Westbury Square History

[mikeybob2]

Man has it changed today. My mom still lives in Willow Meadows so I drive by Westbury every so often. Good memories but sad to see what it has turned into.

and it is still changing... I just drove past the Home Depot and there is a huge sign announcing the new 149' cel tower they want to put on the space between Home Depot and what is left of Westbury Square.. We all struggle with ideas to improve the area and this happens... Couldn't anyone think of anything uglier to put in the neighboorhood?

[Croberts]

I remember the Jack-in-the-Box at Bellfort and Chimney Rock. Remember Jack Cola? It was their cheap verson of Coke. For spite and to send a message we would drive up and order Coke and they would reply, "We serve Jack Cola." So we would say never mind and speed off.

That jack in the box I remember (perhaps incorrectly) as the first fast food chain, followed by the burger king on post oak. In the landscape history of commercial architecture, Jack in the box was perhaps the first drive through chain where you talk to a speaker (jack) and this was one of the first ones.

Contrast with the early burger king on post oak- it was walkin only. Thus westbury was percieved as a hot market by two up and coming chains in the early 1960s.

I remember doing the same kind of thing- go to jack and the box and start an arguement with jack.....

[ClassicMod]

I lived in Westbury from 1960 (year I was born) until 1971 when we moved to Meyerland. Went to Anderson through part of 3rd grade, and then to Kolter...Anyhow, in the center where Weingarten's was, there was a barber shop where i got my haircut by Gene. Frankie was my Mom's favorite checker at Weingarten's. There was also a Madding's drugstore, which became an Eckerd's. A women's clothing store - Tyser's, and a shoe repair place. But the best was Britian's Broiler Burger, with the horse carousel that you could eat at. I went to the Little Red School House, and my favorite teacher was Mrs. Martin - we would take field trips to Rumpleheimer's and Britian's Broiler Burger....Great memories.

I have been trying to remember the name of the clothing store next to Weingartens. Thanks for including it in your memories. The only one I could think of was Peggy Cabot that was located on the square.

[ClassicMod]

Yea.. I remember all that Sears catalog deal with Anderson..

I remember all those coaches.. I had Walker in the 9th grade

when he was hired to replace Coach Macy after Macy got in a

fight with Coach Sanderson and was fired.

I had Johnson in the 7th grade.. Macy in the 8th..

I ran cross country and was the 2nd fastest in the school when

I was there. Only Jeff Curren <sp? could dog my butt with any

regularity. We won city and state both when I was in 8th and 9th

grade. But I quit running when I went to Westbury. Spent

more time with the band.. Didn't have PE at all.. Band was

my PE at Westbury. At Johnston I had band and PE both..

I didn't mind not ever having to suit up for gym like most did..

BTW, Macy also taught me how to drive at his Houston Driving School

which he co-owned with Coach Hale I think. I fergot.. Hale may have taught

at Bellaire... I don't remember him being at Johnston for some reason.

Macy was quite a character... Step on the gas and go! you mickey mouse!

in that Polish accent he had... And if you didn't , he reach over and stomp on

that puppy for you if he thought you were too pokey about entering the

freeway..

>Then there was good old Westbury. Does anybody remeber we had a smoking area at school. Wow now you can't smoke any where.

I was there when they started the smoking area. "1973" I used it too... :/

Along with the restrooms, the football fields, the handball court,

and any where else I might have wondered..

>We used to skip class and go to Super-Surf on S. Post oak and shoot pool at lunch or we would go swimming at the sand pits at the end of Fondren. I >had a pretty bad wreck my Sr. year on Willowbend by Johnston splashing the junior high kids after a rain one day.

>I can remember there was a hamburger place at Westbury Square that had a Mery-Go-Round in it. After the football games we would hang out at the >Pizzia Parlor at Westbury Square.

Brittains Broiler burger had the merry go round.. I was at the pizza parlor so often

in the 70's, I probably should have just moved in..

I never worked there though, although many I knew did.

I did work at Al Betos, and Bull and Anchor though..

I had Coach Hale in the fall of 1966 for Algebra at Westbury. I had flunked the second semester at Johnston and had to retake it. Coach Hale was an excellent math teacher. I understood everything and made all A's.

[Aland11223]

Wow, I just got back onto this post of Westbury Square and found it is still going since when I started the thread in the year of 2005. Funny when I wrote the post, I mentioned a coffee shop that existed at the moment when I went back to see what became of the square. It was sad to see the coffee shop really never made it, though at the time I printed the photo of the fountain in the center of Westbury Square from this thread and pasted on the coffee shop's board of memories.

