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Specwriter

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  1. Specwriter
    The answer according to the Jewish Virtual Library is approximately 45,640 in the metropolitan area, or about 0.8% of the population. Dallas-Fort Worth has a like percentage with approximately 55,000 Jewish inhabitants. Understand that the Holocaust was a genocide of Jewish people but the Nazis did not stop at that. According to the Simon Wiesenthal Center approximately 5,860,000 Jews were murdered during the Nazi regime. What is interesting, according to the same source, is the recognized figure of non-Jews murdered in the same time period is approximately 5,000,000. Among the groups which the Nazis and their collaborators murdered were Gypsies, Serbs, Polish intelligentsia, German opponents of Nazism including Christian clergy like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, habitual criminals, and the "anti-social," e.g. beggars, and vagrants.
  2. Specwriter
    Whatever the height this image really looks good. I hope the completed building is very faithful to it. It is certainly not a banal box but it is not so over-the-top that it will look dated in the future.
  3. Specwriter
    I believe Utterly Urban is correct. If the building is not ready for classes to begin for the fall term it is probably less disruptive to wait until after the holiday break in December. Even if the structure is complete I'm sure a building with this program has much equipment that needs to be installed and commissioned (tested to make sure it works as it should).
  4. Specwriter
    Awesome image. Compare it to an illustration of a proposed building by Hugh Ferris in the early 20th century.
  5. Specwriter
    While this is certainly the lower Heights geographically and topographically I get a real kick out of the paradox of the phrase "Lower Heights." Hopefully there will be a seafood market that sells fresh jumbo shrimp.
  6. Specwriter
    I remember writing the same thing in the Canino's/Farmers Market thread. Also, we don't all drive Audis though I wouldn't object to driving one.
  7. Specwriter
    I believe Canino is an Italian name. There were many Italians who settled in that area and who were truck farmers (grew vegetables which they sold at market). There were also some Japanese families that settled in the area and were farmers. Two names I recall are Io and Okabayashi.
  8. Specwriter
    There's nothing wrong with being 'country' in my book. What I meant was Aldine was in the process of ensuring its students were well prepared for college or the work world when they graduated. One rumor (possibly apocryphal) was that one had to have a 'B' average from an Aldine school back in the 1950s to be considered for admission to the U of H when a 'C' average from most other Houston area schools was acceptable. When I started college in the late 1970s I was as well prepared as many of my counterparts who attended private college prep schools. I agree, MartiMoser, if someone wants to enjoy the peace and quiet of the rural life one must expect to forego some of the "conveniences" of the big city. One really cannot have it both ways.
  9. Specwriter
    Great Southwest probably has little or no meaning to the general population these days but "Petro" sounds like some cut-rate gas station. Why not "The Cambria" in backlit letters? For the curious, Cambria is another name for Wales. It is the Latinized version of the Welsh Cymru. If it is associate with Great Britain it must be classy.
  10. Specwriter
    Read Robert Dallek's Lyndon B. Johnson, Portrait of a President. It seemed to be a balanced biography of the man. Knowing about his life before he entered Congress makes it easier to understand his motivations as president. I do believe a statue of a human being can only be so big before it starts to look out of proportion. Maybe because the average person's eye level is somewhere around five to six feet above the ground. There is an eight foot tall statue of President Kennedy in front of the Hilton Hotel in downtown Fort Worth that, IMO, looks "right." The statue of Sam Houston just off Interstate 45 in Huntsville looks odd, again IMO.
  11. Specwriter
    I'll let Firebird fill you in. I'm sure his memory and research are much better than mine. I do remember Bobby McGee's was at the end of the strip shopping center closest to Dyna. My then girlfriend was a hostess there and I frequently met her there when her shift was up and drove her home. She did not own a car or have a driver's license at the time. There wasn't an opportunity to "go on a date" after her shift because it was usually too late in the evening and most other places were closed.
  12. Specwriter
    Yay! Now I get to find out if the hot dog I had 50 years ago was a good one.
