GBryant

Hey all - I've searched the forums and apologize in advance if this question has already been answered.  In the early 80s, I remember there being (what I believe to be) a hotel that looked like a castle on 59 near Clarewood.  I think it had a crenellated roof and, maybe, shields around it's upper portion.  It was quite impressive to my ten year old self.  Does anyone know anything about this?  Thanks in advance.

The Fun Plex over on Beechnut and Eldridge was Fame City originally and had the waterpark.  I am not sure what it was previously, but I remember Exhilerama at Memorial City mall.  I grew up in the 90's in Sugar Land.  

The Fame City building was purpose-built for Fame City.  It was an empty field before that.

The only KMart photos I have are of the S. Gessner KMart in 1979 (because I worked there at the time).  

 

Sorry...no Super KMart shots!  It's a shame that the KMart chain moved out of Texas.  I always liked shopping there.

Hey, I would be really interested in seeing those pics!

wasn't that the movie about the kidnapping of John Walsh's kid?

Yep, that's the one.  It's really not a terrible movie.

I grabbed these from the 1983 made-for-tv movie "Adam".  it's YouTube quality, but there's some entirely decent nostalgia to be had.  I found the last black and white pic in an ebay auction listing from the Baltimore Sun, of all places.  Enjoy!

I think that store was a Safeway

Yep, it was a Safeway until the late 80s/early 90s. My parents owned a bakery one block over and we would occasionally have to run to the store for supplies. I remember there were Time Pilot and Krull right by the entrance.

IIRC it was a Roy Rogers restaurant.

Was it a Roy Rogers before it was a Lee's? I only remember the Lee's being there.

I read that there was a Fame City installed in Memorial City Mall (spread out through the mall, apparently) in the late 1980s (didn't last long). I'm guessing there were multiple locations...?

I remember the place, but I don't think it was a Fame City. They had a virtual reality setup and a Battletech simulator center - neither of which I ever got to try.

I remember when Children's Palace opened in Bellaire. It would have been around '87 or '88 and they gave away free stuffed animals at the grand opening. It was located at the corner of Beechnut and 610 where the Home Depot is now. We used to ride our bikes to that store and spend (what seemed like) hours looking at the Nintendo games and GI Joes. Then, we would go across 610 to Meyerland Plaza where there was an arcade and drop our few precious quarters in the popular video games of the day. Good times.

In his most recent Bayou City History column, J.R. Gonzales has a write up on Sharpstown Mall. I'm particularly enamored with the couple of pics from the eighties that he included at the bottom. Check it out here: http://blog.chron.com/bayoucityhistory/2011/09/sharpstown-shopping-center-50-years-later/

A lot of things destroyed Sharpstown. I think at the top of the list is Harold Farb and every other development company that saturated the area with apartment complexes. The other major factors contributing to its decline would be the Bellaire blvd expansion project. It was so poorly planned and slowly executed that it destroyed almost all of the businesses on the Bellaire corridor from the city of Bellaire all the way down to Sharpstown. What was once surburban bliss rapidly degenerated into urban blight.

Areas like Sugarland, Katy, and Alief suddenly became the attractive Suburbia that Sharpstown once was and most of those families evacuated with all due haste.

I too have a lot of fond memories growing up there. I lived on Rowan. I went to SFDS and Sharpstown Jr high. I loved the mall, Gaylynn theater, Games people play, and Taco bell/Del Taco back when they used REAL ingredients. Now all I am left with is a dream of the past and a post mortem analysis of its demise. Those of you that migrated to new Surburbia's, have you seen the same sort of downfall in those areas as well?

Bravo on the user name. I would give at least a toe for some pics of the old Good Time Charlie's at Sharpstown as it was in the 80s.

Anyway, in answer to your question about suburban downfall, I can tell you that Alief definitely experienced a downturn similar to Sharpstown's. I grew up in Bellaire, but when my dad remarried in '88, it became clear that we couldn't afford a house there that could accommodate our new newly doubled household. Back then, Alief was still a viable alternative. It had good schools and decent, affordable single-family neighborhoods. I'm pretty sure that all began to changed about a week after we moved in. By the time I was a junior in high school, the change was in full effect. Football games had to be cancelled or rescheduled due to the threat of violence. School dances were poorly attended and, eventually went away. Our house was broken into a couple of times. I moved away fifteen years ago, but my folks still live there and - I can tell you - it's a depressing place to visit. It's a real shame when a neighborhood experiences such a dramatic and rapid downturn.

