torvald

Shouldn't it be spelled "Metropol"? ...or worse, something that metrosexuals do.

HAHAHA! i clicked on this thinking it was about the fomer "metropol" club here in houston.

sugarbeats!

welllll, sort of...

in 1881, the Capitol Hotel was built (on the site of the capitol of the republic of texas), then sold to William Marsh Rice in 1883, who changed the name and added on to it.

in 1911, the estate of Rice (the University) sold the hotel to Jesse Jones who tore it down to build the two-wing version of what is there today.

exactly... that is the old rice hotel.

believe me, i know someone who goes on

and on about that hotel...

signed the petition.

here's some houston lore:

a friend wrote to me that used to work there and mentioned

that at one time there was a plaque (that had been since been

removed) which said something theatrical like...

"a curse shall fall on your heads if these so fine bricks and mortar

be removed from this so sanctified area" ... something like that.

anyone know about that? or whether it was put in during

construction or added later by theatre staff?

the 1935 map lists a great name for a band --- "modern appliances" (um, copyright torvald 2006)

over on the agoraphoria website someone was joking that

the crown of the building looks like those things in tron. image

it really does! i think it also appears more looming because

there are no other tall buildings in front of it, just the park.

especially when you're in the park.

http://www.murphybrothersexposition.com/

This is the carnival operator that will be in the dome for two weeks. I believe tickets are $20, since that's what they are listed for on Ticketmaster.

whoa --- i thought it said murphy brother sex position --- but it's not.

God, I need a hobby..

oh no --- don't say that! the reason i love this site is that everyone here

has a healthy curiosity for things (now don't be nasty). whether it's sevfiv

researching and photographing houston, groovehouse cataloging art cars,

music and everything else, tasteful & distasteful cultural debates, folks

sympathizing with the hunt for hulda or others simply curious as to what the

two land depressions are at addicks resevior --- the group here at HAIF are

like a bunch of investigative reporters and part-time historians.

it's so much better than just driving around with the blinders on to all of

the character that houston has both culturally or architecturally. i know i'm

getting goopy but i remember when i first found this site someone had a

query about something pretty random and another person (and i've seen

this a few times) said --- i'll have to drive out there and see what that could

be --- and the next day they'd report back on what they saw! i was really

surprised by that and i think that's when i went from a lurker to a posting

torvald.

as a bike everywhere sort, i worry about being thieved.

if i have anything with my rear basket it's groceries. the

two fellas i've known that have been mugged while biking

had pretty fancy bikes. one thief actually took his bike at

gunpoint, the other was pushed over by a few guys after

riding to a corner store and retuning the exact same way.

i always try to go round the other way when running errands

(especially within the first few blocks) as someone can just

conveniently wait for you to ride right by again with whatever

you just went out for...

We need a new museum.

The Houston Museum of old neon, un-pc and post-merger granite structures. The entrance could be the old Crooked E sign. Put it in the Warehouse District near the great columns.

that would be a neat museum!

i am glad you folks didn't totally ostrasize me for the "arabs living in the crown

of a houston skyscraper" topic. i wanted to post it before because every time

i see that building i think of that old fella in a tux mentioning the wealthy oil

family. after the second fella said it --- i thought ok, this is weird, this rumor

needs to go through the HAIF filter...

Nope. I don't know. ;-) But I have never heard that before and would very much doubt it .

i am not trying to say that someone actually lives there but i am

wondering where such a rumor or misunderstanding originated.

a few years ago i was at a new year's eve party at the petroleum club.

i have never been there and was AMAZED by the view. as i was looking

out the window, an older gentleman pointed at a few of the buildings and

said some things about a few of them. i was amused that when pointing

at the heritage plaza building:

additional ha-info page

he said, "did you know that someone lives in the top section of that building?"

i said that i did not and he said that it was "a very wealthy arab family". i

didn't believe it and said, "why that's interesting".

well, yesterday a client at work casually mentioned the same thing. the

fella is quite intelligent and i would assume he would know what he was

talking about.

does anyone know the basis for this rumor?

or somehow, is it not a rumor?

