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tmariar

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Everything posted by tmariar

  1. tmariar
    Apologies in advance for flooding you with questions... I see now that the name I couldn't read before could be "Bartellos" - Is the Bartellos family the same as the Bartels family? Are those other two names Navel and Koertje? Do you know if all of Thomas Beauchamp's property was to the south of White Oak Bayou? I had been confused about that because some sources say that the main street of his settlement was Beauchamp St., and others say Spring St. (now [edit: Houston Ave.] - not what is now Spring St.). If the settlement was south of the bayou, I'm guessing that the current Beauchamp Street in the Woodland Heights is not the same Beauchamp St. - or is perhaps just an extension of it.
  2. tmariar
    Apparently! Thanks so much for the thorough explanation. I did see an 1893 article on "the petition of Julia Bartels and others on the Beauchamp Spring road, on the subject of being allowed to make a plat of an addition to the city of Houston, to be known as the Beauchamp Springs addition."
  3. tmariar
    From what I can tell, even if it looks a bit odd, the 1896 map doesn't just stop at Spring Street - the lots do stop abruptly around Spring Street, but the map seems to keep going a bit further. I've seen references in old newspaper articles about Beauchamp Springs to the Puls family and the "Puls place", which apparently bordered the bayou, and I see the name Puls (I think) on the 1896 map, suggesting that what's shown was just been a large parcel of property owned by the Puls family. So my guess is that, in 1896, the Puls family owned the property on which 1518 Weber is now located. On the 1896 map, the location of the house would be a little to the west of the unidentified building to the south of Beauchamp Springs, which would be on what appears to be the eastern edge of the property. And I found a 1910 obituary for a member of the Puls family whose residence is listed as 1620 Weber, for what that's worth. [Edit: One of the pallbearers was named Meiselbach, which appears to be the name on one of the other large parcels of land in the area.] That's a lot of surmise though and, even if it's correct, the Puls family could have had a house on their property in the Civil War era that later became 1518 Weber. It's just what I've been able to find so far. A better map from the time period would be really helpful.
  4. tmariar
    I don't have any basis for disagreeing with those who say the house might have been built in 1856. But, from the satellite images, the house doesn't appear to pre-date the street grid, and I haven't seen anything suggesting the grid was in place in that area (as opposed to south of there, in the Old Sixth Ward area) in the Civil War era. Have y'all? 1869 Street Map [Edit: HCAD mentions "Beauchamp Springs" in the house's property description, and I see a "Beauchamp Springs" notation on the 1869 map very close to where the house would have been. Confederate General Samuel Bell Maxey's cavalry division was headquartered at Beauchamp Springs (sometimes called Beauchamps Springs or Beauchampville). But it sounds from most sources I've found like Beauchamp Springs was on the north side of White Oak Bayou.] I'm definitely interested in hearing more arguments for the 1856 date. I think it would be a big deal if that could be established. Preservation groups in town would be interested, I'm sure. Does anyone know the realtor (David Hille) or the owner (listed on HCAD, with a Heights address)? They might have more information. Fortbendtomontrose: Thanks for posting the info. If you're still following this thread, you might consider adding a reference to "1856 house for sale" in the title or subtitle to get the attention of people who might have additional information.
  5. tmariar
    The house is located on an older stretch of Weber. But HCAD says the house was built in 1948. HCAD isn't the most reliable authority on build dates, but I'm finding the 1856 date a little hard to believe.
