HedwigTramp

A tidbit about the Tenneco / EP building. It was built to be self reliant. There is an old working water well in the basement. Not exactly spring water quality, but you can flush toilets with it. It also has backup generators for electrical power. The old well and generators were integrated into their Y2K contingency planning .... in case the doomsday scenario occured. They also built an underground bunker system at Hockley for their Gas Control center. It was built during the cold war with A-bombs in mind.

I have "been in town long enough to have seen the turnaround at Memorial City". And I don't see any comparison between the two malls. Memorial mall is surrounded by very high "disposable income" households. Sharpstown is surrounded by pseudo-ghetto, and middle to upper-middle class neighborhoods. big difference. Memorial Mall was a no brainer. Complete an upscale remodel and increase security. The locals (yes I am one) took care of the rest. They told their friends who told their freinds...etc.

I have worked downtown for 20+ years and the downtown tunnel system is one of Houston's greatest assets. I don't remember how extensive the network was in the 1980's, but I remember parking in the Hyatt garage and tunneling to work. The tunnel network is huge today and it is the ultimate in "walkable". One of my employees lives downtown and tunnels to work in bad weather. For those who are searching for large pedestrian crowds street-side to get that "Big city" feel ..(why he asks???), just visit the tunnel system on a cold rainy day about 11:30. It is wall to wall people in a NYC stride. But if the weather is decent, during lunch I will go for extended walks street side and head for Sam Houston/Buffalo Bayou parks. A beautiful area that is under-utilized by downtowner's. If you have never made the trek... visit the tunnel system and marvel at the underworld.

For at least a short time (in the early 70s?) it was a porn theater. To this day I still remember driving by the theater and reading the marquee outside announcing the feature flix: "A Hard man is good to find"... i thought it was one of the best Porn titles. ///no I did not visit the place nor see the film

I have been working downtown for twenty years and have never felt threatened (get asked for money 2-3 times a week but "No" does the trick). I actually miss some of the more entertaining Whack jobs. The vocal Wacos that used to be on the corners yelling at a trashcan, or the preachers that would yell obsenities at the congregation while quoting the bible. Remember the bus that had loudspeakers dissing Second Babtist? My commute requires me exit I-10 and turn south onto Echo/Blalock into the Memorial Villages. The north side of this intersection must be the motherload for panhandlers. There is a group that seem to rotate (guess they reserve spots). The wife was washing her car at the Chevron on the south side and saw one of the more frequent "Cripples" hobble across the parking lot in her wheelchair. After making sure no one was looking, she got out of her wheelchair and carried it the final 100 ft to her car hidden behind the carwash. She probably lives in the Villages.

I have not been able to find anything that provides information about the construction plans or an artist's rendering of the East end line. I was looking at the survey markings yesterday, and it appears that they will be widening the equivilant of 2 lanes (20 ft) c to the north. That seems about right since I understand 2 rails will be added and 4 lanes of traffic will remain. Assuming Metro had to purchase the entire lot (100 foot deep), I wonder what the plans for the remaing 80 feet are. What did Metro do on the red line?

Does anyone know where I can get an artist rendering or construction drawings of what Harrisburg will look like after completion? I am interested what it will look like along the Coffee factory. I have a property one block off Harrisburg close to Milby, so I will post some pics of the construction.

I have an investment property two blocks from this house, and have wondered about the history. Thanks for the enlightenment. When I drove by this weekend I noticed it now has a Realtor's "For Sale" sign out front, but it is not listed in HAR. It would be a real chalenge to restore the beast, and the location sux being sandwiched in between the concrete walls of two rather shabby businesses. Here is another house that (now Pending) was advertized as "Possibly the oldest privately owned home in Houston in need of complete renovation. " Built in 1856 it is located at 1518 Weber.