brhaltx Posted January 12, 2014 Share Posted January 12, 2014 Has anyone seen any references to, or photos of, the Interurban Buffet (a bar) on Texas Avenue across from the Rice Hotel? I'm not sure when it opened; probably in the 1920s, and was in business until at least 1942. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 According to the ad at this linkhttp://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth230015/m1/6/ the Interurban Buffet was a 1007 Texas (and had famous chili, cold drinks and sandwiches). This would have been in the old Binz Building, across Main from the Rice. You can see a picture of the baseball team they sponsored at this linkhttp://abt-unk.blogspot.com/2013/09/sentimental-sunday-charles-guokas-jr.html I have a copy of a 1940 detailed downtown map. I'll check this evening to see if this place was still in business then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brhaltx Posted January 14, 2014 Author Share Posted January 14, 2014 Thanks for the info. My Googling hadn't turned up anything. I know the family; the chili recipe has been lost. But definitely didn't have beans. There may be a picture of the interior; I'm not sure about the exterior. Thanks for checking the map. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted January 14, 2014 Share Posted January 14, 2014 The Interurban Buffet isn't shown on the detailed 1940 map. Presumably then it went out of business sometime in the 1930s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brhaltx Posted January 15, 2014 Author Share Posted January 15, 2014 Thanks for checking. I thought I'd heard that it was open through 1942 or so; the owner died in 1941, but had a brother who may have taken over. I'll have to plan a trip downtown to the library; I presume that the library has city directories somewhere... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 In the 1939 and 1941 directories, it's at 810 Fannin, I don't see it after that, but the 1942 scan on Ancestry is missing a bunch of pages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brhaltx Posted January 15, 2014 Author Share Posted January 15, 2014 Thanks Ross. I was about to post that the blogger mentioned above (huge thanks for her for that and other research) found it at 810 Fannin in the 1937, 1939, 1940, and 1942 directories.Now to find a picture of that address.. I did find another picture of the Binz building (1925, I think) from down the street that shows a Buffet sign on the front of the Binz building. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted January 15, 2014 Share Posted January 15, 2014 On the 1940 map the 810 Fannin location is just marked "Buffet". This occupied the middle third of the small building that was between Stower's Furniture and the Hotel Cotton (later Montagu), a very small footprint. It is interesting that the Binz Building retail spaces all faced out to Main Street, while the Interurban Buffet had a Texas Ave address. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brhaltx Posted January 16, 2014 Author Share Posted January 16, 2014 Do you know the name of the 810 Fannin building? I can upload the Binz picture (taken from down the street, not a direct shot of the front). I tried to upload the photo, and it seemed to upload, but the photo didn't show up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Sorry, don't know the name of that building. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purpledevil Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Wasn't the name of 810 Fannin, the Fannin Bank Building? I am on the mobile site, and don't see a place to attach a picture that I have. You are talking about the glass sided building with the white ends, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 Wasn't the name of 810 Fannin, the Fannin Bank Building? I am on the mobile site, and don't see a place to attach a picture that I have. You are talking about the glass sided building with the white ends, right?Not in 1940. I twas altogether different then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brhaltx Posted January 17, 2014 Author Share Posted January 17, 2014 It was the Bond Department Store in 1940. But if that building was built in 1940... Or, maybe I'm misreading that in the link; maybe it was built between 1940 and 1949. http://arch-ive.org/archive/bond-department-store/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brhaltx Posted January 18, 2014 Author Share Posted January 18, 2014 I found a picture of the building at 810/812 Fannin in 1913; it was the "Bryan Hall" building at that time. I haven't found anything else about it, but that may be the correct building, if the Bond building was built sometime in the 1940s. (Could be why the Interurban Buffet closed; the owner died in 1941, his brother probably kept it open until the building was torn down.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rnwerner Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 I checked the Binz Building in a couple of 1929 sources I own. I have the Houston page from the 1929 Nirenstein's Preferred Business Real Estate Atlas Of US Cities. The Interurban Cafe. is shown at 1007. Is it possible that the cafe might be short for cafeteria? Did the name change at some point to Interurban Buffet? I also have the 1929 edition of Bracey's Block Maps which is less informative by only listing the owners, not any of the businesses. I'll try to find my references from the 1940's and see if they have more information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brhaltx Posted January 21, 2014 Author Share Posted January 21, 2014 Interesting. I don't think it was ever called Interurban Cafe. Everything I've seen listed it as Interurban Buffet or The Interurban Buffet. But... Since I've heard that it was essentially a bar that served food, what did they do during prohibition? Guess you'd have to at least make it look like you were making your money by selling good. Someone looked it up in the city directories for me; it's in 1915, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1932, 1936 as Interurban Buffet on Texas. 