tmariar

Some additional info on these addresses. Hope so!

A couple of recent permits I saw, both for the 500 block of Shepherd, south of Washington. I know Cue & Cushion had already changed its operation a little, but when I went by there recently, it looked closed. I don't know if the permit for that address relates to the old changes, or if it was closed for more extensive remodeling. 510 Shepherd (Cue & Cushion) - CONVERT TO RESTAURANT/BAR 1-1-2-A2-B 2003 IBC 100% SPRK - Owner/Occupant: Cue Restaurant 519 Shepherd (at Blossom) - CNVRT STORAGE WHSE TO RESTAURANT 1-1-5-A2-B 2003 IBC - Owner/Occupant: B R C The architects for George's may be STM & Associates - they're listed on the permit I saw. From their website, it doesn't look like they have much (any?) experience with historic properties.

Neat - thanks for the report. Wonder when they'll get the railroad bridge done.

I didn't know it was once called that, but I see a 2001 HBJ article that refers to it as the "historic King George Hotel" ("While the lives of many historic properties in Houston end in a visit from the wrecking ball, some stories have happier endings. The Housing Corp. of Greater Houston has completed a $3.2 million renovation of downtown's old King George Hotel, a property that dates back to 1913. THC, a nonprofit developer and manager of affordable housing projects, has redeveloped the abandoned hotel as a residential facility for U.S. veterans and has rechristened it The DeGeorge at Union Station."). Also saw this ("REPOhistory was invited to Houston, Texas, to create a public art project. We chose to document seven layers of history on the location of the King George Hotel."). H8S - The REPOhistory website has some photos on it.

Depending on the depth of research you're planning to do, I'd consider some or all of the following: (1) Looking at the various past threads on the houses on HAIF. (2) Talking to someone at the Houston Metropolitan Research Center. They can be very helpful, but call first as I think their hours are or will be different because of the construction at the Ideson building. (3) Looking for archival material on the architects/homes/neighborhood on TARO. Looking quickly, I saw: Oscar Holcombe Collection @ HMRC ("Of particular interest is the material available on the development of the Herman Park and Braes Bayou areas of Houston during the 1920's. Blue print drawings and reports are included in the collection.") A Guide to the Hogg Family Papers, 1895-1948 ("1929-1935 MacGregor Drive Development Company") (4) Searching old Galveston newspaper articles on newspaperarchive.com - you can often find a lot of information there just on your computer. [speaking of which, I would LOVE to see a Press story sometime on why Houstonians have such poor access (compared to other major cities) to the wealth of historical information contained in the Post and Chron archives. Rumors abound.] Good luck with the article!

I used to go to Events, which Crunch mentioned, when I lived in that area. It seemed pretty good if you're looking in Montrose.

It's got to be a pretty deep-seated grudge to set the debris on fire.... My theory: volcano.

KHOU reported yesterday that there have been four fires in the last 10 days on the same property at 10th and Ashland. The city tore down the duplex there after the first three fires, but yesterday the scrap heap left behind was apparently found on fire.

From what I can tell of the history of the place, Kaplan's and Ben Hur operated separately for a while (though owned by the same family) before being merged in the late 1950's. Maybe Ben Hur was less upscale, at least in the 30's? Though the Chronicle article I saw did say that they sold "home furnishings and kitchen items", while Kaplan's sold "name-brand and designer apparel." Strange - it also said that Ben Hur opened after WWII. But there it is in the 30's (I think 1937-38) directory.

No offense taken. I was agreeing with you, at least wrt Washington Ave. It would be a full-time job even trying to keep up. Completely separate topic I was going to post on earlier, along with the Les Givrals note: I prefer seeing businesses come in that are investing in their locations with a view to the long-term, and not to catching a trend and then selling. There are some long-term investors on Washington Ave. - I think some of the restaurants are definitely hoping to be there for the long-term - but clearly there are short-term investors, too. Granted, there are a few short-term businesses that have made respectful updates to historic buildings along the street, and so may yet leave Washington Avenue better than they found it - but that's not the majority. When it comes down to it, that's what bugs me about some of the new Washington Avenue places - they seem to specifically court a non-local crowd. The see/be seen crowd that will be gone when the newness wears off. As discussed above, that's not always the best kind of business to have in your neighborhood (if you're looking it as a neighborhood and not a stopping place in your 20's on the way to the suburbs). Can't wait for the Les Givrals - hope it's a permanent addition. I'm less excited about Laurenzo's - doesn't really sound like my kind of place, though I thought the owner's email was sort of sweet. George's has me curious. That's a neat spot on the corner, there.

