Houston In The 1950s

[mollusk]

With a bit of the Powerz of the Googlez... http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/topic/9318-alco-fireworks-plant-explosion/

 

1208 Rosine.  Egad.

[gnu]

Yikes.  Does anyone know where this was?

 

from JR Gonzales' History Blog....

 

http://blog.chron.com/bayoucityhistory/2008/07/the-alco-fireworks-explosion-55-years-later/

 

"off Rosine,  between West Dallas and West Clay"

 

Site today:

https://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=1208+rosine+houston,+texas&sll=29.760149,-95.363667&sspn=0.008904,0.018797&ie=UTF8&ll=29.756181,-95.399281&spn=0.002226,0.004699&t=h&z=18

[IronTiger]

They had a FIREWORKS FACTORY in the middle of town, surrounded by houses? Gosh. That sounds like a terrible idea. 

 

Despite that, it seems that it was substantially smaller than the West fertilizer plant explosion six decades later, which happened in a far less dense area but caused far more damage.

[brian0123]

Here's another looking north over the Shamrock Hotel area toward downtown:

http://digitalcollections.smu.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/ryr/id/3045/rec/33

 

Neat!

 

Is that the water treatment plant on S. Braeswood along the bottom of the photo (with Kirby near it)? If so, I think I'm looking at Braeswood and the area at the bottom of the picture is my neighborhood being cleared for development... Knollwood Village?

[Subdude]

I'm just stunned that a fireworks factory could have been sited in a residential neighborhood.  I mean zoning does have some benefits! 

 

 

[Ross]

I knew the \trees came late to the Rice University area, but the picture really shows just how barren Houston was before developers started planting

[OkieEric]

Is that the water treatment plant on S. Braeswood along the bottom of the photo (with Kirby near it)? If so, I think I'm looking at Braeswood and the area at the bottom of the picture is my neighborhood being cleared for development... Knollwood Village?

 

Yes, you are correct.  The western most portion of Old Braeswood there are just the homes off Glen Haven and Blue Bonnet.  Of course, my house is one of the few actually obscured by trees.  We've got a massive willow oak I assumed was planted when the house was built but maybe it's older after all

 

Anyway, Old Braeswood POA has a color aerial of that same area in the mid 50's showing the neighborhood had really filled in to the north around the same time Knollwood Village got going.  I really wish there were some more of those color aerial shots of the area

 

http://www.oldbraeswood.com/images/obair.jpg 

[Michelle C]

At the time we lived in the 1400 block of Lincoln street just a few blocks from the explosion. In 1953 Lincoln ran from Allan Parkway (Buffalo drive) to Westheimer. In later years a curve in Montrose just north of Westheimer  connected to Lincoln street and the name was changed to Montrose. I was only eight years old but I can well remember the explosion, it rattled our windows and shook our house pretty good.

[NenaE]

The wooded area around Kirby and Braeswood hides the Glenn McCarthy mansion. Apartments now occupy the site. The Glen... named streets in the area reflect his presence, along with the Shamrock Hotel, of course. There is a previous discussion on HAIF about the estate.

[ArchFan]

I knew the \trees came late to the Rice University area, but the picture really shows just how barren Houston was before developers started planting

 

Its interesting to see these old photos that illustrate how man has changed the landscape.  I recall seeing old photos in the area of Bellaire near the old Texaco labs that depicted a treeless, rather barren landscape, sparsely crisscrossed by roads paved with (I think) oyster shells.

 

OTOH, there were other areas that were naturally wooded.  The pine trees in Hermann Park are the remnants of the pine forest there.  IIRC, the TMC was carved out of land originally intended to be part of Hermann Park.  Also, awhile back, in another thread, I was surprised to see old photos that revealed pine forest in the east end, more or less in the vicinity south of the turning basin.

 

So ... while some areas have been converted from treeless prairie, others have been stripped bare and populated more sparsely with other types of vegetation.

[de la rosa]

 

User on reddit says the purchaser claims this was a fairly well known Houston couple in the 50s.  Unsure if it's political popularity, entertainment, or just 50s socialites in general.  

[JLWM8609]

The Hobbys?

[Subdude]

Looks older than the 1950s.  Someone like the Holcombes?

[FilioScotia]

Not the Holcombes or the Hobbys.

[FilioScotia]

Any idea where it comes from? Where it's displayed? That info might help ID the couple.

[cspwal]

I feel like I've seen this portrait before...maybe at a library?  I put the image into Google's image matching search and it threw up its hands

[kylejack]

It's not displayed anywhere, it was bought at a garage sale or etc. by the person's friend. It's probably just some random wealthy Houston couple.

