ChannelTwoNews

Was pressed for time when I was downtown yesterday so here's a peek from Discovery Green. Will probably get more in upcoming days...

From yesterday, driving down Main Street...

From yesterday... drive-by shots and the top from Discovery Green.

The restoration work appears to be underway. The marquee above the main entrance has been dismantled, and there are crews going in and out throughout the day. May try to get some photos if I have a chance tomorrow.

Because I haven't contributed photo-wise in forever, and just happened to be in the area yesterday, as I was heading back to H-town...

http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2014/01/09/grand-parkway-inspires-more-mixed-use.html

From bisnow...

From the Buffalo Bayou Partnership's Facebook Page today...

I distinctly recall a huge warehouse fire near downtown, or at least within the Loop... maybe early 1995 or 96? I think it took a few days to get completely out. I definitely remember that one of the stations (I think it was 2) kept cutting into whatever sports were on during the weekend to show the aerial shots. I also remember a Two Pesos opened in my hometown and closed not too long after the whole court case involving Taco Cabana came to an end. Still waiting for a replacement TC. Also, RABDARGAB

Heh, I'm just going to go all over the place with this topic. I'll come at this as someone who was a kid for the decade and lived on the southwest side of the metro. I do. My grandparents and my mom went to one that was located on Murphy Road near 90-A in Stafford a bunch back in the early and mid 90s. Always thought it was a pretty neat place. Not sure when it was demolished though. That particular intersection had a few other businesses no longer there including Furrow, across the road and Toddle House which was on the other side of the tracks. Then again, this was back when there wasn't nearly as much going on at the intersection, yet there would be a pretty nice bottleneck if there were a train passing through at almost any time of day. I was really just growing up then - had (and still have) a big interest in weather, so here are some of those thoughts. I do remember a bit about the 1992 Tornadoes that went across town. It was the first time I really paid attention to severe weather. Was fascinated since it was the first time I'd ever seen the sky become green. The storms themselves went around our town, but I'm pretty sure our school did some fundraisers for the families in Channelview. Astounding that the event wasn't the media fiasco it would be today. The really big weather event I remember was the flooding in October 1994. They actually cancelled school for several days straight since the Brazos was starting to not just rise, but back into several areas it hadn't been known to in the past. We, of course, never saw more than the regular puddles and maybe a bit of flash flooding that drained off within an hour. More than that, I remember when the San Jacinto River caught fire. That was a trip watching it on TV, seeing the flames move toward the slicks of oil and chemicals and then a big flare up! Blew my young mind back then. It did snow in the early 90s. I think it was 1993, since I was in second grade and they all had us get construction paper and run outside to catch the snowflakes. Didn't last too long, of course. I think it may have snowed later in the decade elsewhere around town, but not where I grew up. We had a couple of pretty good ice storms as well - one in maybe early 1994 and another in early 97. Guessing those dates, but all I remember was being able to stay home from school and going outside and seeing the icicles on EVERYTHING. more so with the former. West Oaks was THE mall for the first half of the decade, for where I lived, and my parents would take me there on Saturdays and we'd go to a bunch of places there. We only went to Westwood a few times before we decided it had really gone down the crapper. As for West Oaks - always liked the clock in the middle as well as the Birraporretti's where we'd have lunch sometimes. At times we'd go to the General Cinema 3 Theater in the strip center across 6 for a movie. I remember taking a few of their directories back in the 90s and held onto them for a while. Not sure if I still have them in storage. Then First Colony Mall opened. The mall that my mom said had been planned since the ancient 70's was a reality. From there the intersection of 6 and 59 became the retail heart of Fort Bend County and the retail and residential gaps between Williams Way on the east side of Richmond to that intersection began to fill in... quickly. Mervyn's California even sent out promotional videos in the mail announcing their grand opening. May still have it around. Everyone was into the Rockets, of course, after the championships. I grew up watching them on TV & listening to Gene Peterson on the radio with my brothers so I even knew what bandwagon fans were back then. What was funny was how fast the tents hawking anything that had to do with the Rockets popped up, especially after the second title. Actually got my shirt (the one that was everywhere) from one of those guys. Not overpriced, surprisingly enough, even though you know that dude just blew a wad on 'em from Academy or Oshman's or wherever trying to turn a profit. Still have it tucked away in my drawer of now 'vintage' clothing. My parents subscribed to the Chronicle & one of my aunts that we saw regularly took the Post. On weekends we'd pick up their papers and add them to the collection we'd recycle for the school I was attending. Always liked reading the Post more than the Chronicle. Better writing, features and inserts on the whole. Didn't say I was a normal kid. On one of my old VHS tapes, I recall seeing Channel 2 did a whole special about the final day of the Post's operations the day it closed down in April 1995 - this was after the sale to Post-Newsweek from the Hobby's H&C Communications. Never understood why it was the big deal it was until later. Was extremely fortunate though that the Fort Bend County library I went to regularly had, and still does have hardbound index archives and microfilm of each edition of The Houston Post from 1980 until the early 90s, if not the end. I've used them for a fair amount of my research into previous posts on 80's & early 90's era projects and can conclude that most of today's local business writers who focus on real estate (let us name no one) don't hold a candle to Carl Hooper, IMHO. The Power of Houston - especially the first one. Definitely remember Project Bandaloop performing maneuvers vertically up the side of One Shell Plaza and led up to the huge fireworks & laser show that outdid Rendez-vous Houston. Seriously, a playlist that (from what I remember) had The Rolling Stones, Brooks & Dunn, Kirk Franklin, Selena, Earth Wind & Fire and Capella amongst others. Eclectic, and still one of the best things I've ever seen anywhere. I know I'm missing a lot. I also know that I'm rambling... Oh well. I can try and fill in some blanks.

