Main Food Store At 1101 Main St.

[Avossos]

[Naviguessor]

Jesus Saves 8 percent on Stationary Printing at First Baptist Church

[cspwal]

A small thing, but did anyone notice if the clock still was working?

[jermh]

9 minutes ago, cspwal said:

A small thing, but did anyone notice if the clock still was working?

 

I was wondering the same thing. The timestamps on my photos are between 5:12 to 5:15 pm, so if we know when other people took photos we could figure out if the hands moved at all. 

[cspwal]

I should just go downtown and watch it for like 15 minutes

[H-Town Man]

30 minutes ago, cspwal said:

A small thing, but did anyone notice if the clock still was working?

 

You're thinking that maybe it was under that wall telling time for 50 years?

 

43 minutes ago, Naviguessor said:

Jesus Saves 8 percent on Stationary Printing at First Baptist Church

 

Stationery?

 

[EllenOlenska]

1 hour ago, Avossos said:

Jesus doesn't save old buildings in Houston. 

[j_cuevas713]

So the building is obviously being saved it just hasn't been restored. I wonder if the owner has had anyone comment on the building underneath.

[H-Town Man]

2 hours ago, EllenOlenska said:

Jesus doesn't save old buildings in Houston. 

 

Maybe not, but the ones dedicated to him seem to have unusual staying power.

 

Edited October 16, 2019 by H-Town Man

[cspwal]

2 hours ago, H-Town Man said:

 

You're thinking that maybe it was under that wall telling time for 50 years?

 

 

Stationery?

 

If it's plugged into AC power, and the mechanism still works, I don't see why it wouldn't be

[Urbannizer]

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/life/home/design/article/A-downtown-Houston-eyesore-reveals-its-gorgeous-14539460.php#photo-16888780

 

For the last two decades, Main Food Store, at the now glitzy corner of Main and Lamar, stood as a stubborn reminder of downtown Houston’s roughest, ugliest decades. But this week, as workers removed mid-century “slipcover” panels hiding its second floor, they revealed — at least temporarily — beautifully preserved details of the building’s 1926 Spanish Renaissance Revival facade.

 

Now preservationists are scrambling to keep the historic facade visible. “It does look good under those ugly panels,” Preservation Houston’s Jim Parsons exulted.

 

Iqbal Mohammed, who has owned the store since 2000, says that he plans to replace the slipcover’s travertine panels, which were failing, and recover the second floor with a new modern facade. “I don’t have enough funds to restore it,” he said. “I checked into it, but it’s very expensive.”

 

In 2014, writing for the Houston Review, architect Paul Homeyer rejoiced that his visit to Main Food Store’s second floor revealed that its original arched steel-sash casement windows had not only survived underneath the travertine panels, but that there was a protective 16-inch gap between the building’s original facade and the new stone panels. Almost certainly the building’s ornate details were still there, intact.

 

Tuesday preservationists and denizens of Reddit Houston were delighted to see that was true. Parsons, of Preservation Houston, went to Main Food Store and spoke briefly to Iqbal, who seemed receptive but was busy serving customers. “It’s safe to say we’ll be back in touch,” Parsons said.

 

Reached by phone Wednesday, Iqbal said that he was already aware of tax credits available for historic preservation. But using such tax funds to restore a building requires the owner to have the money upfront to do the restoration, he said — money that he doesn’t have.

 

“If somebody can provide the funds,” he said, “I’m happy to restore it.”

[swtsig]

^^^ and that's how the power of the internet can be used for good. i bet someone could start a gofundme or crowdfunding campaign to help get this restored, assuming the city or someone else w the funds available doesn't simply step up to the plate. hell, if i'm an adjacent property owner i'd give consideration to this. a historical restoration would do wonders for the property and who knows could lead to a repurposing to something other than seedy convenient store (no offense to Mr. Iqbal). i'm sure the current incarnation is a cash cow for him, though, so who knows.

 

either way, at least there's some hope.

[H-Town Man]

It might be in Midway's interest to buy this since it is sort of a gateway to Greenstreet. They could make Mr. Mohammed an offer he can't refuse. Or whoever finally redevelops the Sakowitz building might want to make this a part of their development.

 

The article above references this article (link below) about slip-covered buildings on Main Street. It appears there is another treasure waiting to be uncovered at 901 Main. The building next door to it at 905 was restored to a very attractive appearance.

