a client..." Keep your fingers crossed and your thinking caps on. Surely there's a business that's just right for this space.

Thanks to sevfiv for posting the link to the .pdf BROCHURE OF THE WORK OF WM WARD WATKIN ARCHITECT The brochure includes photographs/drawings of the following: Museum of Fine Arts (4) Laboratory of Chemistry, Rice Institute (3) Ralston Memorial Tower, Trinity Church Mr. Watkin's General Plan for Texas Technological College (6) Entrance, Kinkaid School Y.W.C.A. Building, Galveston Houston Public Library (3) South Texas Commercial National Bank A Design For Houston Cotton Exchange Residence of Wm. Ward Watkin (2) Residence of F. A. Heitman (2) Residence of H. C. Wiess Residence of Dr. E. M. Armstrong (3) Residence of Howard Hughes Residence of E. W. Gruendler Residence of J. Virgil Scott Residence of John G. Logue Residence of M. L. Hurwitz Windward Court Apartments Residence of W. A. Priddie Residence of N. T. Masterson (2) Assorted advertisments ___________________________________ Where were these structures located, and which are still in existence? Obviously, the museum, library and Rice Institute (University) buildings are still standing, but I'm curious as to the fates of the various residences. Wm. Ward Watkin's name initially came up in reference to the Windward Court Apartments; however, after viewing a partial list of his designs it's apparent that his influence on early Houston was greater than is commonly recognized.

From The New York Times, April 29 2010: A former police officer was convicted on Thursday of lying about a collision with a bicyclist who was taking part in a Critical Mass ride in Times Square in 2008 — an altercation that was videotaped and became a viral presence on the Internet. The jury found the officer, Patrick Pogan, 24, guilty of filing a criminal complaint that contained false statements concerning the cyclist, Christopher Long, including an assertion that Mr. Long knocked Mr. Pogan down by intentionally steering his bicycle into him. (The video showed that Mr. Pogan remained on his feet, while Mr. Long flew to the pavement. Full article (Strangely, Mr. Pogan was not convicted of assult.) As the Daily News put it, "The New Yorkers who acquitted former NYPD officer Patrick Pogan of assault yesterday were a jury of his peers, by which we mean idiots." Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Patrick+Pogan#ixzz0mzLiK8xq

Or "Midtown", or "Montrose", or "Southwest Houston", etc. It's as if they pick a name out of a hat.

Legend has it that Bob Hope once said that the view from the Presidential Suite at the Warwick was one of the most beautiful in the world. I wonder when he stayed there, and whether the view would have included the Sunken Garden or the Mecom Fountain.

Apparently the mayor and the chief of police take kylejack's point of view; police should be at least given an opportunity to know what they're doing, especially if it involves chasing and physically restraining people and international relations. This doesn't seem like some trivial detail - are you advocating that the police remain ignorant of the whereabouts of Houston's various consulates?

Me, too - and it's visible from my bedroom window.

The blue lights may be replaced with white ones... And according to breaking news early this morning, the merger has been approved, awaiting final approval by regulatory agencies.

Is that at the northeast corner of Bagby and Rosalie? HCAD lists the construction date as 1905 (for what that's worth - HCAD is notoriously inaccurate with construction dates.) Also notes that it was remodeled in 1998. The taxable value jumped from $225k in 2009 to $452k in 2010, based solely on improvements. Yikes!

Not sure if this signifies anything, but the realtor signs that were on the front and side of the building for several months are gone.

And now its twin (1206 Hyde Park) has a realtor's sign. I'm a bit more hopeful for this property, as it appears to have been well-maintained.

From the Chronicle (April 30): Unresolved Friday was whether city police had jurisdiction on consulate property. Parker reported police said they were unaware they were on property owned by the Chinese government. The consulate has a large sign and usually flies the Chinese flag. The garage has a smaller sign designating it as consulate property. Under the Vienna Convention of Consular Relations, police can enter a consulate's property only by the invitation or to protect the consulate from a grave threat such as a fire or mass shooting, said South Texas College of Law professor Geoffrey Corn. “If they thought the person they were pursuing was dangerous to consular staff,” he said, “there's a provision that says permission is presumed. But this is nothing like that.” Parker said McClelland has issued a directive that all beat officers receive the address of every consulate in the city. _________________________________________________________________ I made an earlier post saying I thought the whereabouts of the consulate was common knowledge; perhaps because i've lived within a mile of it for the past 28+ years. Still, I can understand how someone new to the neighborhood might not be aware of this building's tenant. "Large sign", indeed! Exactly where is this large sign? And the large flag is not all that visible. I've never ridden down the street and heard someone exclaim, "Oh, look! The Chinese consulate!" It's one of those places that has to be pointed out. The Chinese seem to have made this building as anonymous as possible.