tmariar

Looked but didn't find this discussed on this forum before - possibly because the majority view is that La Carafe is the oldest bar in Houston. I'm not necessarily disputing that - I'm just interested in knowing more about the basis for that claim. And the basis for any claim that another bar in town is older. Perhaps my ultimate question is, does it depend on how one defines "oldest bar in Houston"? Or is La Carafe hands-down the winner regardless? Some factors that might come into play: (1) Whether "the bar" refers to the business itself, or the structure in which it's located (2) Whether the bar has operated continuously since its opening (3) Whether the bar has operated continuously in the same place since its opening (4) Whether the bar has operated continuously under the same name since its opening (5) Whether the bar has been operated by the same family since its opening (6) Whether the bar is a full service bar, or sells only beer and wine (7) Whether the bar is a full service bar, or sells only beer (8) Whether an "ice house" is a "bar" (9) Whether the bar is located in Houston proper, or just in the Houston area (10) Whether a restaurant bar is a "bar" (11) Whether a hotel bar is a "bar" Am I missing any? (I'd personally say the "oldest bar in Houston" is whichever indepedendent business in Houston that is commonly thought of as a "bar" has, for the longest continuous period of time, operated under the same name, in the same location/structure, regardless of ownership.) At the expense of making this a really long post (sorry), but in the hope of ultimately saving others some time, here's some background info on a few contenders: La Carafe - 813 Congress - A wine and beer bar on Market Square with an unbeatable ambiance and good jukebox. Generally believed to be the oldest bar in Houston. Located in the Kennedy Bakery building, which was built in the 1860's. - "Considered to be the oldest Houston building existing on its original site." (National Register listing for Kennedy Bakery, per Texas Historical Commission) - "[G]enerally acknowledged as the oldest structure in Houston existing on its original site." (same) - "The building [o]ccupies the site of the previous 'Shakespeare Coffee House.'" (same) - "Legends report the two-story brick structure, which was built for pioneer merchant John Keimedy [sic], at various times housed a trading post, stage stop, and slave market. Research indicates, however, that the structure housed Kennedy's bakery." (same) - "The 1873 Houston City Directory lists a druggist operating from the bakery building, and drug stores, under several different ownership's, continued to operate there until 1932, from which time a wide variety of businesses occupied it. Ownership remained in the Kennedy family until 1970. The building was sold to William V. Berry in 1970, who operates a pub, known as La Carafe, in the building." (same) - "The La Carafe building is listed on the National Register for Historic Places and is believed to be the oldest bar in Houston, and is the oldest commercial building still in use, in Houston." (The Story of Home) - "Later serving as a pony express station and becoming the modern La Carafe we know today in the 1950s, the building was passed down for 5 generations of Kennedys before it was sold to Wenglar's older brother who passed away shortly after gaining posession in 1987. Since 1988, Wenglar has kept La Carafe at it's original, mellow best, hiring bartenders who have been with La Carafe for her entire duration as owner." (same) - "La Carafe is not only the oldest bar in Houston, but it's also the oldest commercial building in Houston if I'm not mistaken." (Lance Scott Walker, BarTab Blog, Houston Chronicle) Leon's Lounge - 1006 McGowen - Homey and eccentric cleaned-up dive bar in Midtown. - "There's no other bar in Midtown - or in Houston, for that matter - like Leon's Lounge. Not only does it boast an existence spanning nearly six decades - quite a feat, considering the blink-and-you-missed-it nature of Houston businesses - it's also the most interesting place you can find any night of the week in Midtown." (Houston Press) - "Owner Scarlett Yarborough was given the bar from her father, Leon, who purchased the property in 1953." (Houston Press) - "[W]ord on the street is that it's 1953 establishment date makes it one of the oldest watering holes in town, second to La Carafe." (houstonist.com) - "Supposedly the oldest bar in Houston?" (dishwaterblue.blogspot.com) - "It is supposedly the oldest bar in Houston." (poster on forums.hornsfans.com) - "Some people claim its the La Carafe and I have heard about a place called Leon's that is actually the oldest continuously operated bar? I know that you or someone who reads this column will know." (poster on BarTab Blog, Houston Chronicle) Kay's Lounge - 2324 Bissonnet - A true Texas-style wine and beer bar located in one of the neighborhoods/towns that, in my ignorance, I lump together as "West U". - "The second-oldest bar in Houston has been serving beer and wine since 1943." (envymags.com) - "Antique beer ads accumulated since the bar's opening in 1939 adorn the walls and ceilings." (citysearch.com) West Alabama Ice House - 1919 W. Alabama - Montose ice house that is probably the best-known in the city. - "Serving up cold ones on hot days on the outskirts of the Montrose since 1927" (aol.cityguide.com) - "Opened in 1927, the West Alabama Ice House is a Houston landmark that became known as 'Houston's backyard'." (governor.state.tx.us) Warren's Inn - 307 Travis - An old-school bar on Market Square that serves great cocktails. - "It's rumoured to be the oldest bar in Houston" (whereisgoodservice.blogspot.com) Mary's Lounge - 1022 Westheimer - Treasured gay bar in Montrose, with an entertaining mural. - "Mary's claims to be the oldest bar in Houston" (citysearch.com) - "It's been around forever - they claim to be the oldest bar in Houston, but that's debatable - and Mary's Lounge is still packing them in." (Houston.com) Warwick Hotel Lounge - 5701 Main - No longer exists, so not really a contender, but interesting to note. - "Established: 1926" (governor.state.tx.us) Anyone have any information/thoughts to add to the above? I'm planning to do more research...