 

https://houstonhistorymagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/unmasking-main-street-shipcovered-buidings.pdf

Edited October 17, 2019 by H-Town Man

[jermh]

Here's a night time mid-dogwalk cellphone snap shot. I was surprised the top floor appears very much in use still. I figured it was storage, but it looks to be some kind of office too. You could see a computer screen or TV and people moving around. It must be bizarre staring out of those old arched windows in to the back side of cladding. Wish I had taken the time to get better picture, but the dog had business up the street.

 

This also solves the clock mystery. It doesn't look like the hands have moved .

 

Edited October 17, 2019 by jermh
Edits

[Specwriter]

Is this the building that had the fire yesterday (October 17th)?

[j_cuevas713]

4 minutes ago, Specwriter said:

Is this the building that had the fire yesterday (October 17th)?

No

[j_cuevas713]

So according to a Metro post I saw on Instagram the fire has been going on the past few days. They barely got service back up and running on the Red Line today. If that’s the case, is this building still salvageable? 

[Texasota]

Well, this building certainly is. Less confident about 901 Main though...

[DrLan34]

On 10/15/2019 at 5:21 PM, jermh said:

 

What a great looking building.

[EspersonBuildings]

Was downtown today and I was awestruck at what is now visible!  Sadly if it is true that it will be covered up once again, any architecture buff should make the trip to see this.  The terracotta, sculptures, figurines or whatever they are called are so beautiful and seem to be pretty much intact.  Perhaps the covering actually protected it.  They were power washing it today.  This (1101 Main) is not the Dollar Store that had the fire last week, that was the Dollar Store at 901 Main.  Another clarification,  the modernization with slip covers on some of the older buildings on Main did not occur in the 80's, it was more like the late 60's/early 70's.  Examples were the original Carter Building at 806 Main (now JW Marriott Hotel).  I can remember in the 1970's the building that now houses Holy Cross Chapel (905 Main) had a godforsaken ugly, tacky gold metal cage like covering with an even tackier picture of the San Jacinto Monument plastered across it.  I believe the tenant of the building at the time could have been San Jacinto Savings or something like that?  The original Krupp & Tuffly building from 1929 at 901 Main (the Dollar store fire last week) was absolutely gorgeous before it was "modernized with the blank covering.  Check out how it originally looked: http://www.houstondeco.org/1920s/krupp.html  If it's neighbor (now Holy Cross Chapel) could have been restored then why not 901 Main (unless last week's . fire made it no longer salvageable) and of course 1101 Main which we are now seeing what is underneath.  I agree with what "dbigtex56" said - Can't the Landmark Society or Downtown District (or whatever those entities are called) approach the owner? Perhaps financial incentives could be made...or, permits denied?  Maybe if the public outcry is strong enough?  Or is this just wishful thinking of myself just like "dbigtex56"

[Moore713]

I dont understand why he cant be bought out and relocated to one if the vacant fronts  on main. There like four locations sitting empty  right now. 

[Urbannizer]

On 10/16/2019 at 3:40 PM, Urbannizer said:

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/life/home/design/article/A-downtown-Houston-eyesore-reveals-its-gorgeous-14539460.php#photo-16888780

 

 

 

 

[kbates2]

Horrendous

[j_cuevas713]

47 minutes ago, Urbannizer said:

 

Hey Urb do you know if the original building will stay intact or will it be destroyed even more? It seemed to me that they were just replacing the slip cover as a whole

[Subdude]

If that design were built from scratch I wouldn't mind it, but knowing that there's a beautiful structure that lies beneath, I could never warm up to it.  

[kbates2]

This store just needs to close, it’s a huge blight.

[dbigtex56]

3 hours ago, kbates2 said:

This store just needs to close, it’s a huge blight.

 

When it comes to businesses, people vote with their feet and with their pocketbooks.
Obviously, this store is filling the needs of enough people to pay the overhead and make a profit, so it's doing something right. Why do you want to deprive their customers a place to shop?
Also, it's not big enough to be a huge blight. It's just the right size blight. I dislike downtowns that have become so slick and sterile that they resemble 80's shopping malls. It's nice to see something that's still a bit gritty and real.

[kbates2]

It's not their customers as much as their loiterers.  If a liquor store opens - cool - if it has customers who get hammered outside and pass out and yell at other customers/pedestrians - not cool.  This store tends to be closer to the latter in my example.  

[Highrise Tower]

[Twinsanity02]

It's quite beautiful. What did this building first house?