plumber2

I'm all for removing the self check out stations. I find it annoying that a business expects me to scan my own groceries and then sack them, and then transact my own payment. Not this mid century man. I stood around really annoyed the other night in the Dickinson Kroger, because a checker was not available. A clerk suggested I use the self check out counter. I refused and said that they could either provide a checker for me, or that I am leaving and they can put the items back on the shelf themselves. She called a checker, and I was waited on promptly and courteoulsy. I even paid by CHECK!.

This one was brought up several years ago. I remember commenting on the building being designed with a giant gyroscope on the top floor of the building to help control sway. The weighted gyroscope would apperrently move in the opposite direction of the wind force, thereby tourqing the structure. It would have been quite unique, from an engineering standpoint.

No, it will not become parking. The site will just be landscaped over until funding is restored for further UT expansion.

Obama may very well have lied, because the decision was very political. The reason Houston was choosen for the site of the Manned Spacecraft Center in the first place was because of politics. Our congressional delegation at that time knew how to work together to make things happen for our region. LBJ Ralph Yarbrough Albert Thomas Sam Rayburn Clark Thompson Jack Brooks there are others! The current delegation is too busy posturing around, trying to get in front of cameras, or being seen with tea heads, to figure out what is good for our area. Why would the committee want to reward these bunch of selfish ass clowns.

The two Galveston Weingartens stores are still standing. The location on 25th St. became a Gerland's, then Arlans until hurricane Ike. The building is now vacant. The other store on Broadway at 59th St. is now a Big Lot's. There was one A&P on 23th St., now a funeral home. The Henke and Pilot is still standing on Ave U, now a Goodwill store. Kroger operated out of this building for awhile until it built a larger store across the parking lot (now an Academy). Kroger also had a store on 4th St. in the back of the former Port Holiday Mall, now part of UTMB. Piggly Wiggly had four stores in Galveston when it acquired a local family chain (Evans). All of these buildings are still standing. The one on Broadway is an auto parts store, the one on 45th at Ave S is vacant, and the one on Stewart at 69th street is now some kind of community church. The last one on University Blvd. at Market St. is still operating as an Arlan's. Lewis and Coker had a store next to K Mart on Stewart Rd. now part of Marshall's. Safeway had a store on 61st St. at Stewart Rd., became an HEB Pantry, now a private school. Randall's is still operating a decent store on 61st. St. Kroger now has the lion's share of business with it's massive store on the Seawall. Walmart and Target service the remaining amount of business, with a few independents picking up scraps. HEB abandoned the island, and it's plans for a larger store, after hurricane Ike.

We've heard that it is costing Baylor close to $100,000.00 per month, just to maintain it as is.

Isn't this the exact same spot where the old Southern Pacific bridge was located? Why didn't they just keep the old rail bridge in place and modify it for pedestrians. It couldn't have been in that bad of shape.

"Thermal Energy Cooperative". Most TMC institutions, receive their chilled water and steam from this source. Others, such as Methodist and parts of Baylor have their own physical plants.

TECO Expansion

The reason Mosehart and Keller was Houston's first Mercedes Benz dealership is because Studebaker-Packard was selling Mercedes Benz vehicles throughout their dealer network at that time. After Studebaker-Packard ceased production of full sized Packards in late 1956 and realizing that the Studebaker based replacements were not selling either, they needed a vehicle to appeal to traditional Packard customers. A franchise agreement was quickly arranged, and soon Mercedes Benz vehicles were availbale nation wide throughout the Studebaker-Packard dealer network. Mosehart and Keller was Houston's surviving Studebaker dealer at that time. As Studebaker's fortunes diminished throughout the mid 60's, Mercedes Benz cancelled these dealer frachises and set up their own network.

I lived in Montrose at about the same period as Looney. I was a student at The Univesity of St. Thomas starting with my junior year in 1975-1976. I lived in the dormitory on Graustark St. The students were somewhat insulated from the hippies, and gays, but there was tolerance. There were homosexuals in the dorm of course, and we all knew who they were. They kept to themselves and we didn't ask too many questions, as with most college campuses, everyone just did their own thing. There were several gay bars nearby, that we all knew to stay out of. "Mary's" of course being the most obvious. A bunch of us guys went in there as a group one night, drunk of course. We were quickly run out, by the bar staff and a fewpatrons. They knew we were just goofing around. There was another gay bar "Old Plantation" (or something like that) located in the old DePelchin building that the girls liked to go to because if was a good dance bar. We went along, but stayed pretty close to our dates. It was still too soon to be considered "cool" to be seen at a gay bar. Remember, this was 1975. After graduation, I moved into a set of apartments down the street on Graustark (Castle Court I think). The manager did not want to rent to me at first. She said that they had "no vacancies at this time", until I said how dissapointed I was because I had dated a girl that used to live there, and that I had really liked the complex. This changed her tune and she suddenly had one vacancy coming up that very day. She obviously was not thrilled about renting to single men, unless they appeared striaght. I laugh about that now. A few years later, around 1981, I was living in Montrose again (on W. Alabama at Stanford this time). My fiance never liked my apartment, so we moved out the the burbs and have been their ever since.

