J W Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 This place must have really been "swank" in it's day. Can't you just picture all the hipsters in the Cocktail Lounge sipping Martini's and hearing the latest Henry Mancini album? See the new movie "Bobby" and it will really take you to 1968. This place hits it head on. Could have been filmed here! I can't get over the Totie Fields photo! She was a riot I'm tellin ya. Hip culture is a facinating thing . Here was Houston , Texas in 1960 . A real backwater as opposed to being a percieved one . Less than 5 miles down the the road from the Tidelands back then South Main ended and you were out in the pastures . Southern , blue-collar . most niteclubs were country dancehalls and beer joints . Yet here was this little pocket of hip 60's lounge culture . I'm curious where else would young Rat-Pack style hipsters stuck in Houston in 1960 hang out ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 Trader Vics at the Shamrock perhaps. I can't speak from experience, but my guess is that Houston wasn't that much of a backwater. In the early 1960s Houston was booming and was probably seen as a very dynamic place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earlydays Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 Trader Vics at the Shamrock perhaps. I can't speak from experience, but my guess is that Houston wasn't that much of a backwater. In the early 1960s Houston was booming and was probably seen as a very dynamic place.Clearly not a backwater.....Houston was getting a lot of attention in the '60's due to the national focus on going to the moon and the interest in NASA....and it always was the oil and petrochemical epicenter of the U.S.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roym Posted May 25, 2007 Share Posted May 25, 2007 Clearly not a backwater.....Houston was getting a lot of attention in the '60's due to the national focus on going to the moon and the interest in NASA....and it always was the oil and petrochemical epicenter of the U.S..Yep Trader Vics would have been one of the cool places. Here's some super cool places in the late 60s:How about catching an Astros or Oilers game in their new stadium, the Astrodome?Or hang out at the newly opened Astroworld across the street?Catch a show at the Sam Houston Coliseum. Jimi Hendrix played there in Aug '68.Mother Blues on Congress featured soul, rock, r&b, mini-skirt revues and dancing!The Swinging Door on Travis had Go Go floor shows every 15 minutes. Named one of the latest rages in night spots by Swank Magazine in 1967.Anheuser-Busch and Falstaff both had breweries with tours here!More tiki flavor over at the Polyasian West on Westheimer; serving tropical beverages like the Bali Hai, Mai Tai and the Voodoo Bowl. Yum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted May 25, 2007 Share Posted May 25, 2007 i made a better scan of the postcard i posted earlier - yours doesn't have the arches over the top floor - do you know what year yours is from? this one is postmarked 1968... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted May 25, 2007 Share Posted May 25, 2007 I don't have the date for that picture. Looks like they added the entire fourth floor later. In this picture you can see what looks like the oldest section of the motel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vertigo58 Posted May 25, 2007 Share Posted May 25, 2007 That's outragious! No one would have ever known a 4th floor was later added. I always assumed it was made "as is". The arches really gave it that whimsical, flowing appearance. Cool. I still think it was very Jetson's-like for its time. Space age Houston! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted May 25, 2007 Share Posted May 25, 2007 I went ahead and merged this with another thread about the Tidelands. The repeating arches were a very typical MCM motif. There are still a number of examples in Houston. One is a car repair place on the north side of Westheimer not far from Highland Village. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artistpro Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Does anyone remember the building, or have any history on it? Pictures would be even better but I know that's a long shot. I remember it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plumber2 Posted October 1, 2011 Share Posted October 1, 2011 I probably ran into you at the Shamrock pub.The bar in the hotel on Montrose was at the Plaza Hotel. It was in the basement of the wing adjacent to the street. I could be wrong on this, but I think the name was Che's, at least at one point.It was called Chaucers in the mid 70's. I had several drinks, and hangovers from that bar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icepickphil Posted February 27, 2017 Share Posted February 27, 2017 Does anyone have any information or anecdotes about Houstonian William "Bill" Newkirk? He was the talent booker for the Tidelands Club in the 1960s. Newkirk was known and respected in national entertainment circles and was written up in Billboard several times during that era. He also was a Houston sportscaster and was the pressbox game announcer at Rice Stadium for Owl football games in the mid-60s. I believe he announced the first televised Houston baseball game (from Buff Stadium) in 1949. The Newkirks were family friends and I went to school with his son. I remember meeting Totie Fields at their house when she came to Houston to play the Tidelands. As best I as I can recall Newkirk divorced his wife (maiden name Elledge?) and moved to Los Angeles in the early 70s... Anyone familiar with him? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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