  6. tmariar
    Lengthy ad from the Galveston Daily News (11/16/54) (minus photo of Milton, Ronald, and Henry behind the counter): G. & G. Bakery Offers Highest Qualify Goods Almost everybody likes bakery goods
  7. tmariar
    Go by anytime between 7am and 3pm. For more information: http://blogs.chron.com/heights/2007/10/pro...out_leadin.html
  8. tmariar
    Here are links to a couple of Bob Bailey photos of (according to the captions) the South Main Drive-In: http ://www.cah.utexas.edu/db/dmr/image_lg....able=e_bb_1769 http://www.cah.utexas.edu/db/dmr/image_lg....iable=e_bb_1770
  9. tmariar
    This isn't from GHPA - it's from the Chron's Heights blog - but it's another cleanup project, and so I thought I'd add it here. Prospective Eagle Scout leading Olivewood cleanup [saturday 11/3/07] Heights area prospective Eagle Scout Blage Ledbetter is in the midst of a project, one of his final requirements before achieving his Eagle rank, cleaning up Olivewood Cemetery, a historic African-American graveyard in a long-neglected southern corner of what used to be the Heights. (A map of the location can be found here and a great Wikipedia entry on the cemetery can be found here.) The cemetery is just south of Interstate 10 along a bend in White Oak Bayou behind Party Boy and Grocer's Supply. To get there from the Heights, take Studemont south to Center Street. Turn right, heading west, on Center Street. Then turn right again, heading north, on Harvard. Then there's yet one more right turn, on Hicks Street. Take Hicks east to Court, turn left on Court, heading north, and the cemetery is at the dead end of Court Street. The 8-acre Olivewood Cemetery was the first cemetery for freed slaves in Houston and was founded in the 19th Century. According to the Wikipedia entry, in 1875, the land, which had previously been used for slave burials, was purchased by Richard Brock, Houston's first black alderman. It opened as a cemetery for black Methodists in 1877. When Olivewood was platted, it was the first African-Americans burial ground within the Houston city limits. As a longer-term goal, Ledbetter is also planning to set up an endowment for the Descendants of Olivewood (headed by Margott Williams). This endowment will be for maintaining the cemetery after the clean-up project is completed. Ledbetter, a 14-year-old Life Scout with local Troop 604, is being assisted in the cleanup of Olivewood by members of his troop, but the effort needs more volunteer help. Ledbetter, who is also a student at Carnegie Vanguard High School, and the crew of scouts plan to be at Olivewood Saturday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The project consists of planting flowers, cutting trees, mowing lawn and trimming trees. Volunteers should wear long pants, long sleeve shirts, tennis or garden shoes and hats because while the weather has been almost perfect, the sun can still exact a toll on your skin if you're not careful. Materials needed are wheel barrows, gloves, saws, weed cutters and regular shovels. Keep Houston Beautiful is also assisting Ledbetter with the work, but he'll need help to pick- up supplies from the organization's offices Friday during the day. Ledbetter's project is being sponsored by St. Stephen's United Methodist Church, 2003 West 43rd, and is being overseen by Troop 604 Scoutmaster Jonathan Miller. For more information, show up Saturday or call Ledbetter at 713-864-4325 or Miller at 713-863-1761.
  10. tmariar
    Don't know if it was the same one, but we ate at the Monterey House on NASA Rd. 1 (a few blocks away from the intersection with Hwy 3/OGR) all the time in the 70's. I think of that candy whenever I grab a praline walking out of Brennan's - they're similar in taste to me, though of course the pralines have nuts. Before the Monterey House was built, I think we had to go to a Pancho's or something on 45 - I remember the little flags at the table. After the Casa Ole was built on El Camino, we went there. Seems like the NASA Rd. 1 Monterey House later became "Monterey's" and/or a Tortuga's, but I'm not sure - haven't lived in that area for a while.
  11. tmariar
    A good organization to contact on these issues would be the Buffalo Bayou Partnership. Here's another link, to their events page - boat tours, etc.
  12. tmariar
    Thanks for all the info, SirTonk. I know a number of people who would be interested in the tour once you've got something organized. And I know a lot of people on this forum would be interested in seeing any photos you can post. And if you have any ideas regarding what more people can be doing to help preserve the theater, please let us know.
  13. tmariar
    Doubt this helps much re the Midnight Sun location, but the following is from a 1985 Chron article about the List case: "Joey was a street kid Bill picked up on one of his weekend trips to Montrose. Joey said later he was hunkered over a pool table at the Midnight Sun when he caught Bill's eye. At 16, Joey, who had run away from his Tomball home, was getting wise to the ways of the street. He knew that the Sun was tolerant toward street kids, and unlike some of the clubs along lower Westheimer nobody was going to make him buy a drink in order to stay. The place had developed a reputation over the years as a hangout for hustlers. Out in front, across the street and around the corner on Avondale, hustlers on the sidewalks would talk business through their tricks' open car windows."
