Borden Dairy Milk & Ice Cream Plant At 1900 Milam St.

[DMac]

formerlly located @ the corner of Pierce & Loisiana where the City is currently bldg. a new super {9 bay} fire station. Does anyone have any old photos that they would share? I used to work there in my youth and really enjoyed when a customer would change there order AFTER we had began to make it to something else. Well now don't ja know that ice cream can't be thrown away. The consumtion of ice cream was just 1 of the bennies for a kid back then. And I'm here to tell you that even way back then {50's} when we had to go back to the plant to retreive a new 5 gallon tub of cream is was frozen hard as reinforced concrete 2day.

[dbigtex56]

Wasn't there a Spanish-style 1920's restaurant building on that site?

Prior to being demolished about 10 years ago it housed a restaurant called Adrien's. Or am I thinking of a different block?

The Borden's plant that I recall (also demolished) was a Streamline structure on Waugh Drive, near what used to be called the American General Building.

[jwphillips2]

I thought the Bordens on Waugh(South of Allen Pkwy) was still there, no? The Bordens on Louisiana was on one of the streets Gail Borden laid out and named. Thanks for the info!

[isuredid]

[Heights2Bastrop]

Wasn't there a Spanish-style 1920's restaurant building on that site?

You are thinking of Santa Anita.

[DMac]

Thank you so much for the photo & story. What a great looking old sign on the roof!

Respectfully

Danny

[jm1fd]

Great article. Thanks for posting that. I had no idea ammonia was flammable....toxic, yes...flammable, not so much. So, did they tear the building down 'cause of the explosion?

Here's another article about the explosion:

http://www.houstonfiremuseum.org/major_fires/bordens.htm

Edited December 7, 2007 by jm1fd

[jwphillips2]

Carnation Milk was on Waugh just south of Allen Parkway. I worked there in '65-66 while at Reagan.

I was dream-splicing Bordens into this because you could tour the Carnation plant (in the 60s) and then buy "hand-packed" ice cream at the end of the tour, which is actually a better deal than a tour of of the Bluebell plant.

Thanks for the terrific picture. I remember this one pretty vividly after the anhydrous (meaning no water) ammonia truck that super-novaed on 59 in front of the Houston Post building under the 610 overpass. As the cloud of ammonia drifted down the freeway, it sucked all the moisture out of the grass and palm trees instantly killing them and turned everything dark brown. Looked like a wide area death ray. Whew!

Edited December 7, 2007 by jwphillips2

[Disastro]

I was dream-splicing Bordens into this because you could tour the Carnation plant (in the 60s) and then buy "hand-packed" ice cream at the end of the tour, which is actually a better deal than a tour of of the Bluebell plant.

Thanks for the terrific picture. I remember this one pretty vividly after the anhydrous (meaning no water) ammonia truck that super-novaed on 59 in front of the Houston Post building under the 610 overpass. As the cloud of ammonia drifted down the freeway, it sucked all the moisture out of the grass and palm trees instantly killing them and turned everything dark brown. Looked like a wide area death ray. Whew!

The sign should have been preserved.

Oh, wait...I live in Houston. For a moment, I almost forgot...

Edited December 8, 2007 by Disastro

[Dan the Man]

I like that picture of the giant smiling cow in cheerful colors looming over the scene of a disaster...

[Fringe]

Great pic isuredid. I had completely forgotten about that incident even though I was 5 years into my own professional firefighter career when it occurred. I remember later talking to a couple of guys that were there. It was a very close call. The "haz-mat" training back then was pretty sparse. They almost walked right into it.

[Disastro]

Great pic isuredid. I had completely forgotten about that incident even though I was 5 years into my own professional firefighter career when it occurred. I remember later talking to a couple of guys that were there. It was a very close call. The "haz-mat" training back then was pretty sparse. They almost walked right into it.

I have absolutely no recollection of this explosion. I must have been so busy chasing skirt in 1983, I didn't even notice...

[EspersonBuildings]

You are thinking of Santa Anita.

Adrian's Mexican Restaurant was located on the corner of Pierce and Louisiana on the block that is now where the new Fire Station is being built.

[Subdude]

Adrian's Mexican Restaurant was located on the corner of Pierce and Louisiana on the block that is now where the new Fire Station is being built.

Adrian's took over the Sanat Anita location.

I don't remember the Bordens building, but it is too bad that the south side of downtown lost so many small infill buildings like this.

[dbigtex56]

Carnation Milk was on Waugh just south of Allen Parkway. I worked there in '65-66 while at Reagan.

You're absolutely right. Thanks for the correction.

[sinister1]

Hey guys, how about the Borden's plant that was near 59 in the area of Texas Ave./Harrisburg, Preston St. area? Does anyone have pictures of it? Or knows of it?

