dbigtex56

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.

You may also remember Critical Mass from the news. On a Critical Mass ride in New York, a rookie cop approached and tackled a cyclist, then arrested him for assaulting an officer and made up a story about how the cyclist had targeted him and knocked him down with his bike. Unfortunately for the cop, the video someone took proved otherwise.

Officer Patrick Pogan was fired and indicted.

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

It's annoying how the news cites everything from Richmond to 1960 as "The Heights".

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.

From the Chronicle (April 30):

Parker said McClelland has issued a directive that all beat officers receive the address of every consulate in the city.

Why should he have to spend his off days? All police officers should be well-advised of areas in the city where they have no jurisdiction. These properties are foreign territory and cannot be entered except in extreme circumstances, like to save people from a fire. If police officers are prohibited from entering by international treaty, they should be advised where these places are.

Thats crap. I'd be willing to bet you don't know every facet of your job.

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?

has it really been two years? i swear i've seen the logo more recently than that. .

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

so what's going to happen with the continental building? Is it lights out for the white crown on top?

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.

If the little punk hadn't had fled, and he was fleeing, trying to make it to the consulate which i am sure he was informed to do in order to avoid police. Unfortunately for the cop chasing him, he didnt know what the chinese consulate looked like. Honest mistake by the officer. Betcha dollars to doughnuts you couldnt pick out the consulate either.

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.

From the Landmark Society of Western New York website:

Campbell-Whittlesey Museum To Close

February 19, 2010

Dear Friends:

On February 8, 2010, The Landmark Society Board of Trustees approved a motion to cease museum operations at the Campbell-Whittlesey house on July 1, 2010, and to, in August 2010, begin actively marketing the property for sale.

The decision to close the house museum at Campbell-Whittlesey is the end result of over five years of strategic planning and in-depth studies of opportunities for the property’s use. Last summer we continued this important discussion with calls to stakeholders like you and issued a subsequent press release to inform the public of our progress.

We have now scheduled a public meeting to hear your ideas that might assist us as we market Campbell-Whittlesey and seek its adaptive reuse. Our staff and trustees remain committed to the exploration of viable options that support the proper stewardship and the maintenance of the integrity of this historic treasure. [end]

This is sad news. I remember being taken on a school field trip to this house (ahem) years ago, and what an enormous impression it made on my young mind.

I don't think cops should harass people period. I don't think that should be a function of the police. I think the police should only be around to protect our civil liberties, and anything beyond that is a usurpation of power.

And I'm sure that if you surveyed people nearly 100% would agree with you - so long as the survey was conducted among TDC inmates.

Only inmates are concerned with the ever-increasing police state?

Dbigtex appeared to suggest that only criminals were concerned with the encroaching police state. My response is, in a nutshell, that we're all criminals, and that many of those now in prison are there because laws are getting more restrictive which justifies their concern.

If dbigtex appeared to suggest such a thing, it's news to him. Perhaps I'm not understanding your remark "police should only be around to protect our civil liberties." I'm of the opinion that they should also protect us from criminals- and if you aver that there's no such thing as a criminal, I find you delightfully naive.

If the little punk hadn't had fled, and he was fleeing, trying to make it to the consulate which i am sure he was informed to do in order to avoid police. Unfortunately for the cop chasing him, he didnt know what the chinese consulate looked like. Honest mistake by the officer. Betcha dollars to doughnuts you couldnt pick out the consulate either.

Northeast corner of Montrose and Harold, next to Soundwaves.

I thought that was common knowledge.

Remember how that anti-sodomy law was applied against that gay Austin couple about five years back? Now imagine if they applied the same law to every person they suspected of being gay, broke their doors in and hauled them off to county jail - simply on suspicion of being gay.

Is this the incident to which you refer? Just to clarify:

In Lawrence vs. Texas, two gay men say the state of Texas deprived them of privacy rights and equal protection under the law when they were arrested in 1998 for having sex in a Houston home.

A neighbor had reported a "weapons disturbance" at the home of John G. Lawrence, and when police arrived they only found two men having sex. Lawrence and another man, Tyron Garner, were held overnight in jail and later fined $200 each for violating the state’s Homosexual Conduct law. The neighbor was later convicted of filing a false police report.

Sodomy Laws

The Supreme Court ruled that sodomy laws are unconstitutional on June 26, 2003, so I'm mystified as to what happened with "that gay Austin couple about five years back".

I don't know if this counts, but most of the places I worked when I was in radio had no windows. A very few did, though, and those were much better operations with happier employees. I even felt better about going to work, comparatively, as well. Sure, co-workers and money and other factors played a role, but having worked in offices with no windows and worked in offices with lots of windows, I prefer to see outside. Since the use of natural light in offices is one of the "green" initiatives, I can see how that might work.

While I enjoy the smell of a new car, some people are sensitive to VOC's. A lot of new offices are kitted out with low-VOC carpets, paint, and cubicles.

I think it's about figuring out which "green" things are also good for the workers.

I can see insurance companies eventually (if they haven't already) getting on board with this sort of thing. Happy workers mean fewer sick days and medical expenses for the insurance company to cover.

Absolutely agree.

