Dan the Man

Is the Christie's photo looking North or South on Main? What is the nearest cross street? I don't recognize anything in the photo that would provide me with a visual reference, but then again, it may all be gone.

Yeah, it would be nice to bike all the way from Mason Park out to Gessner. It's just that short section of Brays Bayou between Idylwood and MacGregor Park that doesn't have a trail. Hopefully they'll add one when Project Brays gets to that part.

"There are on this tract of land between eight and nine million feet of timber, large enough for merchantable lumber. A steam sawmill is now on the way to Houston Heights, and this timber will be manufactured and used in building the town and its factories. The capacity of the sawmill is 16,000 feet a day."

I found this especially interesting. Some of the early houses in the Heights may have been built with lumber milled from trees that originally grew in the area.

Thanks for posting.

It would be nice if part of the shell was saved and incorporated into a new building. Though much of the original interior was removed during the restaurant conversion, the old building was designed by John Staub, so it does a little historical significance.

The building for the Telephone Road store is still standing (looks a little like the one in the photo in post #68). The building now houses government offices, if I remember correctly.

Is that church a McKee & Kamrath building?

Not a fan of the '90s renovations.

Theaters with names like "Azteca" and "The Egyptian" likely derived their names from the architecture of the buildings they were housed in. Exotic architectural styles like "Egyptian" or "Oriental" were very popular in the 1920s. Many proprietors felt that they were especially suited for the novel and fantasy-like atmosphere of a movie theater.

Where was the Lindale Theater? Is the building still there?

BTW, that newspaper page is from 1942. "Orchestra Wives" was playing at the North Main, Wayside, and Delman Theaters. That's a great movie if you are a Glenn Miller fan, though the plot is a little corny.

Speaking of kiosks - remember the Fox Photo kiosks? I think Meyerland Plaza had one.

Think that area is sketchy now? You should have seen it 15 years ago!

From the website for Bailey Architects:

Looks like mid-1980s.

If I remember correctly, I think the cornerstone of the church says 1948 or 1949. However, parts of the church could be older; churches are typically built in stages or added to as funding becomes available.

I have never heard of Brooks Cemetary. I wonder if this "Brooks" also the "Brooke" of the nearby "Brookesmith" neighborhood?

I don't know about the church property itself, but I'm pretty sure that the land directly across Fulton was part of Lindale Park golf course until the late 1940s.

Interesting area. Some blocks are actualy part of Riverside Terrace, but were orphaned when 288 came through.

Agree,

IMO the old building was just built in the wrong place to begin with. Was just to obtrusive and close to the street. Just wonder if any of the facade or anything was saved?

I saved a brick. Would have loved to get some of that Art Deco ornamentation....

Cool. Once they move, it will give me an excuse to take their "brewery tour" again...

I think we're forgetting the fact that the River Oaks Shopping center was the only the second strip center ever built in America (the designers were unaware of the first - Country Club Plaza in Kansas City). This shopping center created a prototype for one of the most ubiquitous commercial building types of the 20th century. It has tremendous architectural significance .

Hopefully Houston will have the thrust needed to enact stronger preservation laws as a result of Weingarten's destruction of some of the city's most beloved landmarks. That is the only good I can see coming out of this and their eventual destruction of the Alabama theater.

That's been my hope all along. Even Chicago had to lose some HH Richardson & Louis Sullivan buildings before people realized what was going on.

Unfortunately, boycotts and petitions won't work in Houston. There are too many people in this city that are ignorant about the architectural significance of the River Oaks Shopping Center, and/or they just don't care about local history because they moved here from somewhere else. People will shop at the new stores, and eventually the old buildings will just fade from the collective memory.

You know, I'd forgotten about those white globe-like lights.

Me too. Remember that textured yellow tile that was in the non-carpeted areas? I remember all the stores had similar storefronts with a black glass signage band. All of the letters were white, but the fonts varied.

Hare & Hare were also employed by the City of Houston on a number of planning projects (yes, planning in Houston!) during the City Beautiful Movement of the 1920s. I think they were involved with the planning of Buffalo Drive as a parkway (makes sense, due to the River Oaks affiliation), as well as the Houston Civic Center plan, the only implemented piece being the Julia Ideson building.

A little known fact - Kirby Drive was originally intended to be a parkway that connected the Buffalo Drive (Allen Parkway) with North and South Braeswood. It's a shame that the Depression killed the City Beautiful movement here. Houston might have looked quite different today.

If I recall correctly, Hare and Hare were also heavily involved in the development of River Oaks, Idylwood, Hermann Park, and the wonderful stretch of South Main with the Sam Houston statue and tunnel of live oaks. I wish someone would write a book about them.

Wait, are we talking about plumbing fixtures

or stationery?

Can't they share the athletic facilties across the street?

Retail is always specifically targeted to the surrounding demographics - lower end retail is usually not profitable in a high income area, due to the high rent. Likewise high end retail cannot be profitable in a lower income area, due to the limited spending power of the surrounding residents. As the demographics of this area change, the retail will also change. As fast as the Heights is gentrifying, I imagine this center will see some tenant turnover in the next few years.

It's really more like a picture book, and it mainly concentrates on the high profile buildings of the time (lots of brutalist stuff). Definitely not as comprehensive as the Steven Fox guide...

Is this the house replacing Dogwoods?