sevfiv

I was working on Westbury schools and came across Horace W. Elrod Elementary School located at 6230 Dumfries Street. I believe the school is simply known as "Elrod Elementary School."

The school was active in the 1960s, and it looks active the present day. 

Not sure if HAIF knows about this place. I wonder to contribute to make the Westbury database bigger. 

Feel free to post your memories, or pictures of the school.

Well, the Sims project is part of a massive project addressing all the major bayous in the city. It's actually very impressive and encouraging. I wish I could remember the web address. Hopefully, someone else will step up with it.

the sims bayou federal flood damage reduction project

http://www.hcfcd.org/P_simsbayou.html

c. 1955

I am currently searching for the following items:

Additional UtoteM pix

here's one from the bailey collection:

http://www.cah.utexas.edu/db/dmr/image_lgs...iable=e_bb_2483

Key to this is the fact that the whole area was put on the National Register of Historic Places early on, and subsquently couldn't be altered OR DEMOLISHED. And yet, the properties are worth a fortune now.

Why can't this be done with the River Oaks Center? To me there is no reason it couldn't happen here, as well.

it is definitely eligible for register status - anyone can prepare the application, and then it has to be nominated by the state historic preservation officer (maybe city, too?).

i'm on it

and this picture was in the bob bailey archives:

link to folder

Isn't that on the other side of Mykawa from Cullen and Bellfort? thought you were describing sunnyside.

i was describing my drives along bellfort, hence the "my two favorite stops along bellfort" part. i don't have any favorite stops in sunnyside - yet.

i wonder if redevelopment is planned for the demolished strip center, though...

By the word "in", I meant off of the commercial thoroughfares. i.e on the residential side-streets. You know, where there isn't an abundance of visibility. Not-so-open spaces.

um, okay, i was just relating my experiences, but thanks for clarifying

Driving through is different that driving around in. I've even had to get outside of the car with an $800 camera to take photos. I know it sounds like I'm just being squeamish...but you weren't there.

ohhh i drive through to get home, or to get away from home, but i have stopped plenty of times (less and less now, though). plenty of people on the streets, but none menacing to me (or my humble camera).

that strip center along bellfort near cullen was recently demolished - took pictures, but not that interesting. my two favorite stops along bellfort - the burger chef sign at heffernan, and hemingway st. - (i think hemingway would turn in his grave if he saw his namesake there, although the sign itself would make a neat keepsake )

I'm with you all the way on Sunnyside. Its scary out there.

Having said that, I haven't explored much of the Kashmere area.

i wouldn't call sunnyside scary, but maybe more on the depressing side - i end up driving through via bellfort (e/w) or mlk (n/s) most of the time, though

city of houston has an interesting neighborhood summary:

Sunnyside is the oldest African American community in south central Houston. It was originally developed to provide homes outside the city, but close enough for residents to commute. It now includes a number of tract home subdivisions on typical suburban streets, as well as the original frame homes interspersed with small churches of the original neighborhood. It has endured a number of detrimental land uses, including a major land fill which dominates the center of the community, a now-closed garbage incinerator next to the land fill, and a number of salvage yards. Recently, new developments have revived parts of the community, especially along Cullen.

weird! i think it would make a great avatar

How about

ugh...this is starting to sound like the tired metrorail debates

as far as:

If they are responsible for providing us with structures of 'significance', is it not us that owe them a debt of gratitude? Should they not receive at least an iota of respect?

yes, unless they tear down the structures, which they are obviously planning to do. the "debt of gratitude" is the patronization of the tenants, filling their pockets with rent money.

in the ONE statement that was released, it says:

Weingarten Realty Investors has owned the River Oaks Shopping Center since 1971. We have made a significant investment in developing, managing and maintaining this valuable property to be an asset to our community. As a responsible public company with roots in, and a commitment to Houston, we will continue to manage this asset with great care, taking into account its history and its future.

now it's all about the interpretation of what "managing this asset with great care" actually means to them.

it is CLEAR that many houstonians take it to mean not demolishing the structures.

since weingarten has a "commitment to Houston" (and i would hope Houstonians, too), they might want to consider taking heed of the great opposition.

I can't find a pick of mine, but it was a navy blue 1980 Olds Cutlass. It was all right angles. I loved that car, but it didn't last long.

boxy!