  13. Specwriter
    That's great, MartiMoser. I guess once a teacher, always a teacher. There have been several in my family going back to my great grandmother's sister. My own sister retired at the end of the 2016-2017 school year after 26 years on the job. This past year she has done quite a bit of substitute teaching! I was in Aldine schools in the 1960's - 1970's. Then Aldine was in the process of shedding its 'country' image. I was fortunate to attend during what I consider the golden era of the school district. Our English teachers from junior high on demanded the best from us. That said, those teachers were also most willing to give their best as well. I was in that group who hungered for knowledge. Looking back 40+ years later I am most appreciative of my teachers' dedication and the sense of personal accomplishment for its own sake my parents instilled in me. Getting back to Canino's (singular possessive ), I was there 34 years ago last Saturday (which was also a Saturday - June 2, 1984) picking up fresh fruit for my wedding reception which was held that same afternoon. The caterer was a personal friend of the family. Her wedding gift was to cater the reception so I was most happy to help her out. Among the many, many, visits I've made to the farmers' market, that one will remain the most memorable. Oh yes, I am still married to the same brilliant, beautiful woman. We will celebrate our anniversary with a trip to New England later this month. What could be more romantic than getting away from the Houston heat and humidity.
  14. Specwriter
    I like your comment (and I officially "liked" it as well ) but I wasn't referring to the people creating the flyers. The person or persons who created the rendering are most likely educated architects or graphic designers and should know how to write the plural possessive. Anyway, this looks like a great project. I hope it will be seen as Houston's version of the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia.
  15. Specwriter
    $341 per square foot in that current neighborhood and $323 per month in maintenance fees with no pool, exercise room, or other amenities to justify it? Also, electric cook top - ugh. Good luck!
  16. Specwriter
    Indeed. Forget the bronze stuff. I like this. Apologies for going off in the weeds. We old men who yell at clouds tend to do that too.
  17. Specwriter
    Those sculptures bring to mind the old saying, "Better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." I cannot think of a Classical or Neo-Classical sculpture where the figure's mouth is open with teeth showing. The original Lucy sculpture doesn't look remotely like her. It doesn't look like Janet Reno or Eleanor Roosevelt either.
  18. Specwriter
    It looks more like Venezuela to me but I couldn't tell you why it is that shape.
  19. Specwriter
    Maybe my definition of kitsch is a stretch but the Amazing Body Gallery of the McGovern Museum of Health & Medical Science with its colossal body parts seems to fit the bill. It is also quite a contrast to the stately appearance of the building's exterior. In any case, dbigtex56 has a point. If a little kitsch inspires someone or just makes him feel a little bit more upbeat it has served a positive purpose.
  20. Specwriter
    Years ago I worked on a 500,000 sq. ft. tilt wall building that had been used as a ware house. The design called for installing sky lights which defined corridors in the space and a mezzanine in part of the structure to increase the office floor space. The employees loved it because the alternative was to build an new facility further away from where they all lived and with the diffuse lighting from the sky lights the space was actually pleasant. The city loved it because it kept the tax base strong.
  21. Specwriter
    So true and unfortunate about the plate glass windows being covered up. I remember the great displays in the windows of the downtown Foley's for Christmas time and imagine those large windows presented the same vandalism issues. I took j_cuevas' comment to be primarily about the metal cladding higher up that obscured the Art Deco detailing. I agree with Purdueenginerd: a good cleaning will make the details easier to appreciate even though the overall look is somewhat subdued.
  22. Specwriter
    "Modernization" circa early 1960's. Yes, this will be a novel building once again when restored.
  23. Specwriter
    I miss the Houston City Club.
  24. Specwriter
    The similarity occurred to me many years ago but, being married to a UT grad and having several others in the family, "I kept my vision to myself." Regarding the kitsch factor of the double helix as it becomes familiar the public will inure to it. Also, renderings are usually taken from a bird's-eye view, or at least an elevated perspective, that most people on the ground will never see so the association will not be as obvious.
  25. Specwriter
    I also wasn't thinking government subsidized house either but, like cspwal mentioned, something a family making $40-60k a year could afford. Yes, I overlooked the Randall's. I should stop in there one day and see how it compares to those I am familiar with. Another HEB near by like the one at Alabama and Dunlavy would be great, or maybe an Aldi. Heck, I'm just grateful something positive may be happening with this building after all these years.
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