The below isn't a list of my top-favorite Houston restaurants (which would include Mark's and at least one sushi restaurant). It's not that I don't think that the quality of the food should be a consideration - but it would not be determinative for me if you're asking what I think you're asking. These are all good/great restaurants that are the Houston equivalent of the kinds of restaurants I look for in foreign cities when I travel. Usually that means strong representatives of types of restaurants/regional specialties I'm hoping to sample. Pleasant and/or interesting atmosphere a bonus. (1) Stingaree (Bolivar) - Good crabs, which are a Houston specialty (plus a nice view and nice people) (2) Givral

I've never gone, but there is a monthly "Yale Street Arts Market" every first Saturday. (Per musicman's reply, which I see now.) Other than that, the only things I can think of that come close to what you describe are (1) the booths for rent at many of the antique stores on 19th Street, which may be restricted to antique dealers, and (2) once-a-year markets like the Dickens in the Heights Holiday Market. The weekly farmer's market is, I'm guessing, restricted mostly to produce.

I'm not sure how much light this sheds on the issue, but I ran across a letter to the editor in the October 28, 1892 edition of the Houston Daily Post that states in part as follows: As chairman of the executive department of the Fifth Ward North Side Improvement club I desire to thank Alderman Fox for introducing his brick pavement resolution in the city council on last Monday evening, and trust the matter will now be pushed and that this city will no longer be disgraced and lives and limbs endangered by the existence of these old death traps, plank sidewalks. We, on this side of town, had already formulated plans and petitions, asking for these very sidewalks, and the adoption of this resolution saves us lots of hard work. I can safely say there is not a single man on this side that does not heartily endorse the action of Mr. Fox. . . . Our club . . . desire to say to our city fathers do what is done well, and do not put any more money in wooden street pavements or sidewalks or anything but of the best permanent character. The remainder of the letter, from Ed A. Osler, discussed the need for public electric lighting.

