Westbury Square History

[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.

[little frau]

Perhaps I'm confusing the Rebel Yell with the yearbook. I was also on that staff and I do remember having to ask shop owners if they'd like to buy a space when most of them did not even know where the school was located. I had completely forgotten about the phone directory. Do high schools now even have newspapers and directories?

[NenaE]

Couldn't stand it, was in the area Tuesday, had to visit Westbury Square...that mushroom "bell spout" fountain is absolutely HUGE...so sad, the deterioration...have pics to add, soon. Talked to a little older lady walking her dog who has lived in a condo there ("around the corner") for many years. She mentioned how sad it was that it had been allowed to deteriorate. Her dog was grazing all through the fences.

Can someone tell me, please how to save & link the historicaeriel site shots, so I can share the aeriels of this place...do you save a link, or what? It always saves the first page...help!

What I've learned from the aeriel maps is this...you are right, the fountain looks like it was moved, its original location matches up with the back wall of the HomeDepot, would have sat slightly northwest of where it sits now. The concrete base I saw around the fountain looks like it could have been an outside edge of the fountain, the fountain pool was huge in radius (from the fountain base) and low in depth. There is a picture of the fountain at night, in post#114, above. The block book map shows the fountain closer to the round building than it is to the other bldgs. The theater bldg looks like it could have been shortened in length recently. This place is just so sad.

From my visual inspection, by Home Depot, I find the red brick walkways interesting, in the "otherwise" concrete streets, and curbs that are missing, next to them. Wish I could see how it was originally layed out, horizontal shots with the slopes & hills, and how those sunken stairs looked.

The houses/ yards across the street look well maintained...what a contrast to the main streets. There are some nice mod single story offices located on those main roads, West Bellfort & Chimney Rock.

Edited February 26, 2009 by NenaE

[NenaE]

Couldn't stand it, was in the area Tuesday, had to visit Westbury Square...that mushroom "bell spout" fountain is absolutely HUGE...so sad, the deterioration...have pics to add, soon. Talked to a little older lady walking her dog who has lived in a condo there ("around the corner") for many years. She mentioned how sad it was that it had been allowed to deteriorate. Her dog was grazing all through the fences.

Can someone tell me, please how to save & link the historicaeriel site shots, so I can share the aeriels of this place...do you save a link, or what? It always saves the first page...help!

What I've learned from the aeriel maps is this...you are right, the fountain looks like it was moved, its original location matches up with the back wall of the HomeDepot, would have sat slightly northwest of where it sits now. The concrete base I saw around the fountain looks like it could have been an outside edge of the fountain, the fountain pool was huge in radius (from the fountain base) and low in depth. There is a picture of the fountain at night, in post#114, above. The block book map shows the fountain closer to the round building than it is to the other bldgs. The theater bldg looks like it could have been shortened in length recently. This place is just so sad.

From my visual inspection, by Home Depot, I find the red brick walkways interesting, in the "otherwise" concrete streets, and curbs that are missing, next to them. Wish I could see how it was originally layed out, horizontal shots with the slopes & hills, and how those sunken stairs looked.

The houses/ yards across the street look well maintained...what a contrast to the main streets. There are some nice mod single story offices located on those main roads, West Bellfort & Chimney Rock.

see photos in next post

Edited February 28, 2009 by NenaE

[NenaE]

Edited February 27, 2009 by NenaE

[Fringe]

So sad. I have such fond memories of the place I don't think I could see it in person. Thanks for sharing the pictures.

[NenaE]

So sad. I have such fond memories of the place I don't think I could see it in person. Thanks for sharing the pictures.

My mom said the same thing..."I prefer to remember it the way that it was".

[Depdot]

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!

Hey, I was in Ms Deats 1st grade class in 66'. She wrapped my arm in newspaper to stop me from sucking my thumb. I think that was also the year they put in a bunch of new play elements in the school yard. Don't know why but I remember some names: Kimberly, Lauren, Jeremy, Paul, Stuart, Tod. Any sound familiar?

[mwest]

Man, I didn't know there was anything left of WS. My best memories are of the

candle shop, the basket store, the jewelry store and the best; Village Inn when

Freddie Powers and the Powerhouse were playing there. (He worked with Willie

Nelson later, if I recall.) The place was packed on the weekends.

Here's a picture I found of the Square in the good days:

Edited March 4, 2009 by mwest

[AmericanPsycho]

Man, I didn't know there was anything left of WS. My best memories are of the

candle shop, the basket store, the jewelry store and the best; Village Inn when

Freddie Powers and the Powerhouse were playing there. (He worked with Willie

Nelson later, if I recall.) The place was packed on the weekends.