[houston1973]

Hey guys, how about the Borden's plant that was near 59 in the area of Texas Ave./Harrisburg, Preston St. area? Does anyone have pictures of it? Or knows of it?

 

Sam found this last night but facebook was acting up. its where Inn at the ballpark is now.

 

http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/topic/14780-bordens-east-of-downtown/

[sinister1]

Sam found this last night but facebook was acting up. its where Inn at the ballpark is now.

 

http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/topic/14780-bordens-east-of-downtown/

 

Thanks, this might be it but for some reason I remember it being bigger.

[EspersonBuildings]

houston 1973,

 

Thanks for the photos of the Borden's Milk Plant that was on 2020 Texas Avenue.  My late father worked there for about 40 years.  He started working there in the early 1950's then was drafted into the Army and was in the Korean War.  After returning from the service he resumed working there until his retirement in the early 90's.  He took me inside the plant a couple of times when I was young.

 

Those pictures sure brought back some memories, thanks!

[blue92]

How about the Formost Dairy east off Shepard on maybe West Alabama? Is it still around?

Edited July 15, 2013 by blue92

[sak]

The former dairy at Westheimer near Hazard has been converted to self storage facility. I think that may have been Formost.

[Ross]

The former dairy at Westheimer near Hazard has been converted to self storage facility. I think that may have been Formost.

 

There's still a big Oak Farms sign on that building. https://maps.google.com/maps?q=westheimer+at+shepherd+houston+tx&hl=en&ll=29.742749,-95.408567&spn=0.008803,0.017885&sll=31.168934,-100.076842&sspn=17.720337,36.628418&t=h&hnear=Westheimer+Rd+%26+S+Shepherd+Dr,+Houston,+Harris,+Texas&z=17&layer=c&cbll=29.742765,-95.40834&panoid=njivnBepmgQ2K70NxzLvUg&cbp=12,45.33,,0,1.89

[mike75785]

formerlly located @ the corner of Pierce & Loisiana where the City is currently bldg. a new super {9 bay} fire station. Does anyone have any old photos that they would share? I used to work there in my youth and really enjoyed when a customer would change there order AFTER we had began to make it to something else. Well now don't ja know that ice cream can't be thrown away. The consumtion of ice cream was just 1 of the bennies for a kid back then. And I'm here to tell you that even way back then {50's} when we had to go back to the plant to retreive a new 5 gallon tub of cream is was frozen hard as reinforced concrete 2day.

I worked at Paul Creel's diner on the corner brings back old memories. 

[Michelle C]

The Borden's ice cream building was a Rettig's ice cream building before it was a Borden's.

[sevfiv]

Yep - here are a few things I've gathered:

 

http://arch-ive.org/archive/rettigs-ice-cream/

[Michelle C]

That was some great information Sevfiv. I wasn't aware of the other locations. I do have a picture of  the building when it was a Rettig's building.

 

 

 

[Subdude]

Was there another dairy building in Midtown?  I seem to remember one, but maybe I'm thinking of the Borden's that blew up.

 

 

[57Tbird]

Yep - here are a few things I've gathered:

 

http://arch-ive.org/archive/rettigs-ice-cream/

 

There was a Rettig's ice cream parlor on the southeast corner of Main and Elgin in the early-mid 40's.  I lived across the street from it on Elgin in that time-frame.  It had a soda fountain, tables, and booths.  A single dip cone was 5 cents, a double dip was 10 cents.  A banana split was 35 cents.  You could get a pint of factory-packed ice cream for 25 cents.  Hand-packed would set you back 35 cents.  Unbeknownst to my parents, I would sometimes spend my weekly 25 cent allowance on a pint, sneak it back to my hiding place under the house and consume the entire pint.

 

[57Tbird]

There was a Rettig's ice cream parlor on the southeast corner of Main and Elgin in the early-mid 40's.  I lived across the street from it on Elgin in that time-frame.  It had a soda fountain, tables, and booths.  A single dip cone was 5 cents, a double dip was 10 cents.  A banana split was 35 cents.  You could get a pint of factory-packed ice cream for 25 cents.  Hand-packed would set you back 35 cents.  Unbeknownst to my parents, I would sometimes spend my weekly 25 cent allowance on a pint, sneak it back to my hiding place under the house and consume the entire pint.

 

 

I came across a picture at http://www.sloanegallery.com/ of the Rettig's that I mentioned in my earlier post above.  I lived next to the Mobilgas station, whose sign you see in the background,

 

 

Edited March 8, 2014 by 57Tbird

[Michelle C]

T Bird, was the Mobile station across the street from the Retting's ice cream parlor on the corner of Main and Elgin?