Do you have a plan for sourcing the pictures? I've never been able to find much online.

There were also Safeways at Bellaire Blvd and S. Rice (where the Randall's is) and Stella Link and S Braeswood (where Sellers Bros is now). My family and I used to go to the one on Stella Link all the time.

I don't know if you fine folks have seen this yet:

http://www.cardcow.c.../texas-houston/

It has a bunch of, well, vintage Houston postcards.

Edit: Crap, I thought certain that if I'd seen this here before that I would have remembered it. I just found the other threads that mention this site. Sorry, guys. If a mod wants to delete this, please do.

I lived in Bellaire from 1950 to 1960. There are two places I attended that I would like to find out the addresses if possible. One was a nursery school. I believe it was called Playhouse. I attended it in 1952 when I was four. While I was there, they acquired an interesting playground apparatus. It consisted of several tricycles arranged on a round platform. It worked somewhat like a merry-go-round. All of the children sat on the trikes and pedaled to make it go around.

The other place was the Ann Keene Dance Studio. I attended there from 1952 to around 1955. I thought it was in the center next to First State Bank, but I don't really remember.

If anyone has access to phone directories from this time period, I'd love to see them.

Thanks

You're before my time, but there was a very similar tricycle apparatus at Fame City in the late 80s. The problem was that the pedals were tied directly to the wheels. Thus, if the trikes were moving, the pedals were moving. And there was no platform. There were just these bars that connected the outer ring/rail upon which the trikes rode to the central pivot. Sooo, if you were to, say, put your left foot down while the trikes were moving, it was really easy to get your ankle wedged between a pedal and one of the aforementioned bars and have to be carried out of the place on your dad's back. Ask me how I know.

I don't know what was there between A&P and HEB but I can check a directory later on.

Another stucco-ization - the shopping center on S. Rice (then N. Rice) and Bissonnet (Hickory Pit on the SE corner, Ruby's in the picture). Here's the 1950s image:

http://digital.houst...g/u?/BelLib,204

and more recently:

I'm pretty sure it was an Academy. My dad bought me my first airgun there. It was a pump pneumatic Benjamin in .177 with a real wood stock and everything. That thing was a beast. (to a ten year old).

Sevfiv, you've made my day. The pics of the playground at Evergreen Park brought back lots of fond memories of growing up in Bellaire.

The mountain thing was originally part of the Alpine Sleigh Ride. I can't recall the official name for that area of the park, but it probably had the word Alpine in it. It was one of my favorite attractions in the early days of Astroworld. It's popularity is probably at least halfway attributed to the fact that you could cool off in that mountain. It was a ride that would have attracted all ages. Once you entered the tunnel, there was a mechanical abominable snowman, would jump out at you in the darkness, as you turned a corner. Scared me to death, as a kid.

Another favorite of mine was the Bamboo Chute. I don't think it ever changed, much.

I spent an inordinate amount of time on Astroworld sites yesterday and, among other things, learned that the mountain was called Discovery Mountain and was part of the Enchanted Kingdom during the period i was referring to. Yes, it used to be the Alpine Sleighs mountain and ended its days as the Batman: The Escape mountain.

Here is a link to more Astroworld reminiscing than you need:

http://www.sixflagshouston.com/forums/

Enjoy

The river ride was called Thunder River.

No, not Thunder River. Some Googling revealed that I was trying to remember River of No Return. King Kong used to scare the heck out of me. Thanks for trying, though!

I only went a handful of times as a kid in the 80s, so every return would see some attractions gone and some new. I remember there being one thing that I found once and never found again even though I would desperately look for it. It was a system of caves that you could walk through that featured various kid-oriented obstacles. i think there were crystals buried in the walls. Anybody know what I'm talking about? Other vague remembrances:

1. My dad taking me on the Texas Cyclone when I was about five. I barely made the height requirement. I refused to go on another roller coaster until I was in high school. They still make me nervous.

2. The Horizon Theater always smelled vaguely of vomit.

3. Wasn't the XLR8 slowed down at some point? i think I remember my friends lamenting that it used to be faster.

4. I was dropped off at Fright Nights one year with a friend and some kid got shot. I think it was about 87 or 88. I suspect that signaled the beginning of the end.