Here's a picture I found of the Square in the good days:

Cool picture.

Hello all. Although I currently live in the med center, I grew up in Westbury for most of my life. I am a more recent grad of Westbury High (class of 2002) and as many can surmise was a far experience from its glory days.

In any case, during college I became somewhat politically active and interested in the idea of helping clean up Westbury. I will sum up the information and experiences I had:

One of the first things I did was contact an acquaintance of mine, David Wallace the former mayor of Sugar Land. The reason being is that he has extensive experience with construction. One of his upcoming projects is known as Waco Town Square which you can read about on his Wikipedia page. But getting back to the story. I went on a car tour of Westbury with him and showed him the area around the Centrette building, and of course Westbury Square. He was appalled by what he saw, and he gave me some suggestions of things to do, in order to get the ball rolling on cleanup.

I contacted the appropriate council people, and got to dead end after dead end. I even went so far as to contact the management company of the Centrette who told me that the owner is basically an absentee deadbeat who mostly lives in Florida. What a POS he is.

After many hours spent I can't say that I did much good. As a general question though, I would be interested to hear ideas from people on how political pressure can be put on the borderline criminal owners. to clean these areas up. I also understand the owner of W.S. is / was in jail for some time. I personally think there should be enforceable laws that prohibit people from leaving property in sub par shape. At the very least W.S. could be demolished and turned into a dog park, an extension of the community center, there are countless things that could go there. I know that its nice to have some sort of memory of a once great place, but I truly wish there was a way to fight these slums and start getting Westbury to look the way it deserves.

Edited March 4, 2009 by AmericanPsycho

[Fringe]

The owner was in jail for tax evasion several years ago. He's a well known slum lord that owns a lot of property in Houston, all of it run-down. I dealt with him briefly in the 90's over a high rise he owned that was in very bad condition. He's a MAJOR asshole that does not care about his properties or tenants. Until the City of Houston grows some balls and takes over neglected properties like this I'm afraid nothing can be done. Unfortunately, I don't see that happening.

I will say he was not single handily responsible for the WS demise. A group out of NYC owned the square for a while in the late 70's, early 80's and that's when the neglect started and the place began to deteriorate.

[devonhart]

Inspired by the Westbury thread here, I googled like crazy to find photos.

[Earlydays]

Inspired by the Westbury thread here, I googled like crazy to find photos.

Nice job....though it was much more than a "hippie" destination. It appealed to a cross-section of visitors and shoppers.

[sevfiv]

Very cool - I just (gasp) tweeted it

[devonhart]

Nice job....though it was much more than a "hippie" destination. It appealed to a cross-section of visitors and shoppers.

I guess I didn't get my point across--among the ice cream, candles and hand blown glass, i.e., mainstream culture, was a counter culture shop. Which I thought was unusual as a kid, there was Montrose and downtown where the hippies were, and there was suburbia where the straight folks were. This weird mix happened at our house a couple time a year, my Dad's friends at his long-time hangout, a bar in Montrose (the Hut) had gone "hippie" and he would invite the long hairs for New Years Day to our Willow Meadows home.

Edited April 27, 2010 by devonhart

[citykid09]

Cool! Didn't know this place existed. Would have been cooler if it was located in Montrose where the hippies lived and still existed. Is part of it still open?

[Subdude]

I think part of the complex is standing but the shops are long gone.

I vaguely remember being taken there one time ca. mid-1980s, and it seemed to be a bit trashy. Never went back.

[Earlydays]

...........at his long-time hangout, a bar in Montrose (the Hut) had gone "hippie"......

I remember the Hut and Montrose well....I was at the University of St. Thomas, Class of 68.

[Jeebus]

What's the timeline for Westbury square? I shopped at the cigar shop until it closed after Hurricane Ike. I don't think there's any tenants left there now.

[Highway6]

Westbury Square was before my time, so I admit my perspective may be skewed..

I'm guessing if the counter-culture/hippie component hadn't have latched on to the place, nobody would give a damn about Westbury Square today. Certainly it wouldn't have maintained the aura of cool that it has.

By today's standards... it's suburban and a faux disneyworld lifestyle center... everything Urbanistas hate.

I understand that this outdoor concept was pretty ahead of its time for Houston .. but still, would it have still maintained this aura and reputation without the hippies.. I doubt it.

Props for the well done video however.. Good job.

