yuan1274

Yes, Levitz bit the dust. Their slogan was "You'll love it at Levitz!"

I don't log on as much as I used to. Speaking of car dealers, my first car was a 1963 Rambler American. Here's a Rambler dealership in Houston that I never knew anything about:

I remember Tommie Vaughn Ford, but not Luke Johnson Ford. Does anyone else remember it? Where was it located?

My dad passed away last year and he left me some old photographs. One of them was of an old electric railcar in a big city. I don't know where it is. Would someone out there know if it was one on the Houston-Galveston Electric Railway which operated from 1911-1936?

Does anyone remember the christmas tree lot on the Gulf Freeway? Its was across the freeway from Gulfgate. That is one of my most wonderful memories. Tramping throught the mud to find that perfect tree and then looking through the back windshield all the way home, 3 miles, to make sure it didnt fall out of the trunk.

Yes, back in the early 1960s we got our Christmas tree in that lot. But we first went and bought decorations for it at both the J.J. Newberry and the W.T. Grant stores in Gulfgate. The next year I remember we bought ours in the parking lot of Henke & Pillot supermarket which was located at the "Y" of Telephone Road and Reveille.

I'm assuming those are the Gulfgate rocks due to their sheer size (they are enormous) and the pink granite color with black specks. They really look out of place sitting in a front lawn.

The drive-in was not there, when I first knew Gulfgate, in the mid-late 60's. My mom remembers it from the 1950's. You're right, those apts. were located behind the Wendy's, nice huge old trees there.

I lived not too far from Gulfgate from 1962-64. We went to that drive-in theatre which was called the Winkler. As far as I know it stayed open for about 3 or 4 years after I moved away in the summer of 1964.

Chuck Davis used to be on O.S.T. somewhere between Scott and 288. They moved to the S. Loop sometime in the 80s.

joe

I also remember seeing 40+ years ago a car dealer in Pasadena called Boyd Mullen Chevrolet. Its sign was eye-catching.

New Car Dealers from July 1949 Southwestern Bell Greater Houston Telephone Directory

BUICK

Earl North Buick 2215 Milam

Higgenbotham Buick 7001 Harrisburg

CADILLAC

DB McDaniel Cadillac 1320 Milam

CHEVROLET

Bob Robertson Chevrolet 302 Broadway

Channel Chevrolet 302 Broadway

Dow Motor Company 710 Walker

Downtown Chevrolet 1400 McKinney

Knapp Chevrolet 815 Houston

Richardson Chevrolet 1418 Caroline

South Main Chevrolet 2300 Main

CHRYSLER PLYMOUTH

Abbott Stansel 1220 San Jacinto

AC Burton 1414 Milam

Bob Harris Motor Pasadena

Jess Allen 525 Broadway

CROSLEY

Fly and Harwood 2109 Milam

DESOTO PLYMOUTH

Avenue Motors 1605 Washington

Rosenstock Motors 1120 McKinney

Tony Martin 235 Broadway

DODGE PLYMOUTH

Bryant Motor 6501 Harrisburg

Burkett Motors 1121 McKinney

Jackson Motors 2404 Main

Kreiger Motors 1901 Milam

FORD

Earl McMillian Inc 800 Louisiana

Hargis Motor Co. 1601 Louisiana

Harris County Motor Co. 125 N Walters Pasadena

Ivy Russell Motor Co 2201 Main

Jack Roach 615 Broadway

Johnson Motor Co, 1700 N. Main

Raymond Pearson Inc. 1306 Caroline

FRAZER

South Texas Motor Co 2310 Main

Sterling Motors 816 W. Sterling Pasadena

HUDSON

Broadway Motor Co 402 Broadway

Washington Motors 3711 Washington

Welty Motor Co 1701 Milam

KAISER

J Robinson 6847 Harrisburg

South Texas Motor Co 2311 Main

Sterling Motors 816 W. Sterling Pasadena

LINCOLN MERCURY

Raymond Pearson Inc. 1320 Louisiana

MERCURY

Turbiville Motors 3535 Main

NASH

Thompson Nash Co 2120 Milam

Vance and Sons 1402 San Jacinto

OLDSMOBILE

Public Motors 1519 Main

Rountree Motors 1401 Travis

PACKARD

Meador Motor Co 1315 Milam

Southern Motor Co 1401 Travis

PLAYBOY

Denton and Thompson 2423 S. Wayside

Auto and Trailer Sales

PONTIAC

Lester Goodson Pontiac 1117 San Jacinto

Simpson Pontiac 1621 Milam

STUDEBAKER

Bill Lee Motors 7141 Lawndale

Mosehart And Keller 1103 San Jacinto

TUCKER

Texas Tucker Sales Commerce Building

WILLYS

Bonners Willys Motors 1616 Pease

WILLYS OVERLAND

Harrisburg Willys Overland 900 Broadway

O'Kelley Motor Co 4111 Main

Palmer Motor Co 2225 Washington

Back in the early 1960s, I remember hearing a commercial on the radio for Chuck Davis Chevrolet. Maybe someone who has access to a Yellow Pages book from back then can look it up and see where it was located.

here's a link to telwink's postcard of Gulfgate: http://www.flickr.co...57603570060893/

It's a very early one, notice the trees around Plum Creek, and the drive-in theater. The General Cinema theaters were not built until the '60's, what was there in this pic?