5. Fruit juices in fruit shaped bottles with crazy straws.

6. The forward part of Greezed Lightning was fine, but the backwards part always got to me.

7. The big sombrero spinning chairs on the end of chains thing gave me the willies. I always pictured one of the chains snapping and me ending up over by the Serpent or something.

8. What was the name if that river boat ride? Forbidden River or something? I thought that was cool.

9. The model Ts on rails always looked way more exciting than they actually were.

Shame about the 'world.

oh man, thinking about it, I remember many summer evenings playing in that landfill between cook and kirkwood, not to mention having b.b.gun wars across the drainage ditch that eventually filters in to braes bayou.

do either of those things these days you'd be going to some juvenile detention or something.

Aside from losing an eye in the b.b.gun fights (which I grew back because of the toxic stuff in the landfil) I think it was a positive experience overall.

Heh, I lived out that way at one point, as well. Never played in the landfill, but I would drive past it quite often on the way home from football practice at Elsik.

Hey I am glad I did my time in the 50's. It sure must have sucked to have to have been a kid in the 60's.

10. Steam locomotives daily down the double tracks.

9. Escape to monkey's hill.

8. Seeing the distant 4th of July fireworks at the Shamrock Hotel.

7. Open windows, attic fans, quiet city at night.

6. Saturday morning double horror features at the Bellaire.

5. Looney auction.

4. You actually see stars in the night sky over Bellaire.

3. Safely walking to and from Horn Elementary without a care in the world.

2. Leaflet drops from DC3's.

1. Rides and races at Playland Park.

I see you mentioned monkey's hill. In the 80s we had a Monkey Hills that was the drainage ditch at the north end of the horse pasture between Bellaire and Beechnut. We'd jump our bikes across the ditch. Same place?

I, too, remember walking to Horn Elementary. My folks never gave a second thought about my walking home form there.

Hey I am glad I did my time in the 60's. It sure must have sucked to have to have been a kid in the 80's.

Aww, c'mon now! I was aged 4-14 in the 80's and I still have very fond memories of the era. I guess it's just what you grow up with. My top 10 (in no particular order):

10. The OLD Third Planet in that little house.

9. GiGi's model shop in Sharpstown Mall (especially that model of the Invisible Woman)

8. Trick or treating - after dark!

7. Funland arcade at Meyerland Plaza

6. Open-late Thursdays at the Bellaire Public Library (Yeah, I was/am a dork)

5. Cruising Westheimer (It was in the back seat of my parent's station wagon, but Westheimer at night still felt magical)

4. 25 cent bowling at Palace Lanes on Bellaire during the summer

3. World Toy and Gift

2. Astroworld when a season pass was $30 - not that my parents ever got one for me.

1. PLAYING THE FARK OUTSIDE. The city is safer now, but back then parents seemed to have less compunction about letting kids play outside. At least my parents and my friend's parents didn't. There was also less emphasis placed on safety

and that "neglect" was lots of fun. I wonder if kids still try to climb the electric towers in the horse field between Bellaire and Beechnut, east of Newcastle? Or cross the trestle over Braes Bayou? Or navigate Bellaire and Meyerland via bayous

and drainage ditches? I spent much of my youth playing in - and around - sewage. Fun.

I do hold some envy for those that were young and on their own in Houston during the 80's. But, I wouldn't give up my childhood in Bellaire during that time for anything.

What about the Carillion shopping center. Does anyone remember some of the original stores?

I also remember something about the Westchase Hilton burning down in the early 80's...not sure though!

Well, my folks had a bakery there for all of six months in the mid-80s. I remember playing Aliens ( I was 10ish) with a friend in that shopping center because it had a lot of cool ramps and variations in elevation. I don't remember much else about the center other than the Laugh Factory (I think that was the name of the comedy club that was there) and a B.Dalton in one of the parking lot pads. My family used to go to the Souper Salad (or Lettuce Surprise You) in the early 90s. It seemed like it was having a hard time keeping tenants in the 80s. I don't remember the bakery having very many neighbors.

My tolerance for that movie is inversely proportional to my age. I loved it when it came out. I thought it really spoke to me, man. Now, some sixteen years later, they all sound like a bunch of whiny jagoffs to me. Same thing for Pump Up the Volume.

Aging is a horrible thing. Though, I suppose, it beats the alternative.