[Croberts]

I joined in the summer of 06, looking for pictures and information about houston skyscrapers. I was shocked to see a thread about the neighborhood where I grew up. It is my favorite thread on HAIF.

[DonMahoneyFan]

My first gig was at Bull 'N Anchor oyster bar.

My mom was a regular at the candle shop but said Cromwell's felt like a funeral parlor.

A fake bell tower was added to the Rumpleheimer's building and my friends and I liked to climb up in there.

No one has mentioned Kevin Perry's Guitar Shop, his second location was tucked away next to Village Inn Pizza Parlor and behind the Bull 'N Anchor. He is still one of the area's best luthiers and is now out on the north part of Hwy 6 with an original employee...

[nm5k]

No one has mentioned Kevin Perry's Guitar Shop, his second location was tucked away next to Village Inn Pizza Parlor and behind the Bull 'N Anchor. He is still one of the area's best luthiers and is now out on the north part of Hwy 6 with an original employee...

Hummm... I guess he improved since I used him.. I had him do some work on a 59 Gibson

about 20-25 years ago when he was in the square.

Was not totally pleased. I had it in to have two frets replaced. Well, he did that ok I suppose,

but he didn't dress the frets, or if he did, he didn't do too good a job..

Also, he mounted the bridge wrong when he put it back together. It was all goofy...

Didn't play right at all.

I took it to Rockin Robin to see what they thought, and they chortled like lost

school children when they saw the lack of fret dressing, etc.. They also clued me

in to how the bridge was on wrong.. I had them redo it, and it was fantastic after that.

So I can't say he did anything to really hurt it, but I had to pay another shop to have

it redone right.

But like I say, that was a long time ago, and maybe he was just starting out back then.

Robin did very good work back then. Course, they also build their own brand of geetars too,

or did back then.. I guess they are still around, but haven't checked lately..

[trudyhilton]

MK, i enjoyed your post; some replies to some of your comments are below:

Dude, if you have that 1960 air photo of Westbury digitized, I would LOVE a copy. I'm an aficionado of the old neighborhood, big time..I have very few pics..

Yep, since you were born in 56, I am three years older than you. You were going into Johnston Jr. High as I was going into Westbury High. Too, I spent 9th grade at fondren, so I started meeting more Braeburn Valley people at that point, and didn't hang at Westbury quite so much. I started playing gigs in 9th grade, and pretty much roamed Houston at large after that. The band director at Fondren was a lady named Ms. White, and Randy May was the well known drummer there, so much so that they once had a drum contest in his honor, while he was still a student. He went on to invent an internal miking system and some other innovative marching band equipment that has sold very well for Pearl. A student of Joe Raynor, he played his butt off. (probably still does.) Lives in Huntington Beach.

So MK: you were a drummer at Johnston? Was a guy named Perkins was still the band director? From what I have heard, he is still alive, and still playing.. I was in band at Johnston with at least 10 drummers, but I can't remember many of them. Mark Keener was one of the better ones..I remember Marty Knoll now too, now that you mentioned him, and there was a guy behind me, on Belrose maybe, named Doug Landry, whose dad also played professionally..they had a blue sparkle Slingerland kit that I still remember watching them take apart and clean one day.

You are right. There were a lot of musicians in the Southwest part of town back then. Quite a few kept playing. Houston was a great place to grow up a musician in the 60's and early 70's. Gigs and bands everywhere in those days.

I'm still friends with my Sharpstown friend, Tony Taboada, who still gigs down there, and you can usually catch him at Sullivan's on Westheimer on Wednesdays. More about him , including a sound file, at his rhythmweb page, at http://rhythmweb.com/taboada . First saw him play at a Godwin Park teen dance in about 1967. There's an old picture of Love Street up on that page too. His band website is at http://commercialartband.com .

I studied with Jack Dudney back then, a big band drummer who played with the Ed Gerlach orchestra, and then after 3 or 4 years, with Hap Fulghum, who lived in Bellaire and played with the Houston Symphony. (his son, Joel Fulghum, apparently is a top drummer down there nowadays. Haven't met him.) At one point Jack and Hap had a drum teaching studio together, right across West Bellfort from Westbury Square.

