Historic Houston Lamp Posts

[JLWM8609]

I always enjoy looking at old photos of Houston, and I notice the small things. In the photos from the 50's and 60's I've seen on HAIF, I see what most would regard as just regular old lamp posts, which apparently at the time the City of Houston had painted either black or dark green. Since the late 50's or early 60's going by photos of new construction during that period, the city has either painted those old lamp posts from black or dark green to silver, or they've been hit and replaced by the now monotonous bare metal finish variants. I've seen a few with their original 1950's colors still straggling along in town. Am I the only one on here to notice that?

[westguy76]

When I was a kid we had an old lamp post in out yard with the street numbers of our house on it too. It was painted black. I don't remember it ever working. FYI. this was on Greenstone Dr. near Gulfgate mall. I don't know what the proper name was for our neighborhod. Well. now it's a ghetto. or a bario.

I never notice the large public ones. Are there not some old ones in the musuem district area?

Edited August 28, 2007 by westguy76

[isuredid]

When I was a kid we had an old lamp post in out yard with the street numbers of our house on it too. It was painted black. I don't remember it ever working. FYI. this was on Greenstone Dr. near Gulfgate mall. I don't know what the proper name was for our neighborhod. Well. now it's a ghetto. or a bario.

I never notice the large public ones. Are there not some old ones in the musuem district area?

The name of your neighborhood off of Reveille is Greenway.

[Vertigo58]

I was trying to search for a better example but this is the best I could find. Houston once had old street lamps that had covers that resembled the hats these guys are holding, except the edges were real wavy or zig-zag like the crust of an apple pie.

When we were kids we used to all sit under the street lamp post, right in front of our old house and tell scary stories at night with other kids living around us. It seeemed even scarier because the lamp post gave me the creeps. Seemed like it was from the 1920's or something. Anyway we did have them until around the mid 60's at least where we lived in NE Houston off Lockwood Dr/Englewood. Then the city finally replaced with the mod 60's hip ones.

[Vertigo58]

Then the city finally replaced with the mod 60's hip ones.

The newer ones looked like the spaceships from the original War of The Worlds! So now we thought they were invading Houston.

[gnu]

I was trying to search for a better example but this is the best I could find. Houston once had old street lamps that had covers that resembled the hats these guys are holding, except the edges were real wavy or zig-zag like the crust of an apple pie.

When we were kids we used to all sit under the street lamp post, right in front of our old house and tell scary stories at night with other kids living around us. It seeemed even scarier because the lamp post gave me the creeps. Seemed like it was from the 1920's or something. Anyway we did have them until around the mid 60's at least where we lived in NE Houston off Lockwood Dr/Englewood. Then the city finally replaced with the mod 60's hip ones.

do you mean something sort of like this?

[Vertigo58]

do you mean something sort of like this?

Exactly!

I know we still have a picture where you can see in the background. Gotta dig for it.

[MetroMogul]

Anyone familiar with the "Joker" lamp posts you see on the freeways?

[JLWM8609]

Anyone familiar with the "Joker" lamp posts you see on the freeways?

Not sure what you mean. All I see on Houston's freeways are the traditional style similar to what you see on city streets, and the high mast units.

[jm1fd]

do you mean something sort of like this?

That pattern is referred to as a "radial wave"