Houstonians Explain Why That Building Needs to be Torn Down

[H-Town Man]

A collection of perennial Houston responses to the age-old question: why that building needs to be torn down.

 

 

You gotta make money in this business. There's no money in something old like that. Maybe if it was historical like 712 Main, but anything else, the numbers just won't work.

 

That thing's crumbling. Somebody's going to get hit on the head, and there's going to be a lawsuit.

 

I guess it's just time for something new. That building's been there a long time.

 

You know, if we just keep having to save every old building that some preservationist likes, Houston's going to run out of land. It already costs a fortune to buy a decent, 4,000 sf house inside the loop.

 

I'm normally in favor of saving something old when it can be done, but that thing's just been sitting there for ten years! Imagine what they'd have to do to clean it up.

 

We're not Paris. If people like old things, they can go to Paris. We just don't look like that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Subdude]

+

[arche_757]

If this wasn't true it would be funny.  You hit the badly rusted nail on what used to be the head with that big piece of stone that just fell to the ground, which narrowly missed the pedestrians that would otherwise have been there except that they weren't because they were driving by in their Yukon admiring what used to be.

[cloud713]

http://swamplot.com/stone-panel-leaps-to-montrose-blvd-sidewalk-from-former-skybar-balcony/2011-11-14/

this.. were not making this crap up.

[arche_757]

oh look, it's the preservation twins!

 

I'll wear that as a badge of honor.

 

Good thing the rest of you live in Houston.  You'll get to see so many other buildings that could be preserved and remade into something useful get demolished over the years to come.

[arche_757]

And I should add:  I would probably sing the same tune as you guys/girls if we didn't have so much available empty land all over town - including Downtown.  If we had the density of New York or San Francisco or even Baltimore I would be in favor of removing old buildings here and there.  It is just that we don't have that many buildings that are older than 1970 in this town.  And the ones that have survived will be heralded as historic pieces worth preserving just like we bemoan the demolitions of Victorian age buildings today to our children.

 

I'm sorry that some of you are so short sigthed that you fail to see that.  Let me get out of the way while you "Build Paradise".

 

I'm also a bit perplexed at the loss of the Glassell School, but the MFAH at least builds quality buildings, and they don't want to buy an existing historic church and bulldoze that to build an extension to their musuem.  Oh well.  Thankfully in the process there will be an empty parking lot that will go away.

[H-Town Man]

Buildings like this

 

 

this

 

and this

 

need to be answered for. 

[Ross]

What were those buildings?

[H-Town Man]

First was Medical Arts building, 1215 Walker, now a surface parking lot.

 

Second was the Majestic movie theater, 908 Rusk.

 

Third was the Ursuline Academy in Galveston.

 

[Montrose1100]

That last guy and I have ESPN. I was browsing over photos of The Shard in London and thought how not every small building is worth the save. Look at Canary Wharf, once industry now commerce. Paris, however, is on the further end of the spectrum. Everything must be saved including every last brick. Houston would be the complete opposite on that spectrum. We can tear down anything and replace is with whatever with little to no red tape. Our city is so young and we have SO MUCH land. The landscape is actually quite atrocious, the only thing we have going for us greenery.

 

While I do stand to say that not everything should to be torn down, I often have to remind myself that one day something spectacular could fill it's place.

[arche_757]

I've heard conflicting reports about this. At least one source has said that although it was damaged, this was used more as an excuse to tear it down than the real reason.

Well, the hurricane greatly damaged the structure and the Catholic Diocese wanted to get rid of it - so problem solved.

 

And of course not every old building should be saved.  There are some that aren't worth saving, but saving the majority of our already slim pickings of historical (or soon to be) buildings is a goal the city should strive for.  We have so few as it already is, why further limit ourselves and destroy buildings that add character and appeal to a neighborhood?

[mkultra25]

Second was the Majestic movie theater, 908 Rusk.

 

Isn't that actually the Metropolitan? 

 

http://www.cinemahouston.info/palaces.shtml

 

The destruction of the "big 3" downtown theaters has to rank near the top of the list of the greatest losses to Houston architecture. 

[htownproud]

Isn't that actually the Metropolitan? 