  14. tmariar
    I think so - isn't that what this 1952 map shows?
  15. tmariar
    There have been discussions on other sites about plans to boycott the new B&N that will go in the River Oaks shopping center. I likely won't be shopping there myself, even though it will be the closest large bookstore to me, but am still debating whether I'd advocate a formal boycott. I know that Bookstop went out of its way to keep the Alabama Theater space in such a way that it could revert back into a cinema in the future, which I thought was considerate. My understanding, though, is that while B&N now owns Bookstop, B&N did not own Bookstop at the time the decision was made to retain the building's theater structure. Still, they didn't make any additional changes to the structure once they bought Bookstop. It's a tough question. I'm much more comfortable with supporting businesses like Landmark that help keep historic buildings in use than I am with a boycott. The building of the new B&N has always puzzled me, too, because - as GHPA has noted - it is so unlikely that large bookstores will be a viable commercial model for much longer. I guess it will be there just long enough to make it profitable, though.
  16. tmariar
    For what it's worth, I went by twice between 1 and 1:30 am last night. The first time, there were a couple of cars in the parking lot. The second time, there was a big (near-18-wheeler-size) truck in the parking lot with its back open. I didn't see any movement, but it looked like they were loading furniture and boxes. I saw something yesterday in the documents before City Council that said today is the first day Weingarten "may apply for a permit for demolition." So there may be some additional process that needs to be completed before demolition begins.
  17. tmariar
    I was just asking because I could be in that area with my camera around midnight on Tuesday. Wednesday day is harder for me. I used to live near there, and it seemed like the house demolitions always started right around 8:00 a.m. Could be that there are variances or different rules for a project like this, though.
  18. tmariar
    Could Weingarten start the demolition right after midnight on Tuesday night? Might noise regulations force them to wait until at least Wednesday during the day? I don't know - thought someone else might.
  19. tmariar
    I've got email addresses (see post #8), and will try those. I deleted my last post.
  20. tmariar
    The Wikipedia link (two posts above) says that a federal district court dismissed his suit. There could be an appeal from that decision, but that's at least where it appears to stand now.
  21. tmariar
  22. tmariar
    Thanks so much, prisclynn, for those interior photos!
  23. tmariar
    He wasn't broke, and the battle for his money was pretty involved.
  24. tmariar
    The fact that the Weingarten REIT that owns the property is publicly-traded makes the theaters/shopping center situation slightly more complex, as Weingarten has an obligation is to its shareholders. But (1) that's not the entity's only obligation, and (2) it's unclear to me that its current plans for the property are in the best interest of its shareholders. Determining what will most benefit Weingarten shareholders is not as simple as figuring out how the largest amount of money can be squeezed from those particular parcels of real estate. There are bigger-picture considerations for WRI that include such things as public/community relations, government relations, and brand association - to name a few. If there weren't, you wouldn't see public companies contributing the sums of money they do to charitable organizations - such donations wouldn't make economic sense when looked at purely on a superficial basis. And that means there are ways that community members can/should influence the future of these properties without having to purchase them. It may sound like whining to some, but the surprisingly sustained public criticism - especially if it continues - will factor into Weingarten's decision-making process. I don't think that it's unrealistic to believe that Weingarten could end up working with preservationists in this case. I do think that a sufficient amount of community pressure (perhaps combined with minor economic incentives from the city, such as the recently announced tax break) could tip the scales. But I also think that we're not to that point yet - and that Weingarten is waiting to see if the public interest and activism (by Houston standards at least) will die down over time. Which it may. But it's also possible that the fight to save the buildings will be reinforced as more and more people read things like this thread, learn about the history of the structures, and make the utilitarian comparison of a decrease in Weingarten shareholders' profit margin to the loss of these unique and historically significant structures.
  25. tmariar
    The building CSOM is describing is the remodeled Tennison Hotel, and it sounds like marmer doesn't think that's it. Marmer, did your wife say how big or tall it was, or whether it looked old?
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