Two more points. As for Dan Mitchell, the owner of Mr. Fantasy, I heard from Pierce he married a girl named DeeDee George from Braeburn Valley, and that he is living happily ever after somewhere in the Houston area. And as for Trudy Hilton, i never saw her after 6th grade, so I don't know whether she was the girl that lived at Westbury Square, but in 6th grade, she was indeed pretty, with wavy blonde hair..I don't remember her too well, other than that. TRUDY? YOU OUT THERE? Write us..[God, I love the Web]Was it you?

And old Westbury Square homies: sign in please..more images of the square would be great.

Kind Regards

eric stuer

http://rhythmweb.com

[SecondTour]

Very interesting thread. I've lived a few blocks away from Westbury Square for over ten years, so obviously I have no real idea of what it looked like in its heyday. It would be interesting to find some good, vintage photos of the areas that are still there now, to get an idea of exactly what we're looking at in those current close-ups. It's difficult from the post card photos. I've driven past it a million times and assumed it was condemned. I had no idea people were actually living in it. I only really ever see the side facing the entrance to Home Depot.

I thought I remembered The Westbury Centerette having a sign on the Bellfort side that said something about a future cell phone tower. Maybe the location has recently changed.

Edited September 9, 2008 by SecondTour

[KristinDaugherty]

I went to the Little Red School House, and my favorite teacher was Mrs. Martin - we would take field trips to Rumpleheimer's and Britian's Broiler Burger....Great memories.

Rweil, I don't suppose you remember a teacher named Mrs. Buck, by any chance? She was my grandmother.

[aggieengineer]

Anyone remember Mrs. Deats at The Little Red School House? We're talking over 40 years ago....Class of '66.

[dgstal]

Heck, I probably know you... :/

I was on Johnston's football when we won district in '69, played left guard and special teams center. That was also the same year the first junior high in Houston had a yearbook, Mitchell Simon and I were the photographers. I went on to play at Westbury till I got tired of politics with booster club and players who played because of whom their parents were. I stayed on Citadel from '69 thru '73. I still live in an apartment in the square.

Trudy Hilton is alive and well.

[dgstal]

I ran track at Johnston, was the fasted in the 100 and was on the 440 Relay as well which won district every year I was on it. I quite track in the 9th grade after we won district and quailified for reginials because of Macy. He was such an ass. I remember Jeff CURREN AS WELL.

I also remember Fred Smith and Steve Viada also ran cross country, Coach Macy the "Polish Meatball"

taught me to drive and the only student to drive a '64 Corvair convertible I would park in front of metal shop.

[devonhart]

Coach Macy the "Polish Meatball" taught me to drive and the only student to drive a '64 Corvair convertible I would park in front of metal shop.

Macy also taught me to drive at his and another coach's driving school. He made me nervous as hell, just as a coach, as a driving instructor, he terrified me.

[SecondTour]

Westbury Square took a big hit during Ike. Interior sections that looked as though they had been boarded-up for several years are now exposed. It's tear-down for sure now (not that it wasn't already).

The clock portion of the Westbury Centerette sign was blown off during Ike also.

[flipper]

It's tear-down for sure now (not that it wasn't already).

I don't think we are that lucky. I've seen them making roof and other repairs since the storm. Took these the other day:

flipper

[Croberts]

Anyone remember Mrs. Deats at The Little Red School House? We're talking over 40 years ago....Class of '66.

I do.. she was my first grade teacher at St. Thomas Elemetary school near Meyerland Plaza in about 1958-59. Then soon after that she started "The Little Red School House" which I understood to be a day care???(I was 7 at the time). Wasnt it on Fondren road? And wasnt it also called "Mrs. Deats Country Day School"

Edited February 13, 2009 by Croberts

[Croberts]

once magical place. My love for Architecture began as a young boy, hanging out at Westbury Square.

(Tom Williams)

Very well put. I had the same experience, and also it stimulated my interest in architecture. Now I teach an upper division college course on the American Cultural Landscape, with an emphasis on vernacular architecture, and it started with the contrast between tacky ranches (not the tasteful mods) and the european influence square. We have many new urbanist projects that attempt a similar thing here in south Florida, but none of them have the feel, the smell, the magic of that amazing collection of independent craftsmen and shops. I cant imagine how such a collection could have come together.

