sevfiv Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 I went by the warehouse (Gulf Freeway and Broad St.) before ever reading about it in Strom's Houston Lost and Unbuilt - he lists it as "lost" but it has just been altered. HCAD has a build date of 1964 but it's visible in the 1957 historicaerials.com image.. Here's a sampling of what it used to look like: more: http://www.arch-ive.org/gulffwy6626.php 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted April 27, 2011 Author Share Posted April 27, 2011 Also, if anyone knows of the St. Louis connection - probably not Pepsi, but Pepsi is the earliest inhabitant of the property I can find. Also, I *think* I can see the arch in the 1957 aerial so I'm pretty sure it was there from the beginning.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnu Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 Also, if anyone knows of the St. Louis connection - probably not Pepsi, but Pepsi is the earliest inhabitant of the property I can find. Also, I *think* I can see the arch in the 1957 aerial so I'm pretty sure it was there from the beginning..Nice work. I like your Park Place series.I wonder if it somehow pays homage to 7up, which was founded in St. Louis.I think Pepsi used to bottle it in the US (now Dr. Pepper does since the 80's)Maybe they somehow acquired an actual mock-up of Saarinen's design - maybe a big deal (even outside St. Louis??) in the mid to late fifties when they were anticipating construction to start on the arch in 1959. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted April 27, 2011 Author Share Posted April 27, 2011 Thanks!...and I take it back about the timeline - I can see the arch in the 1964 aerial but now I'm thinking it's not in the 1957. The plant was also home to Straus Systems, Inc. Maybe Pepsi vacated early on and Straus liked the arch or maybe had a hand in its production..http://www.historicaerials.com/aerials.php?scale=4E-06&lat=29.7069838287669&lon=-95.3043459999999&year=1964(zoom in) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnu Posted June 5, 2015 Share Posted June 5, 2015 Sevfiv, It has been a few years since you posted this but, look what is in Waco. https://www.google.com/maps/@31.528879,-97.125744,3a,36.6y,170.3h,88.28t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s3eMC4L-MImxrzpASBSWzQw!2e0?hl=en An arch in front of a Pepsi Bottling Plant! A plant building that is almost identical to the Houston building. Looks like the Houston arch was original or at least placed there by Pepsi at some point. from Houston Lost and Unbuilt: https://books.google.com/books?id=UfjlqsiC-4cC&pg=PA53&dq=Houston+Lost+and+Unbuilt++By+Steven+R.+Strom+pepsi&hl=en&sa=X&ei=NPhxVfLKC4rYtQXjr4HoAQ&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Houston%20Lost%20and%20Unbuilt%20%20By%20Steven%20R.%20Strom%20pepsi&f=false I still don't understand the Pepsi-arch connection though. Looks like they might have just thought it was a cool mod design. I like the way the arch goes through the hole in the awning 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earlydays Posted June 6, 2015 Share Posted June 6, 2015 I think it's just a design element of the original building conceived by the architect. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted June 7, 2015 Share Posted June 7, 2015 Yet another reason to prefer Coke (said a guy who left Houston to go to college in Missouri. While I normally don't really participate in sports rivalries, I hate the f***** Cards). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted July 2, 2015 Author Share Posted July 2, 2015 LOVE! Thank you gnu! I have to see this in person! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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