I saw on the Les Givrals website that construction should start on the Washington location (4601 Washington) this month. Thanks for the note. I've updated the description. (It wasn't that day's post, though - that's not how the blog works.) If the above bothers you, I 100% agree you should not "follow" Heights Blog. There is no chance I'll ever check every day, or even every week, to see if descriptions need updating. It's time-consuming enough trying to add links to new articles/blog posts (which is what bumps a post to the top). And, as some of y'all know, I've already got a job. Moreover, most of the time, if I happen to stumble upon information in the license reports I haven't see elsewhere - like about Laurenzo's or George's - I'll post it here, too. (Just didn't happen to do it that time.) There are indeed many far better sources than Heights Blog for the Washington Avenue lounge/restaurants scoop. If anyone else has any Heights Blog feedback, there's an existing HAIF thread here. Appreciate the comments.

A Chronicle article on Ruggles Green earlier this month mentioned that the Ruggles on Westheimer will "reopen this fall".

Here's a 1930's city directory list of department stores:

Swamplot posted a rumor about the Shiloh Club at least changing hands when its lease is up.

Yay, M! Drinks are on me when next we meet!

Sorry if I missed someone else posting this above but it looks like what may be going in to the old Casas location (2811 Washington Ave.) is something called Affection Boutique. There are recent building permits for it for that address, but then there is also a recent building permit issued for "Washington Bar & Grill" at that same address. Strange.

Keep forgetting to add that I noticed a few days ago that Aunt Mike's (NE corner of White Oak and Arlington) appears to have vacated its building. HCAD says the building dates to 1950 - I'd figured it was older. The owner is (still?) listed as someone named Michael, so maybe he's just going to put something different in the space?

I don't mind the original look of the strip center, and think the update looks even nicer - though that just comes down to personal aesthetics, I suppose. Apart from personal aesthetics, though, things I like about the update: (1) it's respectful of the building's original lines; (2) it's retaining a style that to me echoes other older buildings in the neighborhood, per post 119 above (though someone who knows more about architecture may say I'm totally wrong on that score); and (3) the more money that's put into updating the building, the less likely it is (I assume) to be replaced by something along the lines of the new owner's original conception. If the same guy still owns it, my recollection is that at least at the time the original rendering was unveiled on White Oak, he lived in one of those residential high-rises on Allen Pkwy.

I know the rendering doesn't guarantee anything, but I'm hoping for a restaurant.

I know this isn't on Studewood per se, but I didn't want to start a new thread just for this: I saw that there's a wine bar (sorry, wine lounge) being added to the strip center at Washington and Studemont. Absolve Wine Lounge website Absolve Wine Lounge blog

I took a photo earlier that I can post tonight, but it's the house just to the west of the old filling station, and just to the east of the alley. It's 3510 White Oak. The house looks like it's in the middle of renovations, so the business won't be open in the next few days or anything. And it's in the dry zone, so probably won't be serving wine. (Could be BYOB, though, which some like better.)

Arne's webpage says they are re-opening on August 15.

Cool - I haven't been to the Yale Fiesta yet - but if they've got two foreign foods aisles, inc. a noteworthy Caribbean section, I'll have to check it out! I've gotten Ting a couple of times at Spec's - it's good stuff. There's a jerk marinade at Kroger I like, that seems fairly healthy, but I always wished for a wider selection. Will try the panaderia, too, sometime. There are so many interesting looking panaderias around, my list keeps growing. Thanks, y'all - and welcome back, Crunch!

Thought there might be room for a thread about non-restaurant food people come across in the area. I was thinking especially of seasonal specials, hard-to-find items, and new discoveries at the local grocery stores, the Airline markets, the Saturday farmers market at Onion Creek, or fruit stands (saw a little one in the Home Depot parking lot!) - but I'd be interested in hearing about just about any interesting food finds along the same lines. Robb Walsh just posted something about finding chepil for sale behind Canino's, and that gave me the idea. I recently bought a glass jar of lupini beans from the foreign foods aisle at the Studewood Fiesta that I really liked, straight from the jar, sprinkled with pepper (but then eaten without the peel). I can see why they might be considered an acquired taste, but to me they tasted a lot like olives (similar texture, and stored in brine). The peaches Fiesta had that day were also really good. I'll see if I can think of any others. Anyone else have any finds they're not saving for their food blog?