The Beaconsfield Apartments building downtown had a cage elevator when I last visited, about 5-7 years ago. They also had a full-time elevator operator to run it. It is/was apparently about 100 years old. However, it appears that the elevator has since been renovated, or is about to be, based on this 7/10/06 press release. Quoting from it: The Beaconsfield features two elevators both installed in circa 1900 making them approximately 100 years old. While the freight elevator has gone through a partial modernization, the passenger elevator still boasts all the original American-made Otis equipment. With the modernization of this historic and beautiful equipment, another chapter in elevator history is closing however; a new chapter in elevator technology is being advanced. Sadly, in 2000, a worker in the building died after falling down the freight elevator shaft, as discussed in this 10/9/03 Houston Press article.

Hadn't connected you to your site until just now, sevfiv, but I've always enjoyed it as well - and have added a link. I should really start paying closer attention to people's signatures and profiles. Keep up the good work, both of y'all.

That's mine, too, but I think of Lost Houston more as an adjunct to the adjunct blog. Both were created for the Amnesia site. The main one is Houstorian. I just tried to add an RSS feed link to it - but it looks funny, so I may be doing it wrong. Anyhow, the feed is here. Thanks for the interest - I mentioned it only figuring that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Didn't want to take away from gonzo's good news. Maybe I'll do a topic post on Amnesia and Houstorian in the future, once the group has its non-profit status - which I hope will be soon.

So glad to hear it - you've done a great job with it. I started a very similar blog, as a sort of adjunct to a friend's site, but don't have the time or talent to make it nearly as good. Best of luck to you, and welcome back to town.

Colorized version here.

I shouldn't pretend to know anything about the ways in which grocery stores operate, as I really have no idea - I was thinking that adding sections like that would result in the loss of other offerings and maybe an overall increase in prices, so that such changes wouldn't be entirely welcome to everyone, but I could be wrong. And it's probably beside the point, as a store will change as its customer base changes, especially if it can find ways to be more profitable. I certainly can't fault the manager at the Shepherd Fiesta for wanting to know what the store's customers want to see in the store. (A bigger cheese selection - that's what I always want.) The Montrose Fiesta also has a really good British foods section - lots of random imported products you don't tend to see outside of specialty shops.

Wouldn't the Fiesta on Studewood be more likely to go the way of the Montrose Fiesta than the Fiesta on Shepherd? That part of the Heights seems more comparable to lower Montrose than the Upper-Shepherd area. Based on changes I saw over time at the two Montrose Krogers, I would also guess that the 11th St. Kroger is more likely to go "upscale" sooner than either Fiesta. The changes may be slow in coming, but each new large house (whatever the architectural style) that replaces a bungalow makes them more and more inevitable. Our Fiestas currently serve segments of the Heights community that have already been pushed out of Montrose to a much larger extent, and the "upscaling" of those stores will make them less serviceable to the people they currently serve (who are also less likely to have the disposable income to eat out frequently). And an upscale Fiesta or upscale Kroger is not going to eliminate the need to go to Central Market for certain things. Just my thoughts on the issue - not meant to be judgmental, as I think the original post was just focused on the natural desire anyone has to have a grocery store convenient to them that will fit their needs and thus save them time shopping. I'd shop at an upscale grocery store if there was one in the area, and it is probably a niche market that could be better served - but I've always viewed the lack of upscale grocery shopping as part of the trade-off I make in order to live in a diverse neighborhood. Life's not too bad - the Montrose/Kirby shops aren't that far away, the 11th St Kroger isn't all that bad, Fiesta has nopalitos, and the little market on Heights Blvd. has good meat...

Agreed in that what I know of Coyote Ugly (from the movie, an episode or two of a related reality TV show, and a brief visit to the N.O. location) is that it's primarily known for its bartenders dancing on the bar. The reality TV show - I want to say it was focused on the opening of the Austin location - showed girls at try-outs for waitress positions and then training to do the dances. Just some context for those who hadn't heard of the chain before.

Thanks for sharing the photos! Didn't check to see if these others had previously been posted here, but there are TCH photos posted on other sites from 1958 and 1959. Many of them are (mildly) entertaining publicity shots of LBJ or "Tarzan" lending a hand with the eponymous children, but there are some exterior shots as well. The site with the 1959 photo has a large and interesting collection of historic postcards/photos of healthcare facilities in Houston and other Texas cities.