That's the Winkler Drive-In Theatre. We went there when I was about 4 or 5 years old. It was located on the corner of Winkler Drive and Flowers Street. I found out that a Home Depot store is on that spot of land today.

http://www.drive-ins.com/theater/txtwink

Raymond Pearson Ford

Downtown

Extant

Raymond Pearson Lincoln-Mercury

1320 Louisiana

Demolished

Krieger Motors

Louisiana and Pierce

Demolished

Bonner's Willys Motors

1616 Pease

Demolished

Hart Radiator Works

1615 Chenevert

Demolished

Tommie Vaughn Ford

1111 North Shepherd

Extant

Ivy-Russell Ford

1102 Yale

Extant

Auto Trading Center

3702 Old Spanish Trail

Demolished

Hemphill Ford

6600 South Main

Demolished

Archer Rambler

5000 Block Kirby

Extant

I can remember Tommie Vaughn Ford way back in the 1960s. Mr. Vaughn died a few years ago. I did find a couple of things.

You're right...it's only been 43 years since I was last there. I'm glad I can remember a street name that's close by.

I just realized that I might have lost my sense of direction. This photo might have been taken from the side that the movie theatre was later built on and that the building in the background might be the Newberry's store that you'd be in front of when you'd come off of the walking bridge. Yes, and I think that might be Gulf Freeway in the right background.

Hey, there's the fountain I've been looking for, in Juan's last post, pic 2, behind the shoppers. Thnx, it wasn't like the other tall tile fountains. It was made with aluminum, steel ,??? At least three tiers, and sat lower to the ground. Was located at the intersection of the three major hallways, plaza area. Yeah, I remember Joske's close by.

I don't think anything was located on the land at the end of the bridge, before the theater was built. Probably just a parking area, for a while. The original plans called for a doctor's office bldg., don't know why the plan changed.

I asked that because in that picture it looks like some kind of building is on the other side. If my memories serves me correctly, that movie theatre was built sometime in the late 1960s/1970s. I remember people were amazed that there was a "TWO-SCREEN THEATRE!"

I think this is it. Someone out there can feel free to confirm it or not.

Is this the inside of it?

And here's another old photo showing the back side of the Weingarten's sign. My mom bought her groceries there. And I think that "ABC" was a hobby store which sold model airplanes, cars, etc.

http://mall-hall-of-...01_archive.html

there is a recent pic of Gulfgate here.

BTW - what kind of flooring was used on the original outdoor Gulfgate? looks like some kind of small tilework.

I only remember the polished ones (they were always so clean) when it was enclosed.

Thanks. I remember Playhouse Toys and Gulfgate Lanes, which was an underground bowling alley. I found some other old photos. Yes, even though the floor is outside, it is made of some kind of tiles.

If you look closely to the left, you can see Joske's and Sakowitz:

You can tell by the cars that this was in the 1950s. In the 1960s, a two-screen movie theatre was on the south side of IH-610. Does anyone know what was there when this photo was taken?

You're right...it's only been 43 years since I was last there. I'm glad I can remember a street name that's close by.

Is this about the Palm Center to which you're referring or is it about another place with the same name?

One of my aunts lived over off of South Park Blvd. (MLK now) When we'd go visit her, the big thing was to drive by Gulfgate too. This entire area was vastly different in the late fifties and early sixties. I well remember the two dime stores, two shoe stores, Sakowitz and I think Joske's was an original store too. I know it was an early one, if not one of the firsts. The women's restroom (lounge) in Joske's was huge, with chairs to sit in. My dad bought me a mouton coat at that store. One of his few concessions to allowing me to follow the fads.

I've wondered if the little umbrella was on the original sign before the mall was covered? I thought that it was added after making Gulfgate an "all weather" shopping experience. Meyerland and Gulfgate both were built open air and when it was raining, the trick was to dash in and out of the stores without getting too soaked.

Seems life went full circle for me. I graduated high school, moved away then back again and ultimately married a guy who lived in Houston's east end. We bought our first child's baby bed at ABC furniture in Gulfgate. Attended Boy Scout Pinewood Derby races there. My youngest, at five, bought me a coffee cup with 'Mom' on it at MacFrugals there. Took my kids to the cinema to see "Jungle Book". Now, I shop at HEB, Staples, and bank nearby. Yes, Gulfgate has changed but I'm very glad I live in this area.

Thanks to all for the photos....wish there were more. Does anyone remember early Palm Center? Didn't it predate Gulfgate and Meyerland both?

