isuredid

Houston Blacklight and Poster Co.

peel off sticker

business card

From the basement of 102 San Jacinto

Update; all the house's are gone now work to begin shortly the Harris County Flood Control District still does not show it on there web site. its about a 1/4 mile east of I-45.

Here is the Harris County Block Book map of the now defunct neighborhood

Glen Forest Estates Block Book

As someone who was a regular customer at the old Liberty Hall from its time of estbalishment up until about 1975, I have a very warm place in my heart for this historical venue. It was a safe and pleasant place to visit in those days, with easy access right off the Gulf freeway coming into Houston from the south. There was a group of us who worked at NASA, and played and enjoyed listening to alternative/folk bands). I used to bring my children there for musical "education". Since the Liberty served food, it was possible to bring in under-aged children (with a guardian); our whole family would eat red-beans and rice there (that was standard meal offering) it was an incredible opportunity to see bands that were one their way to national prominence, but who were still open to playing relative small venues. The place had a very intimate feel to it, and it seemed almost as though the performers werein your living room.

I remember one night in particular when Lightning Hpkins played there with Big Momma Thornton, and by the end of the set, Lightning (who seemed intent that night on impressing Big Momma) ended up playing his guitar lying flat on his back on the floor...something you wouldn't probably see in other venues.

I saw up-close and personal, many wonderful performances of the well-known and the obscure (for instance, anyone remember the numerous highly popular appearances of "GooseCreek Symphony"?). I have been trying to track down Liberty's historical development, and more importantly any pictures (inside or out) of the old venue. Some have said it was a theatre, while others have said it was an old VFW hall. Does anyone have authoritative info on this?

There was another Houston venue around the same time, that was located downtown (near the Bayou) close to the "farmer's market", called "The Old Quarter". Again, a very cozy place (much smaller than Libtery) where one could see performances of many great players (Lightnin Hopkin's...I had a drink with him at the bar during a break, ZZ Top before they became nationally aclaimed, Townes Van Zandt, etc, ....then the obscure.....a friend and I even played there one time).

I am seeking historical info about the looks and appearance of both these venues.

Thanks for any help.

Dave Lang

This is from "The last of the past : Houston architecture, 1847 to 1915": an inventory and architectural stylistic history of remaining early commercial buildings, Houston, Texas, 1980 / by William Scott Field for the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance, the Harris County Heritage Society.

Liberty Hall was definitely an American Legion Hall and not a theater.

Here is another map of the original Fairgrounds

Peden Iron and Steel - San Jacinto

Annunciation Church - Rear View

Froehlich's Hardware Rosehill - Second View

Froehlich's Hardware Store - Rosehill

Sweeney, Coombs and Fredericks Building

Congregation Adath Emeth Synagogue - Houston Avenue

This looks like the same building that appears down the street, to the right, on Prairie, in the horse and buggy photo of your previous post of the old Stegeman building.

Good Eye....they are the same buildings!

Stunning. I have to get there possibly this weekend.

Old Window Signs on Stegeman building

Packard's Steam Laundry/Scholibo and Henry Brashear Buildings - Prarie St.

Love Street Light Circus

Old Sign

Interesting to compare with this 1939 photo from the Bailey collection.

Thanks for posting that...good contrast...here is an even earlier photo

And horse-and-buggy days...

I thought you'd be getting around to that one. HCAD says 1975 but that must refer to the body shop attached on the left.

Filling station on Navigation

Nice photo of the filling station

F.W. Stegeman Building - 502 Main - 1879

Houston Light Guard Armory

Citizens Bank - Main Street

Kirby Lumber on Canal Street

Happy 100 Tony Saragusa Building - 1906-2006 - Canal Street

Old Filling Station - Harrisburg at Lockwood

St. Vincent's Church - Jensen at Navigation

Here is another fine example of "the final decision rests with the final purchaser"

The Historic Robinson Warehouse (Original Houston Sears) being destroyed

Hardy at Opelousas - Old Fifth Ward

Hardy at Opelousas - Second View

Brays Bayou - Daniel Shipman Labor Survey

Telephone Road Bridge over Brays Bayou - Built 1931

Blue Top Motel - Telephone Road

Immaculate Heart of Mary Church - 76th Street

Old Fullerton Elementary - Second View

Hendrick Feed Store - Harrisburg Avenue - Established 1921

4819 Harrisburg

Williams Tower at Sunset

Fountain at Rice

Whisper Wall

Blue View

Kuhlmann Farmhouse - Altered

City Hall

Christ Church Cathedral - Interior View

White Oak Schuetzen-Verein - Established 1873

Mallalieu Methodist - First Ward - Second View

Rufus Cage Elementary - 1911 - Oak Lawn Addition - Telephone Road

I've started adding some of the pictures from this thread to the Towrs architecture wiki in order to preserve them for whomever might find them of interest in the future.

Here's the Texas and New Orleans Railroad shops article:

http://www.towrs.com/wiki/index.php/Texas_..._Railroad_shops

For those of you unfamiliar with wikis, they're web sites that allow anyone to add information and update them to keep them current.

I'd like to get as many endangered Houston buildings on there as possible before they're gone. Many people find HAIF because they're looking for things from the past. If we can record what's left it will help people down the line.

They have a blueprint style large map in the Texas Room of the Ideson library of the entire layout of the Texas and New Orleans Rail Road Yard and shops. I don't remember the year of the map, but it is interesting to see how everything was organized.