Oops! Thanks for the clarification, 2fatcats. I was afraid I might have mixed up the two to some extent, as the background information I found didn't always make the distinction between father and son. I think the house has been tied in the public's imagination to "Silver Dollar Jim" West (the photo of the house and cars above, for example, is labeled as if it were the son's house), but I believe you're correct - the house was built by Jim West, Sr. (who doesn't sound as eccentric). The Historical Commission write-up makes that clear.

Wondering if anyone has been to Kaboom Books yet, the new (used) bookstore at 833 Studewood (at 9th). Someone posted a photo here. A friend recommended it, but I haven't had a chance to go yet, and hadn't seen anything posted about it. I hope it does well in that location.

Looks like I didn't get too far in my '80's club list before I got distracted looking at old flyers. But here are some from my list: 6400 - ~1987-89 - 6400 Richmond The Agora - ~1985 - Windsor Plaza Apocalypse Monster Club (AMC) - ~1987 - Near Ellington Field Beejay's - 1984-86 Cabaret Voltaire I - ~1984 - 22 N. Chenevert Cabaret Voltaire II - 1985-86 Cabaret Voltaire III - 1986 - 2524 McKinney - I think the space became the Axiom, then Catal Huyuk (93-94), then Harvey's Caribana Confetti International Club - 200 block Westheimer - Black Flag played there in 1985 Maceba Theater - Husker Du, Butthole Surfers, New Order NRG - ~1986-88 The Ocean Club Omni - ~1982 - 1540 Westheimer - D.R.I. played there Paragon Phideaux - 5735 Westheimer - Husker Du played there in 1986 Power Tools - Franklin Red Square Rock Island - 4700 Main - Known as Paradise Island before it became Rock Island - Black Flag and the Dead Kennedys played there Therapy Visions - 1986-88 Xcess - 1988-89 - 5134 Richmond I didn't get to go to most of these - I was lucky if I got to go to an all-ages show at Numbers. Thought others might remember some of them, though. The Maceba Theater sounded especially interesting from what little I read about it. There seemed to be confusion about where NRG was located.

Yeah, Rock Island was at 4700 Main. I didn't ever go there (too young, I'm guessing), but did make it a couple of times to the last of the three incarnations of Cabaret Voltaire, another good punk club, right before it closed (they were probably letting anyone in at that point). There's a lot of good information/photos/flyers at Houston Punk Archives. I gathered a bunch of information about 80's clubs in Houston once a while ago, in a fit of nostalgia, and will see if I can find it. Those were fun days (nights).

Subdude posted some interior photos from the Sheraton Lincoln in a prior topic, here.

From Marks Hinton's book Historic Houston Streets: The Stories Behind the Names (2006): "In River Oaks, Houston Heights and Montrose, to mention a few older neighborhoods, some streets still have their name and block number in tile on the curb at the end of each block. The city began using this form of identification in the 1920s and carried the practice into the early 1950s. It was cheap, attractive, durable and easy to read. Unfortunately, the growing popularity of the automobile brought an end to this naming practice. Drivers were going faster and found that street signs on poles were easier to read at higher speeds. Today while a number of these relics remain in pristine condition, most are in various states of deterioration. Age, contact with automobiles and trucks, repaving, recurbing, name changes and destruction for handicapped access at corners have all taken their toll on this pleasant reminder of Houston

The first time I saw these photos was on the Sloane Gallery website, along with some other early Houston aviation photos. I also remember some nice (albeit not as old) aviation photos on the website for the 1940 Air Terminal Museum (the old Houston Municipal Airport Terminal). All very interesting. Edit: The Houston Post. July 13, 1919 Thomas Aircraft Corporation General Office: 619 Binz Bldg. Bellaire Flying Field Two miles west of South End of Main Street. Car line and splendid automobile drive direct to the field.