1937, 1939, 1940, and 1942, it's Interurban Buffet at 810 Fannin. I'm guessing that it closed in 1942 or 1943, but I'm not sure about that. I think that's what I was told. Your pictures are interesting, mainly because of P. Wolf/P.Wolff. Charles P. Wolff was an owner/partner in The Interurban Buffet until 1928; he died in 1933. Thanks for checking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronTiger Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 Fascinating, I love these old Sanborn Fire Insurance-type maps that show everything in extremely detailed ways that showcase businesses that are completely forgotten today. There was a Weingarten next to it (undoubtedly one of the very first ones in the chain--the first one opened in 1901 in downtown Houston and the second around 1920), which now seems to be a parking garage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riofriotex Posted January 22, 2014 Share Posted January 22, 2014 I'm the blogger and researcher referred to in earlier posts in this topic. I did some more research today in Ancestry.com and I thought I posted, but I see it's not here. Rats. I don't have time to do the research again so I'll try to summarize. An Allright Auto Park was at 1005-1007 Texas in both the 1940 and 1942 criss-cross directories, so it would not surprise me if that address is a parking garage today. I misspoke on the Interurban Buffet listing in the 1942 city directory. It was actually a listing for Ada Gibbs that noted she was the widow of Hugh Gibbs of the Interurban Buffet. Instead, an American Grill restaurant was at 810 Fannin in 1942. So, if Gibbs' brother took it over, it looks like he changed the name. I don't think the Bond Department Store building was constructed in 1940; I think it was earlier than that. Prior to 1940, the business I am finding at 811-813 Main was Rolle-Jewett & Beck men's wear, as early as September 1929 (per an ad in the Rice Thresher). 811 and 1/2 Main is listed in the 1936 directory as the Rolle-Jewett & Beck building, with office space (most vacant) on the 2nd & 3rd floors. By May 1940 they had moved to Main at McKInney (per another Rice Thresher ad) and it looks like Bond's took over their old building. This would make sense since the Interurban Buffet was on the back (Fannin Street) side of the building in 1937. Interestingly, in the same 1936 directory listed above, there was a Bond Mtge (mortgage?) company at 811-813 Main along with Rolle-Jewett and Beck men's furnishings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brhaltx Posted January 23, 2014 Author Share Posted January 23, 2014 Hello riofrio. Riofriotx found all of the directory listings I mentioned above, along with the Thresher ads and more. Those city directories seem to be a pain to search... Ada Gibbs was Hugh's wife. The brother was Henry, born in 1892. I think he died in 1953. His residence in 1953 is listed as Galveston. I don't know what he did after the Interurban Buffet. I think that the Bond Building on Fannin could be the same as the Bryan Hall building, since both were 3 stories... Why tear one down (that looked good to me) to build another one of the same size? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brhaltx Posted January 23, 2014 Author Share Posted January 23, 2014 And, yes, I think 1007 would be an/the address for the current Binz building's parking garage. An Allright Auto Park was at 1005-1007 Texas in both the 1940 and 1942 criss-cross directories, so it would not surprise me if that address is a parking garage today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 I'm the blogger and researcher referred to in earlier posts in this topic. I did some more research today in Ancestry.com and I thought I posted, but I see it's not here. Rats. I don't have time to do the research again so I'll try to summarize. An Allright Auto Park was at 1005-1007 Texas in both the 1940 and 1942 criss-cross directories, so it would not surprise me if that address is a parking garage today. I misspoke on the Interurban Buffet listing in the 1942 city directory. It was actually a listing for Ada Gibbs that noted she was the widow of Hugh Gibbs of the Interurban Buffet. Instead, an American Grill restaurant was at 810 Fannin in 1942. So, if Gibbs' brother took it over, it looks like he changed the name. I don't think the Bond Department Store building was constructed in 1940; I think it was earlier than that. Prior to 1940, the business I am finding at 811-813 Main was Rolle-Jewett & Beck men's wear, as early as September 1929 (per an ad in the Rice Thresher). 811 and 1/2 Main is listed in the 1936 directory as the Rolle-Jewett & Beck building, with office space (most vacant) on the 2nd & 3rd floors. By May 1940 they had moved to Main at McKInney (per another Rice Thresher ad) and it looks like Bond's took over their old building. This would make sense since the Interurban Buffet was on the back (Fannin Street) side of the building in 1937. Interestingly, in the same 1936 directory listed above, there was a Bond Mtge (mortgage?) company at 811-813 Main along with Rolle-Jewett and Beck men's furnishings. Interesting. In the 1940 "Downtowner" map the Bond Building location is shown as Hidary & Bijou on the Main Street side, and on the Fannin side the Buffet, a shoe store, and WJ Howard. Presumably the map was drawn up prior to the May 1940 acquisition by Bond. Looking at the scale, the Interurban Buffet could not have been much more than a lunch counter. Many of the downtown shops were incredibly long and narrow by today's standards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brhaltx Posted January 27, 2014 Author Share Posted January 27, 2014 There's a photo of the interior of the original Interurban Buffet in 1933; it was pretty small even then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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