Houston In The 1940s

[TheNiche]

Great color photo. Looks likes 1843 than 1943. I wonder where this was taken.

I'm going to guess Main Street.

[jgriff]

This was discussed earlier in another thread. http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/i...ic=10898&hl

Someone on the Bayou City History blog noticed that you can see the address on the curb. It looks like it may be 1900 Franklin St.

There's some info about it in the comments of this article on the Bayou City History Blog.

http://blogs.chron.com/bayoucityhistory/20...n.html#comments

[Vertigo58]

I'm so frustrated, I have the book that I am pretty sure has this home as new. Just cant name it?

Even more sickening is they demolished most of these relics when some were a mere 15-20 years old.

[FilioScotia]

I'm going to guess Main Street.

I agree with Niche that it's older than 1943. A lot older. More like 1903, or 1913. Color photography was in existence in 1913.

I don't agree it was Main St. In fact I don't think it was even taken in Houston. I say that because of the flatness of the horizon line that's visible between the two houses.

The 1900 block of Frankin in Houston is directly under where the 59 Eastex Fwy now goes through, and no matter when this photo was taken in the age of photography, there was nowhere near that much flat empty horizon just a few blocks from Main St in downtown Houston.

Houston was too developed for anybody to see all the way to the horizon from downtown.

That horizon is so flat it looks more like the Katy prairie than downtown Houston.

[jgriff]

I agree with Niche that it's older than 1943. A lot older. More like 1903, or 1913. Color photography was in existence in 1913.

I don't agree it was Main St. In fact I don't think it was even taken in Houston. I say that because of the flatness of the horizon line that's visible between the two houses.

The 1900 block of Frankin in Houston is directly under where the 59 Eastex Fwy now goes through, and no matter when this photo was taken in the age of photography, there was nowhere near that much flat empty horizon just a few blocks from Main St in downtown Houston.

Houston was too developed for anybody to see all the way to the horizon from downtown.

That horizon is so flat it looks more like the Katy prairie than downtown Houston.

Look at the older thread on this. The Valley Fruit Stand in the picture was tracked down to 1900 Franklin. That along with the address in the picture seem to indicate pretty well that this is 1900 Franklin.

HAIF Post on 1900 Franklin

It does seem flat and empty for downtown Houston in 1943 though.

[FilioScotia]

Look at the older thread on this. The Valley Fruit Stand in the picture was tracked down to 1900 Franklin. That along with the address in the picture seem to indicate pretty well that this is 1900 Franklin. It does seem flat and empty for downtown Houston in 1943 though.

I've taken a closer look at that photo, and this time I wiped off my glasses, and I've concluded that I was mistaken about what I thought was the "horizon line" between the two houses.

On closer inspection, I now think that what I thought was the horizon was actually the flat roof of a building several blocks behind the two houses in the foreground. Probably a warehouse or some-such. This would bring my theory as to its location back to a few blocks from downtown Houston.

[houwest]

I checked my 1949 SW Bell Houston telephone book and there is no listing in either the white or yellow pages for Valley Fruit. Of course, they may not have had a phone.

The Pepsi, Coca Cola and two Golden Age signs are great. They are likely worth more today than all of the fruit, the wagon and the horse.

[roym]

I can believe it was taken in the 1940s. Due to the fact that it's in color, it's much more likely to have been taken in the 1940s than say the early 1900s. Also, the advertising style and the man's clothing style fit the 1940s.

If you look at the victorian home, it's definitely not knew in the picture. It's been around awhile by the time this photo was taken. Zoom in on the area of the fruit stand; there appear to be automobile shapes in the background.

[Vertigo58]

The book Houston's Forgotten Heritage is a great book of documentation. I searched last night but did not see this specific home. I urge everyone to get this great book. Great photos of exterior/interiors of Houston palaces, street plans, venues, etc.

http://www.tamu.edu/upress/books/1998/houghton.htm

[jgriff]

I looked through the Bob Bailey collection yesterday for old downtown aerial shots of this area. I found one from 1936.. If you zoom in to the area just north of where the baseball stadium is today you can see that it looks like mostly 1 to 2 story structures.

Bob Bailey aerial from 1936

[mkultra25]

The book Houston's Forgotten Heritage is a great book of documentation. I searched last night but did not see this specific home. I urge everyone to get this great book. Great photos of exterior/interiors of Houston palaces, street plans, venues, etc.

http://www.tamu.edu/upress/books/1998/houghton.htm

I imagine most people reading this already have a copy, but it's been out of print for a while. There are used copies available from the usual sources, but they're expensive - the cheapest one I could find was $100 for an ex-library copy, and most were considerably more than that.

[jgriff]

I did some research into the "Golden Age Beverage Co." that you can see on the signs in the photo. It looks like they moved into the Houston market in 1940.