The photo that accompanies the story is pretty cool, with the Metro train running through at the bottom of the picture.

is there an updated link for this?

the one above says it no longer exists.

really only familiar with sw houston but many galleries and

coffee shops have them. also fancy stores like: kuhl-linscomb,

whole foods, raye, etc.

they are large, color and with fancy coated paper stock

--- paid for by the watch ads, i am sure.

i was wrong --- it's not at the Foods. i know it's at brasil, dietrichs,

some tapioca places, local galleries, antique shops, fancy restaurants.

it seems like they're always around but now that i have to think of a

specific place... avalon diner? harry's?

thanks for the heads up - btw, where are paper city's located? i never see them

really only familiar with sw houston but many galleries and

coffee shops have them. also fancy stores like: kuhl-linscomb,

whole foods, raye, etc.

they are large, color and with fancy coated paper stock

--- paid for by the watch ads, i am sure.

i'm not usually the paper city type but this month's issue has

a large article on the warwick hotel with some vintage photos.

it's in one of the middle sections between all of the watch ads.

A colleague is thinking about buying a townhome right across the street from this site. What do y'all think the potential of this area is?

I'm thinking that any value wouldn't be realized until well after the construction. Say 4-5 years from now. But at that time, the value would jump.

However, with so much residential footage and traffic in the area, would it actually decrease?

sorry, to respond so late. parking around those few blocks is a bit

tight --- between the extra driveways (from other townhomes) and

whole foods employees. WFM has no employee parking and with

the added high rise later on, you can expect even less. of course, your

colleague will have a garage but it may be still be annoying for guests

and getting out in the morning...

It is uuugly. But, it does lok like a prison, which is somewhat of justice in itself.

for the longest time i thought it was a prison.

when i saw the sign riding by, i was surprised.

Hey, don't knock a good ol' bean pie with a side of alfalfa sprouts. MMMMmmmmmm, WHO"S HUNGRY !?

bleh

that's the problem unless i am feeling exceptionally unhealthy,

i don't eat that stuff. i'm not a hippie new ager, i'm just not

eating meat. hypocritically, i do eat seafood though.

the capitan was brought back to life by someone interested in its history. it was also run down prior to being restored.

last time i checked it was empty and the doors locked (less than a month ago). the windows

to the left had cardboard boxes stacked in front of it that had papers from either a school

or community college in them. you could also see many more boxes throughout the room.

the marquee looks great --- the rest, not horrid but in disarray.

I've heard of that Lankford place but haven't tried it.

i would recommend that place totally. it is near downtown, a real neighborhood

diner type of feel, genuinely nice people, good value and good coffee --- not really

a fancy brunch place, though. toast comes with refilled coffee for $1.50 and there's

a breakfast burrito for $2 that's basically a medium sized omelette in a tortilla with

salsa. get oatmeal with little bowls of cinnamon, raisins and brown sugar to fix how

you

An article in last week's Pasadena Citizen...

Building may become victim of progress

By:JENNIFER BRANCH, Citizen Reporter

04/21/2006

"Officials however, think that steps taken with the Bank One Building might be the first of many that could lead the north side of Pasadena down the road to rejuvenation and revitalization: a revisitation of the bustling, lively city that was Pasadena in the mid 20th century."

can't they see the bank building as the actual symbol of "a revisitation

of the bustling, lively city that was Pasadena in the mid 20th century"!?!

they actually have it right there empty, at a low price ---ready to convert

into a civic center, community services, anything.. i am supposing that they

will demolish the capitan theatre next since it is empty and only currently

used as storage.

unless i used the search option wrong i couldn't find an exclusive

vegetarian thread on the restored HAIF

I believe the people who own Brasil also own Raye, which is a women's clothing store right next to Brasil on Dunlavy. Looks like they're building their own little bohemian strip center -- which I think is great. Sure beats Starbucks and Borders.

they used to have free movie nights on the back patio and two

twin peaks episodes every tuesday. it was awesome.

is this the same one?

[url="http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/HAIF

so it is probably this building from the 1912 main street fire?

When he did live here it was a child and teenager, and that was before he was anybody famous.

that's why it'd be interesting!