ernie5823

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Luke Johnson Ford was "originally" (in the early 60s) on Broadway - about where it intersects Harrisburg, IIRC. Even further back, into the 50s, I think that building was Jack Roach Ford.

In the early 1970s, I lived in Winnetka Heights neighborhood, which dates to the teens & twenties - house I owned was built in 1914. At that time, garbage pickup was in the paved alleys, rather than out front on the streets. I believe it had always been that way, but has probably changed now.

The "barrack-looking homes" might well be the same as the ones across the street, just oriented with long side at a 90 degree angle to the street. The Army typically did not mix single enlisted housing (barracks) with married enlisted or officer housing. When did your mom go to Bonner? I was a "mid termer", there from January '51 to January '57.

I looked at the 1944 aerial that's on Google Earth & it is same as current, so pictures must have been before then. My memory (& Google) indicate that all but one or two units on both Elrod & Garland were duplexes with long side parallel to street. I always heard that, at one time, "Dogpatch" was military housing for Ellington Field. By the time I was running around in Meadowbrook (early '50s) there was nothing military about it - it was mostly all run down, low cost rental units. As time went by, a few people purchased duplex units, fixed them up & changed them to single family units to live in. I don't know much about the area after the early '60s.

I grew up in Meadowbrook, 1945 to 1963, and my mother lived there until 1975. Your pictures look like similar construction to houses in "Dogpatch", but building orientation to the street looks all wrong, based on what I remember. What street would that have been? Only Elrod or Garland are long enough. Is it possible that some or all of these houses were torn down & something else built in their place?

There is an Aldi near me - not sure if it's in Powder Springs or Marietta GA, but it's on Powder Springs Road. It IS about the size of a CVS or Walgreens. I once went in there, just to look around. If you're willing to try their "store brand" it would probably be OK, since that's all they sell. Prices looked to be about same as "store brand" stuff at Kroger. Probably would be a good place to stop for bread & milk without fighting with crowds or paying high prices at 7-11 type store.

I sure never saw any similarity with River Oaks. When I was a kid it was just a lower middle class working neighborhood. By the early '60s, the neighborhood had gotten pretty rough & Dogpatch was borderline slum area (in my opinion). Oak Meadows (other side of tracks & OGR) was several steps up from Meadowbrook, while Glenbrook Valley & Meadowcreek Village were where the "rich folks" lived. Seems amazing that Glenbrook Valley is now "historical", since I remember when much of the neighborhood was "under construction".

I think we have "talked" before about Meadowbrook & Dogpatch. When I was six months old (July 1945) my parents bought the little house at 8128 Barkley. I lived there until I joined the Air Farce, in 1963, and my mother lived there until 1975. In the Google Earth shot, I believe one set of arches was right next to the I45 symbol. I have no idea where the OGR set was - or if it really ever existed. As I remember it, all of the houses on Lenore were similar in construction (asbestos siding, metal windows, linoleum floors, etc.) to the Dogpatch duplexes, as were most of the post war units built on Elrod, Barkley & Howard. "My" block on Barkley looks similar to the Lenore houses in this pic, but they were altogether different - real wood siding, wood double hung windows, hardwood floors, etc. HCAD shows these units being anywhere from 800+ to 1300+ square feet, but many must have had "add ons", closed in porches, closed in garages, etc. Every one that I was ever in had 2 bedrooms & 1 bath, probably between 850 & 950 sq. ft., about the same size as the one I grew up in. The "Lenore houses" might have been even smaller. By the '50s, when I was wandering the neighborhood, most all of the vacant lots in the picture had been filled in, quite often with small, cheap looking houses (compared to ones that were there pre war).

I believe the Gulfgate Weingartens was there from the beginning - mid '50s? Seems there were others, on Telephone & either on Broadway or Harrisburg, well before that.

Something that nobody has mentioned - eliminating meal service "probably" eliminates the need for at least one, maybe more, depending on aircraft size, flight attendants. I don't have any idea what average wage is for a flight attendant, but I'd bet the "burdened labor cost" is approaching $100,000 per year. I'm sure the union(s) would interfere with a reduction in force, but, eventually this might prevent Continental going the way of Eastern and so many other airlines.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/6865239.html

Anybody have a memory (or old phonebook listing) of a MacDonalds (carhop drive-in) other than the one on Southpark, Main or one on Wayside (at 69th st. bridge)? Those are only three that I remember from my teenage years in late '50s & early '60s.