I'm under the impression that this picture is Gulfgate today. Maybe someone can confirm if it is or it isn't.

Hi there. I dont seem to remember a Newberry's.

You can see it on the left

Yes, hospital... address of which one?

There is a neat link to retail history here, shows some interesting products & their logos. (but not a lot of actual local bldgs.)

link: http://cruisecloseouts.com/

for example: http://cruisecloseouts.com/Woolworth.htm

I don't know the name of the street. All I remember is being in St. Joseph's Hospital. I remember a nurse giving me a big plastic syringe. I filled it with water and I squirted my dad with it.

I've been in the building many times, and definitely think it needs to be taken down... that piece of property is prime real estate for the TMC.

MD Anderson's point about the mural having African-Americans working the hay bales while the white people are having leisure time is interesting... I had never considered it previously. Still, the mural should be preserved somewhere.

Someone said the Prudential building was on Holcombe. Does anyone know the address number?

I was just thinking about Sakowitz, what a great store it was in its day. Mostly we went to either the downtown Sakowitz or the Post Oak one, but I remember there was even a scaled-down Sakowitz in the Northwest suburbs, at FM 1960 and Champions Forest Drive. It's now a Sun and Ski Sports.

Growing up as little kid in just a bit of the late 70s and then the early 80s, I remember my mom taking us to Sakowitz to buy us our "sunday best" clothes. Mostly what we liked was going to the lunch room afterwards, and the meals they had for kids. They brought baskets of cheddar cheese straws and sweet orange rolls, and for kids there were peanut butter and jelly sandwiches cut into the shape of animals with raisins for eyes, as well as a great vegetable soup. It was also one of the few places my mom would let us drink chocolate milk (Luby's being the other, and she would let us buy it once a week with our lunch at school).

When the Post Oak store finally went out of business, they had a huge going-out-of-business sale, sometime when I was in junior high. Everything was for sale, even back office equipment, fixtures, displays, etc. My mom bought a huge wardrobe like the one in "The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe".

If anyone has any pictures of the interior of either the downtown or Post Oak Sakowitz, or any old lunch room menus or other memorabilia they could post, that would be great!

I read an interesting book on the Sakowitz family: "Blood Rich: When Oil Billions, High Fashion, and Royal Intimacies Are Not Enough" by Jane Wolf. Utimately the book focuses on Oscar and Lynn Wyatt's feud and lawsuit against Lynn's brother Robert, but the first several chapters give great indepth historical background on the Sakowitz family and stores, going all the way back to the original Sakowitz brothers who emigrated from Russia and started a small department store in Galveston, later moving it to Houston just after the 1900 hurricane. It has some good pictures; I'll try to scan and post them this week.

Wikipedia said the Sakowitz brothers started the store in 1902.

Sakowitz

Weingartens

U-Tote-'M

Joske's

Best

Federated Electronics

Woolco

Yes, a website called "deadmalls.com" had a link to "wikipedia.org" which listed all of the defunct/out of business stores. Those stores were listed. When I was a teenager I remember getting a Steppenwolf record at Woolco and two suits at Joske's. With the exception of Weingarten's and U-Tote-Um, I've never been to any of the others.

I just remembered another neon sign, there was a convenience store in the downtown area, close to St. Josephs that was called Baby Giant. Used to see it from Pierce Elevated. It had red or orange dynomite sticks (or firecrackers) cracked in half, blinking.

Are you talking about St. Joseph Hospital? I was in there when I was four years old. Would you happen to know the street address of it?

Here is a list from 1956:

General Offices: 7800 Washington

Stores:

5006 Bellaire

2420 Crawford

2900 Luell

6735 Richmond

813 E. Shaw (Pasadena)

2930 S. Shepherd

4965 South Park (MLK)

5305 Telephone

8213 Long Point

Thanks. The one closest to where we lived was the one at 5305 Telephone, so that's probably the one.

Sakowitz

Weingartens

U-Tote-'M

Joske's

Best

Federated Electronics

Woolco

Does anyone remember A&P supermarkets? I can vaguely remember going to one in the early 60s when I was a kid. I remember they gave PLAID trading stamps. Maybe if someone has access to a Houston Yellow Pages book, they can look up where they were located. I could probably pinpoint the one I went to way back then. It was between 1960-65.

you can still see the remnants of a few Stuckey's on I-45 N on the way to Dallas..there's one outside Corsicana

Here's some pictures of the closed-down Stuckey's roadside restaurant on Interstate 10 in Orange, Texas. They were taken on 9/29/2008.

That one reminds me of the old one on Pasadena Street in the East End. Don't forget to take and post a photo of that one, if you get a chance.

I wonder when this was printed?

We had U-Tote-Ems in Bellaire too along with 7-11 on Rice Ave and the famous Midget Market near Bissonet and Avenue B near Gordon Elementary and Feld Park. Great place to buy baseball cards in 1958-60.

I don't know where this one was located