[IronTiger]

I'm pretty sure I've seen the man before, probably in a TAMU history book. Was he affiliated with Texas A&M at all, or barring that, the transportation system?

[torimask]

Since the focus of my research is on the South Belt area, most history begins in the mid-60s, but we've attracted enough old-timers who lived first around the Gulfgate and Lawndale areas as well as Pasadena who migrated south with development that I spent some time culling through old yearbook advertisements looking for photographs and addresses of businesses on that side of town. 

 

Here's the little collection, for anyone interested.

 

Any additional info, memories, places I might look into that weren't represented are welcomed.

 

Follow-up post with early-60s ads to come. 

 

http://southbelthouston.blogspot.com/2016/02/houstons-southeast-side-in-1950s-from.html

 

 

[J W]

Wonderful collection !  Just spent 15 mins , of time travel. 

[torimask]

The 1960 - 1965 group here:
 

http://southbelthouston.blogspot.com/2016/02/early-60s-southeast-houston-yearbook-ad.html

[sevfiv]

Neat, thanks! It looks like R's Restaurant on Richey is still there (now a washateria) and the cool service station on Southmore - I'm going to have to check them out!

[torimask]

another round from '38 to '65

 

http://southbelthouston.blogspot.com/2016/02/throwback-houston-yearbook-photos-round.html

 

 

And Alvin 1938 - 1966

 

http://southbelthouston.blogspot.com/2016/02/alvin-high-school-yearbook-review-1939.html

[sevfiv]

The Oasis looked very neat! I wish the address was on it!

[TommyP]

Good pics

[marmer]

The Oasis looked very neat! I wish the address was on it!

 

 

County records show it was 605 N. Gordon.  Intersection of 35 and Highway 6, which makes sense.   The assumed name, Oasis Drive Inn, was withdrawn in 1980 after a series of short term owners and tax liens.  The building at that address now is a tire shop.  It might be the same size but doesn't look like the building pictured.  My guess is that it was torn down or burned down.

[brucesw]

Fascinating stuff.  Thanks for posting all of this.  Even though I wasn't raised in Houston it's fun to look through these and see what was there and what has lasted.

 

In the 1960s thread, I noticed two ads for KIKK during the short period after the adoption of the call letters and before they started using the cowboy boots in their logo.  One looks to be the side of a building, perhaps the studios at 227 E. Sterling? 

 

In the last thread posted I noticed a business card ad for the Kolache Shoppe listing both a location on Telephone Rd. and Richmond.  The history of that business is something I and Harry Johnson (?) of the late b4-u-eat.com had tried to pin down.  The location on Telephone, now known as the Original Kolache Shoppe, was apparently the first in Houston, started by a couple of Czech women in their garage in 1956.  The one on Richmond was believed to have been started by some former employees of the Telephone Rd. store but it seems at one time at least they were co-owned.

 

Re: Brockman's in the Alvin pictures - a small department store chain based in Angleton, I think, with locations also in Freeport and Lake Jackson as I recall. 

 

 

[marmer]

 

 

Re: Brockman's in the Alvin pictures - a small department store chain based in Angleton, I think, with locations also in Freeport and Lake Jackson as I recall. 

 

 

Correct.  They moved from downtown Lake Jackson to Brazos Mall, briefly before closing in the 1980s.    There are mentions of "Brockman and Co." dry goods in Freeport beginning in 1930.  By the mid-60s they had stores in Alvin, Angleton, Lake Jackson, West Columbia, Freeport, and Sweeny, but the family lived in Angleton.  The Lake Jackson store was the authorized dealer for Boy Scout uniforms and equipment when I was of Scouting age.

[Toni]

Wow, WillowBend56 has all the exact same memories I do! My cousins lived on Creekbend in Willowbend subdivision and my grandmother lived at Parkwood Terrace off OST near the Astrodome. In addition to Willowbend’s list I would add my very favorite place, Playland Park, the outdoor concerts in Herman Park, the organ grinder and his monkey outside of Weldon’s Cafeteria on S Main. Having lunch at Sakowitz downtown with a style show (the models would walk around to the tables) and there were these wonderful tiny sweet rolls they’d serve. The mechanical horse ride outside Weingarten’s in the Village. Swimming at the Tidelands Motel and the Shamrock Hotel. Sitting on the second floor windowsill of the Texas Commerce Bank Bldg (?) watching the Houston Livestock Show Parade, and the Livestock Show and,  yes, those wonderful searchlights at night. Galveston - staying at the Galvez, swimming at night with my cousins. Our grandmother watched us so our parents could go to the Balinese Room. The Ferris wheel on the pier. Oh, wonderful memories. Thank you, WillowBend56!