Peppermint Park moved from Pasadena (not sure of exact location) to Gulfgate location in late 1959 or early 1960. Initially, a lot of the same kids worked at Gulfgate. The owner of the park was a "Mr. Watson" - drove a '57 Ford Ranchero, painted up with red/white advertising. I worked there, after school, weekends, summers, for a couple years, beginning in 1960. I'm not aware of any other, later locations, but I left Houston in 1963.

Seems like they were the "original" pizza place in Houston, long before Shakeys, Pizza inn, Pizza Hut, etc. Do you remember/know when they started up? Must have been sometime in the '50s.

"Does anyone remember early Palm Center? Didn't it predate Gulfgate and Meyerland both?" Palm Center did open before Gulfgate - maybe in early '50s? Seems like Pennys & Oshmans were anchor stores but there may have been others. "Newberry's was on one side, remember the soda fountain-restaurant, and dime store kind-of merchandise. There was another store similar to it, directly across from it (don't recall it having a soda fountain). Grant's maybe?" Grants was across from Newberrys, with another entrance on front (parking lot side), as I remember it - near entrance to Picadilly Cafeteria? I think Grants & Newberrys had more than dime store stuff but most of what they had was pretty cheap. I bought many a pair of Levi 501s at Joskes for $3.95 - in late '50s/early '60s. Rented a tux at "Rex the Tailor" for senior prom. Those of us who couldn't afford Stacy Adams & Stetson shoes were stuck with Flagg Bros. or Thom McAns (seems like stores were right next door to one another) at $8.95 a pair. There was also Bonds Clothing & National Shirt Shop, same area as shoe stores?

"The NBER is a private group of leading economists charged with dating the start and end of economic downturns. It typically takes a long time after the start of a recession to declare its start because of the need to look at final readings of various economic measures." Has the NBER weighed in on end of "official" recession. Seems like it would take more than one quarter for that to happen, but I might be wrong.

You have a few years on me, Racehorse - I was in (midterm) class of '63. Glad to hear I wasn't dreaming about that being the Texan.

Anybody who believes in a concept, without knowing the details, is not very smart. Same goes for anybody who is against a concept, without knowing the details. Either way, the DEVIL is ALWAYS in the details. Politicians, both democrats & republicans, lie like hell & will do most anything to be re-elected - you're going to trust them to tell you what's going on??? I just hope that when (or if) they get a bill together they don't rush it through, like with other recent bills. There is really no rush (we have been living without healthcare since 1776), unless the bill is a BS bill of goods.

I can't remember tile color, but there was a barber shop (& maybe some other business) between the store & washateria.

I grew up going to a U-Tote-Em in Meadowbrook for cokes, candy, etc. I'm pretty sure that there's still some kind of a convenience store there - at corner of Howard & Neal. Seems like it was built & opened as U-Tote-Em sometime in mid 1950s.

Here I go again with 45+ y/o teenager memories, but seems like the one on Southpark was next to or very near the King Center Twin Drive-in movie. The closest thing to a Mickey Dees hamburger in Houston, 1960s & before was a local (I think) chain called Prices. They had small burgers with mustard/ketchup mix, a couple dill slices & chopped onions, for 19 cents, I believe- fries were 12 cents. Prices was a walk-up with a few picnic benches & were all over town (also Pasadena?), but one was right down Southpark at intersection with Belfort, I believe.

That drive in might have been Mac's in the '50s, but by early '60s I believe it was the Texan. Texan also had one on Hempstead Hyw. & possibly others. Yeah, I went to Milby.

If I'm remembering right, the "Fiestas, Mariachis Y Cabritos" building was originally the home of Red Bryans BarBQ. Building is on south side of Jefferson, a bit east of Winnetka Heights, near the old Texas Theater, I think.

In the '60s & before there was a local drive-in chain called McDonalds. It was like Princes, Ranger, Texan & others, with car-hops & sold beer. There was a McDonalds on Main & one on South Park - I think that's called MLK now - and probably some others that I can't remember. Not sure when Mickey Dees bought out the name - maybe mid to late '60s.