nm5k - You've got the right guy - he was definitely a big part of the mythology that surrounded Houston and Texas for much of the last century. I still haven't gotten to read Blood and Money yet, but there's more about "Silver Dollar Jim" West here (plus a truly great photo of him). I also found a 1958 TIME Magazine article along the same lines, plus a couple of TIME Magazine references to him (here and here) in articles on eccentricity. He was even mentioned in a National Geographic article. Texas Monthly, in their December 1999 issue, named him "Comical Texan of the Century". West owned the West Building on Main at Walker, which (I think) is still standing. A book I have on Houston street names says that there is a "Jim West Street" in Bellaire, that West named the street himself, and that he also named other streets in Bellaire (Dorothy, Darsey, Mildred, Cynthia, Jane, Effie, Valerie, Betty, Lula, Edith, Bess, Vivian) after the women who worked in his office and the wives of his partners. The Johnson Space Center was built on land that was once part of his 30,000-acre ranch, hence the close proximity of the West Mansion to JSC. Here's an early photo of "Silver Dollar Jim" West's house and cars. (In a prior HAIF topic, the cars were identified as a Chrysler Airflow and two Chrysler Imperials.) The land his ranch was on also now encompasses Armand Bayou Nature Center. When Pappas owned the house, there used to be a big American Cancer Society fundraiser held there every year - the Silver Dollar Ball - with performers such as the Dixie Chicks and Jerry Jeff Walker. Many of the articles posted about the mansion and/or West himself mention his numerous contributions to the city of Houston - and I hope that such civic contributions are as much a part of the Houstonian/Texan stereotype that West embodied as some of the entertaining aspects of his personality. Preserving the West Mansion would be a fitting memorial to the man and the considerable role he played in our city's history - saving an early-20th-Century architectural landmark building in a part of the city that has few others from that era would obviously be a bonus. It's just frustrating that the only contact information I've found for trying to convey some of this to Mr. Olajuwon is email addresses for the Cushman & Wakefield agents representing him in the sale (see HAIF forum discussion moved to Other Neighborhoods). Mr. Olajuwon has apparently received (hopefully reliable) offers that contemplate the preservation of the home, but I don't know enough about Cushman & Wakefield to know whether they would pass on to him emails or other communications (like those posted by HAIF members) urging him to accept one of those offers even if it diminishes somewhat the profit he (and possibly they) would make from the sale - presumably they would. If nothing else, it's good to see the house discussed, and Jim West remembered, on this forum. Thanks.

