JLWM8609

On Saturday, I was talking to a fellow who does remodeling and architecture for local dealerships. He mentioned Tommie Vaughn and said that the original building is still there underneath various layers of remodeling.

I haven't seen anything yet.

You're welcome. Here's a current day shot of that location. https://maps.google.com/?ll=29.755925,-95.370587&spn=0.00382,0.005284&t=h&z=18&layer=c&cbll=29.75586,-95.370475&panoid=GmCQWnsOJbuURnZEF4-bOw&cbp=12,285.74,,0,10.24 Looks like there's a garage there now. I wonder what dealer that was? I know there was a Lincoln/Mercury dealership downtown, but pics showed it to be near the Houston House. For the car guys, those are seven 1964 Lincoln Continental convertibles and three 1964 Mercury convertibles lined up there. In the lot are some 63 or 64 Continentals and a 63 Mercury Meteor wagon.

Six years later, and fifty years to the day that the pic was taken, I've figured out that this pic was taken at the corner of Clay and Smith. That church in the background is Antioch MBC.

Wasn't there a 3 person requirement on the Katy Fwy HOV before the widening project?

I saw a film crew wrapping up a photo shoot downtown for a small SUV back on October 26th. It might've been this vehicle, though I thought I spied a BMW kidney grille outline under the wraps. I may have been wrong.

Mississippi.

Really? Tell that to Woody's Smokehouse in Centerville. I guess all their income is coming from people making that stopover in Centerville on those HOU-DAL and DAL-HOU flights. That would explain the Southwest 737-300 I saw parked out back last time I went to Woody's.

I-345 doesn't need to be demolished. Its purpose is to handle traffic between I-45 and US 75 as a continuous link and it does that job well. If that 1.4 mile link is eliminated, the alternative route (I-45 to I-30 WB to I-35W NB to 366 EB to US 75) will add nearly 3 miles to the route for those traveling between I-45 to US 75. Of course, the FAQ on their site says, that the elimination of I-345 won't inconvenience anyone. When asked if "who loses" in their proposal, their response is, "Nobody really. It could make somebody’s once a year trip to Houston slightly less direct and convenient." As if people don't need to travel between Houston and Dallas multiple times per year for business. I think this proposal will probably fail.

Yep, I remember Bland Cadillac. They shut down in 97 or 98. I remember seeing facelifted 97 Sedan Devilles on the lot before they shut down. I also remember before the dealer on Main became Stewart Cadillac, it was Don Massey Cadillac. There might have been another owner between Massey and Stewart, but I can't remember.

Per Carroll Robinson's website at the link below, on November 5th, HCC closed on 9.177 acres of land on N. MacGregor at 288 for the new Coleman College of Health Sciences’ Medical Science & Technology Early College Charter High School (what a long name!). http://tinyurl.com/ld5l5md That parcel has been vacant for over 20 years. I think the last thing to be there was an old nightclub, and before that, there were apartments. Old N. MacGregor Way borders the property to the south and was closed and fenced off about 3-5 years ago. It's also one of the few places where you can see Brays Bayou's original path before it was straightened for the first time in the 1920s.

Does anyone have the history on that building? I was told that it was possibly a Rolls Royce dealership back in the 60s.

There's a Texaco at 288 and OST with a car wash. Right now, their regular gas is at $2.76.

I remember passing by it in the early 90s when I was young kid. It looked VERY dingy.

I wonder, do preservationists ever contact the owners of these homes and try to encourage them to preserve the architectural integrity of the home?

I passed by the house on Sunday. Looks like work is underway to spruce it up. The garage was open and I could see into the house and see that the sheet rock had been removed from the walls and the wood behind the sheet rock was being replaced. It also looks like the roof is being worked on.

The article incorrectly states that there is no connection from I-45 south to I-610 east and there are no plans to build a connection. Maybe there's no plans to build a connection because a connection from I-45 south to I-610 east has existed since the late 70s? http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/transportation/article/Ramps-planned-to-ease-I-45-and-I-610-southern-4879771.php?cmpid=btfpm

A car isn't an option?

Your best bet would be to use the archive.org website to see what you can find for www.katyfreeway.org. After the projected was completed, the domain was put up for sale and everything was removed.

KUHT did something similar about 15 years ago. It was called "Houston Remember When" http://support.houstonpbs.org/site/PageServer?pagename=prd_HRWI

I don't think it's a make believe trip. He's probably going, although it's on Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004.

I don't think it's ever been "on", as in being a planned construction project. It's just a proposal by Perkins+Will.

I've been given the same advice by an HPD officer. I remember about 10 years ago, this woman came to our door. My mom peeked through the peephole and thought the woman was her niece. I was standing nearby. When she went to open the door, the woman tried to force the door open. I was able to force the door shut with my 220 lbs of bulk. The woman then asked if someone by a certain name lived there. I don't know if it was an attempted home invasion or if she was on drugs or what. Years after that happened, a man approached my dad in the yard with some suspicious story about needing money to park somewhere or for a car repair. My dad told him he didn't have any money. Later, the man came back when my dad was gone and knocked on the door. My mom spoke to him through the door. He told my mom that my dad promised him a few bucks and told him to come back later and get the money, which was a lie. She feigned ignorance and said "what's that? I can't understand you. Did you say call the police?" He ran off pretty quick when she said that.

I know it's very short notice, but I just heard about this. http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Free-Houston-Art-Deco-Lecture--9-19-13-.html?soid=1102437387487&aid=ZS53Nw0kiZo

Good work HPD, and good riddance to the punks. Hopefully, they'll be off the street for a long time. The trail runs behind my house and I won't go on the trail, even in daylight, unless I'm in a large group or have some self defense with me. It's not uncommon see little old ladies walking on the trails along N. and S. MacGregor with a Louisville Slugger in their hand, and no, they're not going down to the baseball field at MacGregor Park to sock a few balls over the fence. I wonder what will be done for crime prevention in the future. More officers on bike patrols along the Columbia Tap? Wider access points from the street so patrol cars can get on the trail if needed? Cameras? Call boxes? Riverside residents armed with shotguns sitting on the benches on the trail?