Book mentions Golden Age Beverages

[rta144]

hey all,

i was wondering if any of you knew anything about the series of duplexes (all identical) that are located in the santa rosa neighborhood between telephone rd. and reveille. they are on the north side of moline street, and there are a total of about eight or ten red brick homes. i was also told they might have been housing for ellington field folks...

thanks!

There are also a large group on the North East corner of Meadowbrook. They were housing for the instructors at Ellinton during WWII. That area is and was called Dogpatch. Does anyone know where I can get a picture of the arches that were located at each end of Howard Dr. in Meadowbrook during the 40's

[Vertigo58]

Sevfiv,

Do you mean the 2 story brick homes in that area? These go for over 2-3 blocks. They are or were very modern for their time. I have always like them. Seem very comfortable and still appear modern. Many are in excellent shape (at least on the outside). The following photos are not the ones I am speaking of. These are about on or 2 blocks headed south away from where the Santa Rosa once stood. Have nice big picture windows and the ones that roll out as you open them. Nice.

I need to snap a pic so I can see we speak of the same rows of homes. I know of no others that match this description.

[sevfiv]

Must be the same ones - they are along Juniper and Moline streets, and they back up to the new development next to where the Santa Rosa stood.

They were neat, but many not taken care of so well.

[Vertigo58]

Must be the same ones - they are along Juniper and Moline streets, and they back up to the new development next to where the Santa Rosa stood.

They were neat, but many not taken care of so well.

Yep thats the ones. My mom had a friend that lived or still does live in one of them. I was alway waiting in the car while she went in so she got to see the interiors. I always loved the layout or plans of these homes. They had little flat roof lines that hang over really neat. If I won the lotto I would recreate many more exactly as these but in another area of course. This nabe was once a very upper middle class area in 1940-60's. There are really large expansive lots and homes deep within away from Telephone.

[marmer]

Here's a long, narrow cap from Live Search:

[nativehou]

This nabe was once a very upper middle class area in 1940-60's.

I wouldn't say upper middle class. My parents bought their first house on Moline street -- between Reveille and Broadway -- in 1959 and lived there for over 30 years. It was a solidly middle-class neighborhood. My father was one of the few people we knew in the area that wore a suit to go to work!

BTW, I remember the red brick homes this thread is talking about, and I asked my parents if they knew the history of them, and they don't. Just that they seemed well built.

[Vertigo58]

Yes, that aerial photo is them. I like how they are split down the middle, meant to be seperate residences.

and yes, I meant that it seemed to be a somewhat well-to-do nabe. We knew a family that owned or still own a huge 2 story Colonial style home w/columns in front under very big porch. The house is tucked way in back and has a curved driveway leading to the home. Must cover an acre with well manicured lawn, shrubs. You can see the big chandelier from the street. Looks like it belongs in Cap Cod. Still there just havent seen them in years. These must have been built in the 1930-40's? Again they are way in the back as if headed to Broadway from Tel Rd/Santa Rosa area. There dad owned business's then (mid 80's) so I guess that explains the elegant home. I knew I should have married his daughter. Darn!

[sevfiv]

They are split side-by-side - each is two floors with mirrored floor plan of the neighbor.

Nativehou - thanks for asking about them. Maybe there was something in the news when they were built (or specialty military-related printed news maybe?) - probably on microfilm in a dark corner of a basement of a library somewhere.

[nativehou]

and yes, I meant that it seemed to be a somewhat well-to-do nabe. We knew a family that owned or still own a huge 2 story Colonial style home w/columns in front under very big porch. The house is tucked way in back and has a curved driveway leading to the home. Must cover an acre with well manicured lawn, shrubs. You can see the big chandelier from the street. Looks like it belongs in Cap Cod. Still there just havent seen them in years. These must have been built in the 1930-40's? Again they are way in the back as if headed to Broadway from Tel Rd/Santa Rosa area. There dad owned business's then (mid 80's) so I guess that explains the elegant home. I knew I should have married his daughter. Darn!

There were some nicer blocks -- especially around Reveille Park. Vista Verde street had some big ranches, and Oak Vista east of Reveille Park, as it curved toward the bayou, had some big homes. Maybe your friends live back in there. But these nicer homes were the exception in the nabe, not the rule. I believe some of the bigger ranches on Vista Verde were taken down when they worked on Sims Bayou in the 80s or 90s.

[NenaE]

There are also a large group on the North East corner of Meadowbrook. They were housing for the instructors at Ellinton during WWII. That area is and was called Dogpatch.

I thought the Dogpatch was on the SEast side of Meadowbrook.There are many barrack looking buildings on the last street, one side slopes down to a creek - Berry Creek, maybe...neighborhood is deeper than you would think (behind Bonner Elem.). RTA144, I'm sure you know, didn't you live in Meadowbrook at the time?... if the instructors lived in the nicer small homes (NEast) next to park, (one st. is East Villa) (Correction from Alta Vista), then were the lower ranks in the barracks? HMMMM....