I came across an ad from 1970 for the Alray Theatre, but don't know how to post it. Could someone let me know how to do it and I'll gladly share it.

I was looking up old football scores, came across the movie section, saw the ad and remembered this thread.

is it on the internet, your computer, or is it in print?

if it is one of the first two, you need to host the picture somewhere (like tinypic.com).

You mean like the classic facades of so many theaters that have already been demolished?

i mean that weingarten has more options for location, and should heed the some of the objections being put forth.

as far as classic theater facades (or theaters in full), well, there aren't too many left, and many are in bad states (santa rosa, ost/paris, brunson...).

they are not in use at all, and are in deplorable condition (and then there's the capitan/granada set, which is have a little more hope).

river oaks is not in bad condition, is actually still functioning as a theater, and serves a diverse population. in my opinion (which seems to be more widespread than i once thought), there is no worthy reason to put it to rest.

It will sit vacant, a scar on the landscape. A big middle finger to River Oaks.

one can only hope the highrise sits vacant (okay, a handful of well-to-do impudent people will benefit from it).

and it WILL BE a big middle finger to river oaks...and it'll kind of look like one, too, being a narrow, tall, obtrusive structure...

We have preservationists and we have developers but we sure don't seem to have any preservationist developers.

aside from kaldis, you're right...and spire realty just isn't "into it" anymore

The fact that a building is abandoned has much less to do with the choice of an owner (especially in this case because the owner bought it as a derelict building) and everything to do with the fact that its highest and best uses (office or residential) do not command prices/rents high enough to justify the enormous investment necessary to bring the building back up to par.

then "HDW 2000 1392 3RD AVE LLC" shouldn't have taken it on by buying it

But some leaders argued today that Kashmere's low scores are symptomatic of the lack of funding, resources and attention given to schools in northeast Houston. HISD administrators are shirking their responsibility by threatening to close the struggling campuses, they said.

poor kids - just getting tossed around because of some bureaucratic bs

it also mentions that the schools that would be taking in the kids (Jordan and Wheatley high schools) are also rated "unacceptable."

To blame it on the owners for 'bad stewardship' is kind of unfair (no matter how much I despise the current owner). The cost of even obtaining a Certificate of Occupancy would be a hellish endeavor, and at the price that the owner wants, it isn't happening anytime soon. Until it is occupied, the best they can even afford to do to be good stewards is to keep the bums out and to check it regularly. You'd be surprised at what their operating costs are, even as it is.

who are the owners? the hcad description isn't very telling.

and i think it is completely fair to blame the owners (stewards) of the property (which isn't in great condition, and very much in the abandoned category).

if it is not their responsibility to keep it up, then who gets that honor?

Oh I forgot, we established that I was actually spelling it wrong to the officer, it is apparently Psyatic or Sciatic, I have seen it both ways now. So, maybe that's why he took me in ?

it is sciatic...now psy(ch)otic nerve - that's an entirely different issue

*if* this is the place i am thinking of (3633 allen parkway), then you can write these folks:

3633 ALLEN HOLDING LP

600 ATLANTIC AVE STE 2000

BOSTON MA 02210-2286

(owners, per hcad)

or

you can wait for a permit to pop up...here's the demolition permit (bought by "Allen House Associates"):

permit link

of course, if this isn't it, then nevermind

Even the good stucco mildews terribly in Houston. You have to power wash often if you don't like that "green streak" look.

i have been noticing that a lot lately - must be the heat, humidity, and increased rainfall.

so with the EIFS stuff, does it blow away when power-washed?

It's funny that they sent that to you five times. As though by continually sending you the same statement they'll eventually reach that magic number, and you'll just stop telling Houstonians what they need to know.

i think it's funny...and sad.

problem is, weingarten thinks they can keep sending out the same block of text over and over again, and expect things to die down.

quite frankly, that's what usually happens. people get riled up, a few reports are made, then it flutters away...until the permits are issued and the tractors arrive.

i am hoping that this time, there will be continued vigilance and persistence.

and i am an avid permit-checker, so i'll be ready to chain-up as soon as i see them >

It was the cheap land that got developers to make poor so-called "master planned communities" or "villages"

What a sham!

i agree...cheap with no foresight

now that's the making of some great communities!