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That one is the Brady House (HAIF mention here). It's got tax issues etc. and so apparently is in legal limbo. The interior is pretty much gutted and there had been a small fire on the 3rd floor.

Great set of photos, isuredid. Preservation is helped by awareness and most Houstonians never notice old buildings still lingering so they are seldom missed once gone.

I see that the old gal is for sale again on HAR... low 200's. 

So this is going in right around that Memorial Hermann building? Major road construction over there today, was a real mess.

Nice photos of UHD development. Thanks!

I've enjoyed reading this topic, thanks to all... I can't recall ever seeing any of the spooky style, growing up in the Bayou City. I would guess the Montrose area, with its little pockets of hidden coves and narrow, winding streets would be a place to find any survivors. 

I agree Arne's is in jeopardy because of the increasing value of the land but wouldn't it be a pity to loose the place. Architecturally the building is a cipher but the stuff inside and the way it is piled in there is a hoot. I've bought everything from chew toys for my dog to Cinderella themed plates, napkins, and table decorations for my daughter's 4th birthday party to a 6 quart pressure cooker for my kitchen (for a fraction of the price at a department store, BTW) at Arne's. My wife just got a new dog and bought all kinds of accessories for the pooch there for half what they would have cost at P--co.

 

Im very fond of that old building. The old wooden floors in the back section are nice. So is the ghost sign on the southern exterior wall. Hope it survives the gentrification intact. 

My mom infrequently shopped at the Lewis & Coker on Southmore & Richey, Pasadena location. NW corner, in a shopping strip. 1950's, built sometime after 1953, per GoogleEarth. It was big, but not as colossal as Weingartens. A Washateria is there now. I vaguely remember those poles that kids like to swing around, out front, supporting the canopy. 

oh wow! I never knew that was still standing. Thanks for pointing that out. Too bad about the little center with the circle drive. It was a nce design detail. I like the glass panes and details on the side entrance and roof.

There was a half-priced books in an old bldg. I used to frequent in West U. I loved walking through, checking out the details of the place, 1990's, I think it was. I think it would be west of the tapas restaurant, now. Had old display windows & a back loft, balcony, staircase, and a tiny smaller room to the left. Reminded me of those '50's ladies clothing stores at Gulfgate. 

can you say mixed-use development with transportation hub?  so much potential for this property!  rail lines nearby could easily connect to light rail through uptown and/or the rail leading downtown to the hardy rail yards.  light rail line from here down washington avenue to downtown.....many, many opportunities for a transit system pivot point.

 

1. adaptive reuse of existing mall structure maintaining some retail capacity (or increased)

2. integration of new and proposed suburban rail and intercity light rail lines

3. add residential (affordable) components

4. add entertainment (or public use) component(s)

 

i would wager that there are MANY entities peeing their pants over this location.

 

https://www.ted.com/talks/ellen_dunham_jones_retrofitting_suburbia  check out this ted talk on "retrofitting suburbia".  it will give you hope for the plight of malls across the country.

I think you are on to something here... it seems to be all the rage now. Mixed-Use Development, and the best part is it's location - boarders 610 Loop, is close to I-10, and (best part) has minimum interaction with Hwy 290.   

Another sign on the building is for Joseph Finger, the architect who designed Houston's City Hall as well as other local buildings in the Art Deco style..

 

The small metal decorations and the light fixtures on the edge of the canopy in the old photo are interesting details.

I was going to say, I've never seen those dome light fixtures hanging under canopies. I agree... nice details. 

***** & Pacific Tea Co. is to the left. 

http://search.har.com/engine/1529-Allston-St-Houston-TX-77008_HAR70383966.htm

 

I walked by this house and watched them take it apart and put it back together again.  Very long process.  I always wondered what the interior looked like.  Very nice redo.  

Those protruding brick columns bother me. That wasn't original, was it? I like to see the Peanut Brittle bungalow exteriors. California has quite a few.

I favor a bungalow restoration that is more on line with the original details. I'm not a fan of the violet blue exterior, either. 

Or the marble. I would have used subway tiles and rustic features in the kitchen. But the floor, staircase and other interior details are beautiful. I guess they are catering to a certain clientele. 

I love HAR for exploring properties, especially the interiors.  

Whoa... a UH alumnus, nice. Hopefully, the remodel and restoration will complement the original design. 

a-ha... jackassery. I love it. a new word.

University of Houston - Cullen ... UH-Main Campus... or whatever name it is referred to now... 

I see it as no accident that the timing of the new stadium is on par with the seeking of a higher university designation. I'm sure it's all part of a master plan (along with the new campus construction) to boost UH enrollment, image, and improve the overall scholastic environment. I would be worried if they weren't trying to. Not to mention, the stadium was waaaaay overdue for an update. I can't wait to attend a game, to see what they have done.

BTW - Not just anyone can get in to the Cullen campus, anymore. 3.0 - Minimum GPA, it is, last I checked. By all means, correct me if I am wrong. I think you have to look at your individual undergraduate or graduate plans to decide which Texas university is best for you. Bauer College of Business comes highly rated. I consider myself lucky to be a resident of a state with so many choices. 

One of my professors mentioned once, that UT and Texas A&M are painted as rivals, but they both share a history of gifted lands with oil royalties. He also said that UH was fighting a while back in court for their share of the Public University - Texas piece of that pie. 

Yeah... it needs a good wash. Has that recessed lighting feature always been there, on the Alley Theater? I never noticed it. I really like it.

I would have guessed the Windswept was a late fifties bldg. The clues are the medium tan brick (as opposed to the 30's-40's light, yellow-tan brick), those high, rectangular sliding windows and the ornamental screen. The forties seemed to use a lot of white brick and/or black shiny tiles. 