I just toured those 4-plex apts. you guys are talking about, in Park Place, never payed them much attention growing up. Glad they are still standing. Can't believe I never saw that Bed-& Breakfast - Simms house before.

That small 'hood "Oak Vista"with several large nice homes near bayou is interesting. I agree with NativeHou, really looks like some homes could have been lost to the widening of the bayou.

Note: although different locations, Meadowbrook & PPlace,the names of streets are similar, same time period constructed...maybe.

[kittysmith]

I thought the Dogpatch was on the SEast side of Meadowbrook.There are many barrack looking buildings on the last street, one side slopes down to a creek - Berry Creek, maybe...neighborhood is deeper than you would think (behind Bonner Elem.). RTA144, I'm sure you know, didn't you live in Meadowbrook at the time?... if the instructors lived in the nicer small homes (NEast) next to park, (one st. is Alta Vista), then were the lower ranks in the barracks? HMMMM....

I just toured those 4-plex apts. you guys are talking about, in Park Place, never payed them much attention growing up. Glad they are still standing. Can't believe I never saw that Bed-& Breakfast - Simms house before.

That small 'hood "Oak Vista"with several large nice homes near bayou is interesting. I agree with NativeHou, really looks like some homes could have been lost to the widening of the bayou.

Note: although different locations, Meadowbrook & PPlace,the names of streets are similar, same time period constructed...maybe.

I lived in Dogpatch on Oleander Court for 15 years because my uncle (who lived there) & father owned 4-5 houses there. They were all very small frame houses, very poor neighbood, but I had some great neighbors and felt very safe. Probably shouldn't have, but did! It's main borders were Old Galveston Rd. (east), Howard Dr. (north), Monroe (south), not sure how far west would've still been considered Dogpatch.

[carol802]

I was looking at some of the great old maps on Texasfreeway.com (learned about the site on an earlier thread). There is a 1942 city and county map showing the Rev. T. C. Jester being on the Houston City Planning Commision. I always wondered how some of our roads got their names. There are many neat maps that show the proposed city and county roads & highways. Some were completed others were not. There is an outer loop that would have had the south section heading east & west aligning with Allum Rd. That crosses (or at least T's into) Hiram Clarke slightly below S. Main.

[Ms. Pris]

We are purchasing a house in the East End, built in 1940. The house is cute and in good condition, but like many homebuyers we want to make changes. Specifically, we plan to remodel the kitchen, opening the wall between the kitchen and living room to make a more open kitchen.

I have recently become aware that asbestos was sometimes used in wallboard and drywall. Some source say it was rarely used in residential construction, some say it was used regularly. I really don't know which is true. We are DIYers and plan to do most of the kitchen remodel ourselves. We may also have some other changes to make that require cutting the drywall.

So my question is this: how likely is it that the drywall in a residential, single-family home, built in 1940 in Houston, contains asbestos? I know we can order a kit to test, but my greater concern is that it's illegal to remove asbestos materials ourselves, and we cannot afford to pay someone else to do our remodel. Thoughts?

[RedScare]

Don't worry about it. Drywall is ripped out and disposed every day, and I have never heard or seen warnings about asbestos in it. If the City was concerned about it, they would work to alert residents to its dangers, and how to dispose of it, just as they do with oil, lead paint, computers and other harmful products. It is always advisible to wear masks when creating dust. Other than that, you're good.

BTW, the asbestos was used in the joint compound, not the drywall. If you are removing one wall and wearing a mask, you will not be exposed to enough asbestos to cause concern.

[Ms. Pris]

Thanks for responding. A lot of sources I read say that asbestos was included in drywall, not just joint compound And although asbestos usually requires years of exposure to develop cancer, apparently some cases of cancer have been traced back to brief exposure from a single home improvement project I just worry. We have to live in this house, after all.

[Fringe]

A lot of things contain asbestos but it's only dangerous when it's a dust and absorbed into the lungs through breathing. You could put the stuff on your cereal and eat it every morning and it wouldn't hurt you.  

[sevfiv]

I haven't heard much about residential asbestos drywall here but if you're concerned (and the kit isn't exorbitantly priced) I'd test.

Also, residences are excluded from the Texas Asbestos Health Protection Rules (you just need to find out how to dispose of it legally):

Exclusions to the Texas Asbestos Health Protection Rules:

Private residences and apartment buildings with no more that four dwelling units.

http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/asbestos/rules.shtm

[Ms. Pris]

A lot of things contain asbestos but it's only dangerous when it's a dust and absorbed into the lungs through breathing. You could put the stuff on your cereal and eat it every morning and it wouldn't hurt you.

Cutting into drywall releases tiny particles into the air, hence my concern. Also, asbestos has been connected to intestinal cancers via oral ingestion. So I don't advise eating it

I understand that we can test for it, it's AFTER testing I am worried about. If it comes up positive, we just cannot afford to have the remodel done professionally, and doing it ourselves could be dangerous. I suppose we could move out for a month, but that would be hard and expensive.