Edited February 13, 2009 by Croberts

[aggieengineer]

I do.. she was my first grade teacher at St. Thomas Elemetary school near Meyerland Plaza in about 1958-59. Then soon after that she started "The Little Red School House" which I understood to be a day care???(I was 7 at the time). Wasnt it on Fondren road? And wasnt it also called "Mrs. Deats Country Day School"

She may have held several teaching positions. There was also a teacher named, I think, Mrs. Leverenz. (Spelling just a guess). The Little Red School House taught kindergarten and first grade. It was on the west side of the square. Mrs. Deats was my teacher there for first grade. I was there in the '64 to '66 time frame. After that, we moved to the Maplewood subdivision and I went to St. Thomas More. It's amazing how a really good teacher affects your life!

The '60s were a great time to grow up in that area. My Dad and I used to ride bikes to Westbury Square several nights a week. I'd give anything for the chance to go back for a hamburger at Brittain's and a haircut next door with Mr. Behunko.

I now live about 60 miles north of Fort Worth, but I'm planning to take a trip down there on the motorcycle when the weather is nice. I'd like to visit the area and reminisce. I'll probably be found crying in the Westbury Square parking lot, or maybe in jail after relieving myself on Home Depot!

Edited February 13, 2009 by aggieengineer

[Tiftoo]

I remember the glass shop, where you could usually watch a glass blower making all manner of fragile things, and Gramophonics, the record store where I bought the Moving Sidewalks' first album, "Flash." A great little record store, run by a guy named Rob Miller, I think. They would sell Fillmore and Avalon concert posters. I still have the tattered remains of one. By the early 1970s, Gramaphonics had moved to the Village in West U. Also, I thought a Pier 1 store was out there. Or am I thinking about Cargo Houston?

[Croberts]

I remember the glass shop, where you could usually watch a glass blower making all manner of fragile things, and Gramophonics, the record store where I bought the Moving Sidewalks' first album, "Flash." A great little record store, run by a guy named Rob Miller, I think. They would sell Fillmore and Avalon concert posters. I still have the tattered remains of one. By the early 1970s, Gramaphonics had moved to the Village in West U. Also, I thought a Pier 1 store was out there. Or am I thinking about Cargo Houston?

Cargo Houston, which also sold fillmore and Avalon posters. I had forgotten about Gramaphonics

[NenaE]

Where on Telephone approximately? i'm drawing a blank. I just remember the A-frame Whataburgers of which a few still exist.

This is a realy old thread, wow, I'm still reading, there was a Whataburger on Telephone, turn left on Bellfort (heading west), was on the right (heading south). Don't know if still there, was by the racquetball place, I think. Some of those had an upstairs eating area, outside, with those metal, all-in-one table/chairs.

My grandmother loved Westbury Square. Nice design, I see those types of centers in Uptown, now, around the Galleria. Is the sign still there? We need a pic. Nevermind, found it, page 3.

I never realized Westbury Square had been there so long. Since the sixties. Recent pics were interesting to see, eerie & sad.

Apartments always seem to bring downfall to so many properties, areas around Houston. What would keep this from happening?

Edited February 15, 2009 by NenaE

[flipper]

A couple of pictures of Westbury Square from yesterday:

flipper

[Croberts]

This is a realy old thread, wow, I'm still reading, there was a Whataburger on Telephone, turn left on Bellfort (heading west), was on the right (heading south). Don't know if still there, was by the racquetball place, I think. Some of those had an upstairs eating area, outside, with those metal, all-in-one table/chairs.

My grandmother loved Westbury Square. Nice design, I see those types of centers in Uptown, now, around the Galleria. Is the sign still there? We need a pic. Nevermind, found it, page 3.

I never realized Westbury Square had been there so long. Since the sixties. Recent pics were interesting to see, eerie & sad.

Apartments always seem to bring downfall to so many properties, areas around Houston. What would keep this from happening?

Urban planning would control the mix. There would still be low income apartments in every neighborhood but not in the densities that undermine communities.

[IHB2]

We have many new urbanist projects that attempt a similar thing here in south Florida, but none of them have the feel, the smell, the magic of that amazing collection of independent craftsmen and shops. I cant imagine how such a collection could have come together.

that's the problem w/the current fad of "mixed use" developments - a place like Westbury Square developed organically, at least compared to the current models, which all seem to attract national or regional chains only. I can see living over that Chinese import store or the candle shop a helluva lot easier than living over a Panda Express or Banalbucks. WS had more in common with NYC-style chaotic mixed use development from the 19th-20th c than seems possible with today's cookie-cutter approach.