Thanks to both of you for the reference to the article in Houston House & Home. Those are some great old pictures - taken from the "Civics" section of the May 11, 1930 issue of the Houston Gargoyle.* I especially liked this photo of the playroom done in "zigzag Moderne style": Here's the full article: DOWN AT THE VILLA: WILL A HANDFUL OF FADED NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS SOON BE ALL THAT'S LEFT OF THE LANDMARK WEST MANSION ON CLEAR LAKE? By Linda Barth On busy East NASA Parkway, just past Space Center Boulevard, you still can see through mossdraped oaks an enchanting villa built in Italian Renaissance Revival style. Lumber and oil magnate James M. West and his wife, Jessie, commissioned Houston architect Joseph Finger to build the house in the 1920s on what was then their 30,000-acre ranch. The house was unusual for its place and time. While mansions were being constructed in rural areas on Long Island or Westchester County, New York, in the 1920s, most large houses in Texas were built on a smaller scale in country club settings. And they were not being built in Italian style; Spanish Colonial was more popular. The Wests boldly situated their Italianate home with Art Deco and Moderne flourishes on the then-unpopulated north shore of Clear Lake between Houston and Galveston. At 17,000 square feet, the villa was one of the largest residences built in Texas in the 1920s, and no cost was spared for the interiors richly finished with exotic tile and marble, inlaid woods, fine paneling, stenciled ceilings and leaded glass. Considered one of the finest examples of 1920s residential architecture in Texas, the house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark. It is also notable as a significant work of architect Finger, who designed Houston City Hall, Houston Municipal Airport (William P. Hobby Airport), Jefferson Davis Hospital and the Clark and Courts Building. The West villa has survived several hurricanes; vagrants who illegally used the property when it was vacant 1941-1969; conversion to a conference center for Brown & Root executives and then for Rice University; and conversion to a research facility for NASA scientists. But it might not survive real estate developers today who may choose to demolish it for apartment projects or retail office development. THE ENDANGERED LIST The Greater Houston Preservation Alliance (GHPA) has added the James & Jessie West Mansion on Clear Lake to the organization's Endangered Buildings List. In October, former Houston Rockets star Hakeem Olajuwon purchased the Italian Renaissance mansion and its 41-acre site from the Pappas family. The restaurant owners had held the remnants of the former West estate for more than a decade. Olajuwon immediately put the waterfront property back on the market. The site on NASA Parkway at Space Center Boulevard is being offered for subdivision use and may be sold for high-rise residential projects or retail/office development. “Over the years, GHPA has been approached by a variety of individuals and small organizations who wanted to acquire the West Mansion and operate it as a museum, but were never able to develop viable financial plans,” says GHPA Executive Director Ramona Davis. “We had hoped that Mr. Olajuwon would use his resources to preserve this extremely important property as he did with his adaptive reuse of the Houston National Bank building on Main Street,” says Davis. “That has proven to be wishful thinking.” David Cook of Cushman & Wakefield, the commercial real estate firm representing the sale of the West Mansion property, declined to speak directly to House & Home about the fate of the house on the property. Connie Lewis of Cushman & Wakefield returned our calls to Cook. “We are not in a position right now to show the property or discuss it,” Lewis said. “The owners are working on a land plan, and that's what we are waiting for.” Cook has represented Olajuwon in several real estate transactions. HISTORIC LISTINGS NO PROTECTION Neither its national nor state historic designations would prevent the building's demolition, although National Register listing means the property is eligible for substantial federal preservation tax credits if the house is restored to high standards. The city of Pasadena has annexed the West Mansion and its grounds. Pasadena has weak land-use regulations and no historic preservation ordinance, which would offer the only local protections. The house's exterior, noted for its superlative cast-concrete classical decoration, looks much like it did in the 1930s. While the furniture and many decorative fixtures have been removed, the house is otherwise largely intact and unaltered. In addition to the mansion, the wooded site includes the original tennis court with twin gazebos, historic swimming pool and changing rooms, nine-car garage and manager's house. West sold the ranch to Humble Oil in 1939, but kept the mansion and grounds. After West's death in 1941, his wife never returned to the property. Humble Oil purchased the house and remaining land from Mrs. West's estate in 1953. Eight years later, the oil company donated the mansion and 21 acres to Rice University, which later purchased additional acreage. Humble Oil donated an adjacent 1,000 acres as the site of what is now the Johnson Space Center. From 1969 to 1991, the mansion housed the Lunar Science Institute (later Lunar and Planetary Institute). Rice University again took possession after the institute vacated the house. Rice sold the property to the Pappas family, who, in turn, sold the back portion of the land for apartment/condo development. “Despite the intrusions, the property retains a very high degree of architectural and historical integrity,” says David Bush, GHPA's information director. “We will continue our efforts to focus attention on this significant property and increase public awareness of the threats to this designated Texas landmark.” *Houston Gargoyle: Looking for more information on this magazine, I found a 1928 TIME Magazine article called "Texas Magazines", which read in part: "Ioway, Ioway, that's where the tall corn grows... By thy rivers gently flowing, Illinoize, Illinoize... Songs are all right. They go handily from mouth to mouth. But certainly the sovereign states of the U. S. have matters of more permanent value than dithyrambs. Texas has. What does it do with them? It puts them into a new magazine called Bunker's Monthly, 160 pages of eye-easy type. Does Vermont (native state of Calvin Coolidge) fill as many pages each month with readable material of its own efforts? No. Does Iowa (home state of Average American Citizen Roy Lewis Gray) do as well? No. Texas, of course, was once a republic in itself, a land where tradition makes bloody Alamo a Bunker Hill and Sam Houston a George Washington. It is now the largest state in the Union, the seat of the Democratic National Convention (at Houston). Bunker's Monthly, however, is no passing boom sheet, no harp twanging the glories of yesteryear. It is substantial in size, pleasing in appearance, broad in editorial content. New Yorkers and Californians can read it with profit. .... Bank Robbers. An immediate problem in Texas is revealed in the February Bunker's Monthly by W. M. Massie, president of the Texas Bankers' Association. He writes an article justifying his organization's standing offer of reward posted in 1,500 banks: $5,000 for each DEAD ROBBER. Not one cent for a hundred live ones. Mr. Massie believes that live bank robbers 'rarely are identified, more rarely convicted, and most rarely kept in the penitentiary when sent there--all of which operations are troublesome and costly.' He points with a banker's pride & joy to the three dead and two wounded robbers, the captured gang and the single successful burglary during the six weeks which the $5,000 rewards have been in effect. He neglects to state that two innocent Mexicans were shot in front of a bank in Midland, Tex., for the sake of rewards--a fact which caused the distant New York World to cry: '[This shows] how vicious it is to meddle with the principles and processes of the law.' Houston Gargoyle. The Texan younger generation, by no means entirely given to bank robbing, is reading with gusto a weekly, entitled the Houston Gargoyle, which appeared in January. A sample of its humor may be found on a page headed, 'I Hereby Resolve': Al Smith--'That I will join the Ku Klux Klan and invite Bill McAdoo to have a cup of tea.' McAdoo--'That I will accept Al's invitation and surprise him by bringing a wee drappie on the hip.'" Thought that was interesting. I hadn't previously heard of Bunker's Monthly or the Houston Gargoyle.