The music was produced by a North Carolina based firm called VTS Productions, which folded in the 90s, iirc. It was used on all of the stations initially owned by the then new network. The graphics they used for station IDs and movie opens as well as the early kids block called "Superstars" were also shared among those stations. One of the things I always thought was interesting was that for a few years in the late 80s, both KRIV and KHTV had the same logo effectively though they had different owners (Fox and Gaylord respectively). Not sure such a thing could or would happen today.

http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/morning_call/2013/12/h-e-b-planning-another-suburban.html

http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/morning_call/2013/12/nalco-champion-to-build-new-sugar-land.html

http://impactnews.com/houston-metro/sugar-land--missouri-city/sugar-land-moves-forward-with-performing-arts-center/

There really is a fair amount going on over there, it seems as of late. I'm quite interested in seeing how the improvements in the core pan out as well as how the master plan for the Medical Center of the Americas takes shape. Have been keeping an eye on the website below - they have pretty frequent updates on activity around town. http://www.elpasodevnews.com/

That was right after Ed Brandon came out of rehab. That intro which was once referred to by Ken Hoffman as the "parade of talent" didn't last too long. I think Frank Billingsley ended up doing the Earth 13 segments when Diaz left.

Per Bisnow...

Def going to be on my places to stop when I come home next month. Looking forward to checking it out in person!

http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/topic/13797-rosenbergs-old-super-k-mart-sold/

Both your present and past efforts are genuinely remarkable. It really shows what time and passion can create at any age. With regard to the one you made in the 80s, how did you go about planning it? Maps? Photos? Can you talk about some of the differences in taking on the project then and now?

Lurker before the crash, member since early '05. I have always valued the different ways the site functions: as news source, as meeting place, and as time machine in many instances. I do mention it to friends and always encourage them to find out - especially the ones in my hometown who always tend to keep asking "how did you know _______ (random store/business/building) was coming". It's simple if you know where to look. The only drawback to HAIF-ing (yes I use it as a verb, thanks) is doing it from afar. I recall during the last "boom" a few years back that my schedule allowed me to drive around town and take photos of all of the cranes and construction sites pretty regularly. Definitely remember going into the offices of a few development sites that ultimately went bust (Park8, Turnberry & Endeavour down in Pasadena, among others) and speaking w/ someone and picking up their public marketing materials, then sharing my "bounty" with the development geeks here. Not sure if I'd be so bold these days, but it was an interesting experience and I do have some "collectors items", I guess. Always look forward to heading back on my annual trips home, not just to meet with family, but to also see all the things everyone is talking about here in person. Still have yet to take part in a meetup, but hope to do so at some point!

The first one would be Beltway Lakes. Not immediately sure on the second or third - though if you're thinking of the Beltway & 45, it would be the Pinto Business Park.

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/life/columnists/gray/article/Is-downtown-60s-era-architecture-worth-saving-5022273.php?cmpid=btfpm#/0 Just google the headline and get in for free...

From a recent edition of bisnow. Thought it might be interesting to follow this particular center's developments as it is one that I remember frequenting growing up. The anchor (pictured) was a Randall's that later became a Kroger Signature store years later. It also was home to a Cinemark theater called, naturally, Cinema 8. The tide slowly started to turn against this location maybe about 10 years ago or so, when the first phases of Brazos Town Center were being planned. Several major, longtime tenants (Kroger, Cinemark, Famous Footwear) eventually moved out to that center when spaces were available. Randall's moved to Pecan Grove several years prior, allowing the Kroger to take it's space, with relatively few changes. The only substantial pad site, a Luby's (formerly a Wyatt's) closed a few years ago, and was one of the last to vacate. Other pad sites nearby like Burger King & Cici's are still open and the center does retain a few tenants, but nothing like before. To me it was always the "nice" shopping center in the city. Rose-Rich (directly across Avenue H) was somewhat more lower-end. Lamar Plaza, down Avenue H seemed to be middle of the road. As I said before, I think it might be worth watching. It's the newest full-sized shopping center of that bunch in town. Avenue H. (the traditional East-West retail corridor) has been struggling to a point since Brazos Town Center came in, though interestingly enough the Downtown area has not.

http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/blog/breaking-ground/2013/11/developer-closes-on-former-boy-scout.html