Edited April 28, 2010 by Highway6

[Highway6]

Oh how wrong you are. All the shopping districts are going "outdoors" these days. To say Westbury Square wouldn't be popular today is saying the "Village" or many other outdoor concepts are not attracting people today. It's just ashamed a tax evasion slumloard bougjht the place in the 90's.

I agree an outdoor shopping area would be popular today.. with the consumers. I never said otherwise.

I said it wouldn't be remembered so fondly today if it weren't for the hippies and the "cool" factor they attached to it.

By today's architectural standards, Westbury Square should have been universally hated. It was in the suburbs. It was contrived. It was a Hollywood set.... The same reasons that today nobody with an Inner Loop mentality would consider Vintage Park, Sugarland Town Square, or Pearland Town Center architectural gems or cool places to go.

Vintage Park = Boring, Fake

Vintage Park plus Hipster Infiltration = Awesomeness

Edited April 29, 2010 by Highway6

[Subdude]

Westbury Square was before my time, so I admit my perspective may be skewed..

I'm guessing if the counter-culture/hippie component hadn't have latched on to the place, nobody would give a damn about Westbury Square today. Certainly it wouldn't have maintained the aura of cool that it has.

By today's standards... it's suburban and a faux disneyworld lifestyle center... everything Urbanistas hate.

I understand that this outdoor concept was pretty ahead of its time for Houston .. but still, would it have still maintained this aura and reputation without the hippies.. I doubt it.

Props for the well done video however.. Good job.

Isn't part of the difference that despite the physical resemblance, somewhere like Vintage Park is for chains (Old Navy etc) while Westbury Square was about small localized merchants. I can see how this would have lent a totallly different character.

[little frau]

Isn't part of the difference that despite the physical resemblance, somewhere like Vintage Park is for chains (Old Navy etc) while Westbury Square was about small localized merchants. I can see how this would have lent a totallly different character.

That was my initial thought too. Back then, if someone wanted to shop a chain, they drove on down to Meyerland Plaza and Penney's. Or out to Gulfgate with Sakowitz and Joske's. Westbury Square was there to experience a 'different' sort of shopping. It had a boutique, or one of a kind feel about it before we called them boutiques.

[Fringe]

I said it wouldn't be remembered so fondly today if it weren't for the hippies and the "cool" factor they attached to it.

Yeah. I'm totally with you there. With the right management I think it could have still been a hit. It's so cool to go eat and then stroll around. Thats why City Centere, the Woodlands Market Place and so many Town Centers are cropping up. If anything Westbury Square was ahead of it's time. 

ps: The Houston "hippies" were the ones into "cool" places back then. Everyone else was into air conditioned malls. 

[marketingwiz]

We now live in Westbury and for awhile, there appeared to be some 'hold-out' residents living in the second floor apartments at Westbury Square, most notably in the front section facing W. Bellfort near a main entrance overlooking the parking lot. There were two balconies filled with potted plants and a TV dish. But around early 2010, those balconies were cleared off and it appears that this iconic shopping center may indeed be getting closer to demolition. My husband grew up in Bellaire and vividly remembers his teen years 'hanging out' at Westbury Square and the even cooler people who rented apartments there. My 15 y/o son recently rode his bike over there and shot some photos of the remaining debris. I'll post soon. It's sad.

[HAM boss]

I grew up in Meyerland and had an aunt & uncle in Westbury. We went there often. With only a couple of exceptions (I think there was a Tuesday Morning in the early 70s), it was indeed small local merchants. Rumpleheimer's Ice Cream was a high point for a kid, of course. As was smelling all the candle smells. There was also a Brittain's Brolier Burger there with fake carousel animals for the kids to sit on while they ate.

The only place that was hippie-cool that I recall was Village Inn Pizza, and that was because they had folk musicians who played there. It was not Montrose or Market Square. But it was a favorite haunt of people in Southwest Houston.

Nice job on the video.

[devonhart]

The only place that was hippie-cool that I recall was Village Inn Pizza, and that was because they had folk musicians who played there.

Ah,Village Inn, that's one of two places I saw a streaker in 1974. A dude came running in stark naked, then ran out. The other time was at the Stella Link Jack-in-Box drive thru, naked guy jumps out of the car ahead of us, then jumps back in and peels away.

Edited June 15, 2010 by devonhart

[gto250us]

Here is a look at it today.

Westbury Today

[Fringe]

Here is a look at it today.

Westbury Today

How tragic. 

I heard there was a fire there last week. 

Edited June 16, 2010 by Fringe

[kylejack]

http://mikemcguff.blogspot.com/2010/10/westbury-square-memories-and-future.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+mikemcguff+%28mikemcguff+blog%29&utm_content=Twitter