 

http://www.cinemahouston.info/palaces.shtml

 

The destruction of the "big 3" downtown theaters has to rank near the top of the list of the greatest losses to Houston architecture. 

Not sure, but the Majestic is still downtown.  It is a venue for parties and weddings.  Of course folks on these boards never let facts get in the way of a good argument.  

[H-Town Man]

Not sure, but the Majestic is still downtown. It is a venue for parties and weddings. Of course folks on these boards never let facts get in the way of a good argument.

You are thinking of the much smaller Majestic Metro. This was the Majestic, demolished in 1971.

[H-Town Man]

Isn't that actually the Metropolitan?

http://www.cinemahouston.info/palaces.shtml

The destruction of the "big 3" dow

ntown theaters has to rank near the top of the list of the greatest losses to Houston architecture.

That picture is classed with the Majestic at cinematreasures.org. Unfortunately there is no direct link; you have to navigate their tabs. Either way they were both torn down.

[Subdude]

I might add that one reason given for the demolition of the Medical Arts building was that portions of the facade were falling off and endangering pedestrians.  As it happens, there was also facade damage to the Texas State Hotel on Fannin (you can still see the broken finials in front).  Nevertheless, it was eventually renovated to the current Guest Quarters Hotel.

 

Of the buildings pictured, the Loew's State and Metropolitan Theaters, and the Medical Arts building, were torn down to make way for surface parking.

 

 

 

[H-Town Man]

Found a second source to corroborate mkultra25's link, so the theater pictured was indeed the Metropolitan, 1018 Main (Lamar Hotel block), demolished 1973.

 

Its neighboring movie palace at the Lamar Hotel, the Loew's State, was apparently also destroyed in the early 70's, and a decade later the hotel that had housed them was wiped clear by Hines for surface parking.

 

A good photo of the two in their twilight:

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lastpictureshow/3730781225/

 

The Majestic is a puzzler, since there was indeed one at 908 Rusk (next to 806 Main, soon to be a Marriott), and other sources show one in the Chronicle building before it was renovated in the 70's. Which one was the famous "atmospheric" palace that changed how movie theaters were built across America?

 

 

[LTAWACS]

I'll wear that as a badge of honor.

Good thing the rest of you live in Houston. You'll get to see so many other buildings that could be preserved and remade into something useful get demolished over the years to come.

Wait a minute... where are you?

... Dallas?

[arche_757]

Wait a minute... where are you?

... Dallas?

 

Nope.  Galveston.  I'm born and raised in Houston and lived previously (before my suburban move south) over near West University Place.

 

[mkultra25]

Found a second source to corroborate mkultra25's link, so the theater pictured was indeed the Metropolitan, 1018 Main (Lamar Hotel block), demolished 1973.

 

Its neighboring movie palace at the Lamar Hotel, the Loew's State, was apparently also destroyed in the early 70's, and a decade later the hotel that had housed them was wiped clear by Hines for surface parking.

 

A good photo of the two in their twilight:

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lastpictureshow/3730781225/

 

The Majestic is a puzzler, since there was indeed one at 908 Rusk (next to 806 Main, soon to be a Marriott), and other sources show one in the Chronicle building before it was renovated in the 70's. Which one was the famous "atmospheric" palace that changed how movie theaters were built across America?

 

Very nice photo. 

 

The Majestic on Rusk was Eberson's first fully-realized "atmospheric" theater. There is fairly extensive coverage of it (including pictures of the interior) and the two earlier Majestics which preceded it in the Cinema Houston book. 

 

Regarding the timeline for the three Hoblitzelle-operated Majestics, there's also this summary from Cinema Treasures (http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/1672/comments):

 

The first Majestic in Houston opened in 1905 on Congress Ave. That location was closed when the Majestic on Texas Ave opened, in 1911. In 1923, the Majestic on Rusk opened and the Texas Avenue Majestic was renamed the Palace. All three Majestics were operated by Karl Hoblitzelle’s Interstate Theatres.

[GoodToBeMe]

Nope.  Galveston.  I'm born and raised in Houston and lived previously (before my suburban move south) over near West University Place.

 

 

Sorry.