The Fannin Sreet side will not be so boring once the bridge is complete. The bridge will actually cross Fannin Street twice.

I wonder if this much discussion occured in the community when K Mart built their store on 20th street back in the 60's?

Here is a big jump for TMC. Wolf and TMC have agreed to name the parcel on Park Row, were Methodist and Texas Children's are openning hospitals, "Texas Medical Center West". TMC will get to apply it's logo to street signage and entrance marquees off of I-10, Barker Cypress and Park Row.

I still think Galveston should implement it's own smaller version of the Ike Dike. It would be in addition to the regional plan as a back up. Galveston could run a levee from the end of the East End Flats along the harbor and then across Teichman Point and connect to the west end of the present seawall. The Coast Guard Station and the waterfront homes on Harbor View Dr., and Channel View Dr. would be sacrificed. A gate could be installed at the yacht club and across Offatts Bayou. The levee along the waterfront near downtown could be a decorative wall, north of Water Street, with gates at each intersection leading to the warf.(The warfs and Pelican Island would be outside of the protection). Pumping stations at strategic points, similar to the Texas City system, could pump rain and other waters back into the bay. This could be accomplished by a bond election and federal funds. I agree that the 17-20 ft. elevation of the present seawall is way below major flood stage, but it would have stopped the Hurricane Ike storm surge.

We left enough room for SLEH Medical Towers to get their window washing equipment in there. TCH has no windows on that side of the building until level 6, after it steps back. SLEH Medical Towers has only parking on those levels anyway.

I walk the sidewalk in front of this site several times a week. The weeds on the METRO Rail portion of the corner across the street are terrible. I've also seen rats scurry across the sidewalk ahead of me. The land on the north side of Braeswood, formerly the Oilers practice feild, is now owned by the Harris County Flood Control District. I would hope that any development that gets out of the planning stages includes some kind of long term management of the HCFCD property.

I once gave a proposal to replace the cooling towers and associated piping in the HMB building. The cooling towers are located on the high roof behind big architectural louvers. It was an elaborate plan envolving erecting a hoist over the side of the building. It was apparently too expensive though. I also gave a proposal to convert the public toilets to ADA. I was amazed to find a full chase behind each toilet room that a maintenance man could walk into. You never see this type of space allowed for such things these days. I did get that job. I also gave a proposal to remove the pool equipment and piping. It was behind the employee lockers on the ground floor and basement areas. I must have been too high on that bid though. This was all around 1992 or 1993. MDACC was apparently looking longer term on this building back in those days.

The only problem is that AT&T's contractor put their ugly antenna up on Fannin St. right in front of Texas Children's were the new Maternity Center bridge will be built. The antenna will soon be coming down. So get ready for lousy service again.

Cathedral? I think not.

There was a Dobb's House on the corner of Memorial and Post Oak Lane back in the 60's. I remember my father telling me about a time that he stopped in there one evening on his way home from a union meeting. He said there were some jerks in there giving the clerks and customers a hard time. My father said he contemplated shoving one of the guys through the plate glass window and then taking on the other two with help from the other male customers. Luckily the trouble makers left without an incedent. I asked my dad later if he was scared. He told me that he was sure he could take the first guy out, but his ultimate plan realied on others coming to his assistance. That uncertainty is what scared him. Dad's were big hero's to us kids back in those days.

The Dutch Kettle in Galveston is still open, 24hrs it says. (35th & Seawall)

There was a "Toddle Inn" restuarant in Brownsville that looks very similar. It's located on Central Blvd. just north of Boca Chica. I used to eat breakfast there on Saturday mornings. "Choriso and Eggs" was my favorite. There may have been chain of these.

Aren't all Fingers locations becoming Ashley Furniture stores?

What ever happened to the Brown and Root building out off of West Belt? The one with the weird silo looking things. I thought this location was supposed to be the eventual location of all the post Halliburton/Brown & Root merger remnants.