Back in 1980, I worked for Taylor Instruments in Rochester NY. They extensively modified an existing building for use as its R&D facility, and made it as energy efficient as current technology allowed. This included very thick applications of urethane foam, no windows, lots of new paint and flooring, restricted air exchange - the usual suspects for a 'sick' building. The occupants promptly suffered from blinding headaches, hacking coughs, and nausea, and it's safe to assume that productivity suffered.

An extreme example, to be sure, but if there's a choice, why unnecessarily expose people to suspect conditions?

I don't think cops should harass people period. I don't think that should be a function of the police. I think the police should only be around to protect our civil liberties, and anything beyond that is a usurpation of power.

And I'm sure that if you surveyed people nearly 100% would agree with you - so long as the survey was conducted among TDC inmates.

May I timidly suggest that the police might occasionally fight crime too? You know, so long as they hurt no ones feelings....

edit: Incidentally, this is w-a-a-y off topic. Chronicles of Obama, indeed!

Speaking of same, recently received this email:

Tour Perkins & Will, Certified Green Building

As one in a series of free tours of green buildings in Houston, you are invited to see the office of Perkins + Will Architects on Thursday, May 6, 2010. "Open house style" guided tours will be offered approximately every 30 minutes from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Perkins + Will is located at 1001 McKinney, in downtown Houston , Texas 77002, at the Downtown Rail Stop. Please visit www.houstontx.gov/mayor/leedtour.pdf for more details and a map.

Green buildings save owners and users money with greater energy efficiency. They are better for our environment with more reuse of material. Ultimately, they foster a happier and healthier workplace for employees.

We very much welcome your participation in this event and your interest and support for green building efforts across Houston . For more information on Green Building Tours, please contact Steve Stelzer at 713-535-7508 or e-mail at steve.stelzer@cityofhouston.net

And this bill states that suspicion of being illegal is probable cause enough to make lawful contact. We shouldn't work off your guesses in the matter.

Explain how a cop can reasonably believe someone to be smuggling without actually witnessing the loading/unloading of smuggled goods and people. What is the basis for this reasonable belief?

Police routinely ask drivers if they are carrying weapons or narcotics, and request to search their vehicles.

I'm not saying whether that's right or not, but the questions raised seem similar to those raised by the Arizona law.

I just want to know why there's a widespread concern that harassing people because of their perceived race or nationality = bad.

Harassing people because of their attire or length of hair = who cares?

The attendance for MODern Month has been great. Houston Mod appreciates all your support. We have sold 32 books in the past week! The second half of MODern Month will begin with an event at the Parc IV and Parc V towers on Sunday. These buildings were intended to be a part of the Jenkins bus tour but there was just too much to see that day.

Parc IV & Parc V

Join Houston Mod for a tour of the impressive Parc IV and Parc V towers in Montrose.

Designed by William R. Jenkins and Roy Gee with the firm Jenkins Hoff Oberg Saxe.

Tour will visit units in both towers: Parc IV, Level 12 and Parc V, Level 9, providing visitors with a chance to view different interiors, floor plans and styles.

Houston Mod publications, including the recent book about William Jenkins will be available.

Refreshments and snacks will be served.

Sunday, April 18th 1 PM to 3 PM.

3614 Montrose Boulevard, Houston 77006

$7 suggested donation

Jason Smith, author of the Jenkins book, will be available to discuss and sign the book. We hope to see you there. There should be plenty of parking available in the streets around the buildings. The elevators in these buildings are small so allow plenty of time for the tour.

Next week, prepare for several events related to the Lawndale market. First up is the lecture, The Future of Design, at the Decorative Center on Wednesday.

For those of you attending the Texas Historic Commission annual meeting here in Houston next week, Houston Mod has some big plans for you.

One of the towers (not sure if it's iV or V) is set back further from the street. A long-time Houston resident told me that the woman who owned the house which previously stood there refused to sell unless the graves of her poodles (which were buried in her front yard) were preserved.

Any mention of the reason for the uneven setbacks? or is this a colorful urban myth?

I'd fully anticipate a paranoid environmentalist backlash here from people that didn't know any better; that's not just a Texas thing, as evidenced by farmers who claim that a new freeway or railroad will cause their cows to stop producing milk (or some such bologna).

(from milkproduction.com)

Environment, people, and other cows can all affect how a cow behaves, eats, and milks. Most people who have worked with cows all of their lives know that it is best to keep cows calm, but they don’t necessarily know and appreciate all of the factors that cause cows to be stressed and the economical importance of cow behavior on their farm.

Fear of People by Cows and Effects on Milk Yield

Just a couple of examples.

However, I suspect that the links provided will remain unclicked. Anything that rebukes your ideology is, to use your word, 'bologna'.

Good thing Ayn Rand wasn't a dairy farmer, or we'd all have rickets.

I've read with interest the comments about how this building will contribute to Houston's skyline, and find myself in agreement with the great majority of them.

Strangely, no one seems interested on its impact at street level. During certain times of day, that lovely curved glass can send some brutal reflections into the eyes of pedestrians (and, one assumes, motorists.)

I'm just sayin'....

There's an informative article on Route 66 at the TVparty! website.

It took a traveling crew of 50 people, two brand-new baby-blue (later brown) Corvettes, two tractor trailers and other assorted vehicles to film this series, one of the largest mobile film operations in TV history.

"Most of the guys don't like it because they're away from home too long," George Maharis noted in 1960, "but I love it because I'm a bachelor."

(...and perhaps a role model for George Michael?)