[Dagnabbit]

I remember the glass shop, where you could usually watch a glass blower making all manner of fragile things, and Gramophonics, the record store where I bought the Moving Sidewalks' first album, "Flash." A great little record store, run by a guy named Rob Miller, I think. They would sell Fillmore and Avalon concert posters. I still have the tattered remains of one. By the early 1970s, Gramaphonics had moved to the Village in West U. Also, I thought a Pier 1 store was out there. Or am I thinking about Cargo Houston?

Howdy folks,

I believe the store you are confusing with Pier 1 was called Pasha Imports and was located across the plaza from Cargo Houston, they sold the same type of bent bamboo items as Pier 1.

[NenaE]

5300 block West Bellfort Blvd.

Westbury Square

(1960) William W. Wortham, Jr.

developer: Ira Berne (also developed Westbury Subdivision)

Stephen Fox (AIA Architectural Gd.) mentions "shoddy design standards" and "confusing layout" as possible causes of slow revitalization.

Here is a block book layout of the design. I love that fountain, sad what happened to it, surprised it is still even there.

http://books.tax.hctx.net/v086/AE1997_86-87_0009.jpg

Thanks everyone for those pics.

Never heard a strip called a "centerette" before, looks very similar to the 1950's strips in my old neighborhood. Those colored tiles are always nice. Reminds me of the Utotems.

Edited February 18, 2009 by NenaE

[little frau]

I read through all seven pages and had great fun remembering......just thought I'd add a few things about Westbury Square and Westbury HS. We moved out off of South Main and Hiram Clarke in '57. No schools out there then and very few houses. Our neighborhood had only 3 streets. I had to finish elementary school in Missouri City. Then, junior high was Cullen, back when MLK was known as South Park Blvd. When Johnston Junior was completed, went there and when Westbury was finished, I started there the first year it opened.

We had a school vote to name the mascot, the Rebel and the newspaper, the Rebel Yell and even the yearbook. There was a contest for that and someone came up with The Citadel, which was the famous water tower. I guess we thought it would stay there forever. The girl's drill team was the Rebelettes. Westbury was a great school back then and there were NO apartments anywhere near it. We also picked the school colors, blue and gray if I remember correctly. I graduated in '64.

My dad was an electrician and he did some work on Westbury Square for Mr. Berne. I can't speak to the shoddy workmanship as has been suggested here because according to dad, Mr. Berne wanted only the best. True, he had gone to Europe and wanted the Square to be a great pedestrian shopping area. What I remember is that the biggest draw was the A la Carte Restaurant which was French and not Italian as was stated in the newspaper article someone here mentioned. It had flocked wallpaper which was not that common in Houston at the time. Too expensive. And, seems like he had gold plated fixtures in the restrooms at the A la Carte. There was another more mainstream eating place too but can't remember the name. And of course, the Rumpleheimers ice cream shop. When Mr. Berne was deciding on ice cream flavors to serve there, he'd order it in those huge, what 4 or 5 gallon buckets? The size they have at Baskin Robbins. When all the workmen and other folks who were putting the Square together got all the ice cream they wanted and Mr. Berne had decided yay or nay on that flavor, my dad would ask if he could bring the rest home to his brood. There were five of us kids. We just thought that was the greatest treat ever.

The book store was another one of the first businesses to open also. I believe it was a B. Dalton but am not positive. Also, the candle shop. And Cromwell's which was a very high end men's store. After I graduated, I seem to have forgotten about the Square for awhile but I do remember going back at some point in my early twenties because I have memories of Cargo and also of the glassblower. And of buying some of those drip candles to put in the Chianti bottles. The Gay Dot was also an early shop although I don't think it was one of the first.

I was in that area earlier this week and decided to drive by but I completely missed it! Had to get out the key map and even then, I wasn't sure I was in the right place. I seem to remember that the parking lot was sunken and one had to walk up a flight of stairs to even get to the shops. So very sad to see what's happened to the place. When the Square was initially built, it had only those shops that faced the sunken parking lot and there weren't that many.

For the person who posted here that wanted to know of businesses that were in the area back then, I would suggest going to Westbury High and asking to see some of their early yearbooks. I was on the staff one year and we had to go out into the community to sell ad space.

[Alpha]

For the person who posted here that wanted to know of businesses that were in the area back then, I would suggest going to Westbury High and asking to see some of their early yearbooks. I was on the staff one year and we had to go out into the community to sell ad space.

I have the 65 and 66 editions of the Citadel and they don't have any ads, but the student telephone directories from those years are full of them. When I get a chance, I'll scan a list of the ads and post some of them.