 Perhaps the architects could have a chat with a visual arts student.

 

 

 

 

Indeed. 

I don't like it. Like so many comments before mine... no cohesion in that exterior design. That said, I think the interior  renderings are nice. The architect did have heavy demands, a lot going on there. I would like to experience the walk through some day. But that beige... why, on an Arts building? so wrong. 

I like the letters, though. They don't bother me, at all.

I do not believe you can check out anything from the Texas Room. In fact, I am quite sure of it. They've renovated the place since I've been there last, but the second floor, when I was last there, was divided into two sections. On one side was a repository of books and materials you had to ask the receptionist to get for you. On the other side was the so-called Texas Room, which, in addition to tables and chairs, had the less valuable books, the directories, the maps, the Key Maps and the photographs. At the entrance was the small desk where you checked in. There was no place to check out anything. You could view whatever you wanted at the tables, but you could take nothing out of the room.

and microfilm... or was when I was there, years ago. I was looking at Sanborn Maps on it, before they were digitized. You had to sign in, in pencil. The trip was priceless, just to visit the building, a real beauty. Enclosed porch was where the copy machines were placed. It had those map drawers / collections, as well. Take coins, just in case. It was old style when I went.

I don't remember a Red Lobster down Dyna, mkultra, but I do remember this little diddy that I used to love, called the Moon Palace. How I miss the Palace...

Could Red Lobster have been in the stand alone building next door to Los Cabos/Moon Palace? I've been trying to put my finger on what that game room used to be for quite some time now. It was obviously a restaurant, but what? It's been driving me crazy. Wouldn't that be something if we ended up answering each other's question? The building certainly doesn't look like an old Red Lobster, but I guess it's possible.

oh yeah... Jojo's, was a coffee shop/ restaurant, old style, like Kip's or Denny's... was where you went after partying into the wee hours. 

Jack-in-the-Box (now Taqueria) - W. Southmore & Miami (Pasadena)

Whataburger  @ 1819 Richey (now Auto Zone) guessing on this one. 

Whataburger  @  210 W.Southmore Ave (burned, now Popeyes, new bldg.) 

Der Weinerschneitzel @ 901 Southmore Ave. & Witter 

Burger Chef @ 2721 Richey (now strip club)

Burger Chef @ 3816 Reveille (burned) 

KFC (had bucket sign with Colonel Sanders face on it) @ 7209 S. Loop E. Frwy. (near Gulfgate, Brake Check now) 

Taco Bueno - Edgebrook & Clearwood (now First Service -bank?)

Note: these addresses are approximate, from GoogleEarth searches.

More from 1976 Houston area - Taco Bell, Wendy's, Dairy Queen, and TGI Fridays (KFC and Burger King are up next but more extensive)

 

Taco Bell (of the 6 listed, only one still is a Taco Bell)

 

1803 W 43rd St. (#1010, sold 1996, currently a Prudential Office)

9066 Long Point Rd. (#957, sold 1987, currently Auto Concepts)

5210 Bissonnet St. (#142, sold 1994, currently Roadster Grill)

6523 Westheimer Rd. (#238, demolished? currently strip mall)

330 S 69th St. (#313 - not sure about this one, can't really figure out where this should be unless it's actually Wayside Dr.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

That last Taco Bell sat between S. 69th St. & Wayside Dr. It was in the same space as the Dunkin Donuts. I remember the look of it...original facade, mission style with the bell, like PurpleDevil describes. It had those metal chairs, jutting out from the connected table, like Whataburger. 

Ive seen a few new townhomes along rail lines. Thought the same thing.

TY... more images taken for my visual notes.

... one more thing...

"Although Buffalo Bayou is only 50 miles long, its importance in Texas history cannot be overestimated. It is the only Texas river that flows almost due east; the rest flow predominantly from north to south". 

As far back as 1840, the lower part of the bayou was called the "national highway of the republic".

The bayou banks we could lose

 

Once again, a flood-control project threatens Buffalo Bayou

 

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/local/gray-matters/article/The-bayou-banks-we-could-lose-5643739.php?cmpid=twitter-premium&t=6793d24198d90d0955#/0

 

Nice article... see caption and image 9. Yes... more of this.. not concrete. And I like the boulder idea. 

Memorial Park was designed as a natural "forest playground", to be guarded from human encroachment.  

This is why park change is slow. The idea was engrained long ago, to resist civilizing it like Hermann Park. source: Memorial Park - S.Emmott. (p.27) There have been numerous proposals to alter the park. It was even considered as a possible site for the Astrodome. 

I was horrified to see the loss of some of the tallest, possibly oldest trees in the park after the latest hurricanes ripped through Houston. No doubt, the drought furthered the loss. But hopefully new ones have been planted. This city needs more green landscape, not less. The migratory path is a special part of Houston's identity. Abundant wildlife, especially birds are noted in many early visitor's diaries... why, then, do we pose to alter and threaten this huge wildlife attraction?

And, I thought we had recognized that the straightening and hard containment of the bayous and resulting escalation of water downstream was not the answer.  Surely, there is a better solution to the erosion issue.

Oh... and yeah, those police horses. pens and stables had been there for quite a while. I always thought they were in a strange location, so close to the freeway.  Well, they weren't, originally. The 610 behemoth cut through the wooded area. There was also a horse (exercise?) track south of the stables (GoogleEarth). 

And the development of that family cemetery property next door that might be an issue.  It should all come to a head fairly soon.

I believe those graves were moved. Can someone confirm?