My apologies for posting on the same topic in two different forums, but I thought there might be people on this forum who, like me, missed the original discussion on this in the Real Estate forum. As others of you already know, GHPA added the West Mansion to their Endangered Buildings List. Links to articles and other background information have been posted here, on the other forum, but I'll include some links again here for those interested: 1/13/07 Chronicle article 10/25/06 Chronicle article 12/6/06 NYT article re Hakeem Olajuwon's real estate investments GHPA Endangered Buildings List Texas Historical Commission write-up

I was about to post this in the Historic Houston forum when I saw this thread. My concern is that, given the circumstances, the public has been given little opportunity to provide feedback on the potential destruction of this historic and beautiful building. I spoke to someone at GHPA who said that their only contact at that point with regard to the building was David Cook, at Cushman & Wakefield, who represents Mr. Olajuwon in the transaction, and has been quoted in the Houston Chronicle articles. I found his email address on the property listing (which is listed under "land for sale" in Clear Lake, with no mention of the house). I hope I'm not naive to take a bit of encouragement from the fact that some of the offers for the property do not contemplate the destruction of the house - but I would like very much to have an address to which I could write to encourage Mr. Olajuwon to accept one of those offers. Having not seen any other contact information, I plan to email Mr. Cook. My understanding is that Mr. Olajuwon has been at least somewhat sensitive and responsive to past input he's received with regard to historic Houston structures, and so I do think that there is a chance he might accept a lower-yet-still-profitable offer in this case - especially if he knows that there is (I hope) strong public interest in preserving the historical landmark on the property. Thanks to those of you helping to spread the word. If anyone has any updates, I'd be very interested.

I hope someone will have a better photo for you, but I believe you can see it here: http://www.cah.utexas.edu/db/dmr/image_lg....iable=e_bb_4449