tomtex Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 I was involved in the demolition of a seafood restaurant on South Main Street (near the South Loop) in 1996. The restaurant probably dated from the 1930's. The building had a very large crab sculpture on the roof. I rescued several gas light fixtures from the building prior to its demolition and am trying to authenticate their age. I am looking for the name of a seafood restaurant or any other information about it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomtex Posted January 31, 2016 Author Share Posted January 31, 2016 I was involved in the demolition of a seafood restaurant on South Main Street (near the South Loop) in 1996. The restaurant probably dated from the 1930's. The building had a very large crab sculpture on the roof. I rescued several gas light fixtures from the building prior to its demolition and am trying to authenticate their age. I am looking for the name of a seafood restaurant or any other information about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronTiger Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Gaido's sounds like it. It later moved to Galveston. I think someone posted a picture of it once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronTiger Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Here we go: http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/uploads/monthly_07_2014/post-12498-0-67007400-1405264308.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronTiger Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Duplicate post, answered it here: http://www.houstonarchitecture.com/haif/topic/33141-seafood-restaurant-on-south-main-1940/?p=524508#entry524508 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpaceGhost Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 I had no idea Gaido's ever operated in Houston! My family preferred the formerly cheaper Casey's however. Trying to look up info on the Houston location proves to be confusing. It seems that a bunch of different family members operated restaurants under the Gaido's name across Houston and Galveston. Some info seems to support the idea that, the original Gaido's (as we all know it now) opened in the 40's on South Main, and after a few years, one of the partners sold their shares and opened the Galveston location. No idea when the S. Main location closed however, pictures that look like they're from the 80's or 90's exist. Interesting side note: A copy-cat version of the Cowboy Shrimp stood out in Richmond, next to some giant, often abandoned seafood restaurant for years. http://americathroughrickseyes.com/shrimp1.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue92 Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 Gaido's sounds like it. It later moved to Galveston. I think someone posted a picture of it once. Gaido's was in Galveston before it was in Houston. The Houston restaurant was their 2nd restaurant. I think Playland Park had something to do with Gaido's deciding to open it's Houston location were it did just across the street from the park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tumbleweed_Tx Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 I don't think the cowboy shrimp was a copy cat, it appeared right about at the same time the first one went away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucesw Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 (edited) Gaido's dates back to 1911 in Galveston. Christie's is another seafood restaurant that started in Galveston and later established an outpost in Houston. Christie's had several locations run by different family members from what I've read, I don't know about Gaido's. Edited January 31, 2016 by brucesw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronTiger Posted January 31, 2016 Share Posted January 31, 2016 I can't find when Gaido's South Main closed. Best I can find is an article from 1995 that indicates Christie's and Gaido's had been gone for a while (by 1995). When the Red Lion closed last year, it was nearly the last holdout of the South Main restaurant row. Just as it had introduced Houston to a taste of Britain with roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, years earlier Valian's had been one of the first pizza places. A bit farther out, Gaido's and Christie's were the Gulf Coast seafood favorites. Who remembers which had the giant shrimp wearing a cowboy hat? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earlydays Posted February 1, 2016 Share Posted February 1, 2016 My wife and I had dinner there on our first wedding anniversary in 1968...... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highrise Tower Posted August 10, 2022 Share Posted August 10, 2022 From an add in the Southwestern Times magazine dated November 1944. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted August 10, 2022 Share Posted August 10, 2022 Gaidos was directly across Main from Playland. This is from 1944 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highrise Tower Posted September 5, 2022 Share Posted September 5, 2022 Found an add in University of Houston's The EXtra publication dated March 12, 1949. Gaido's Famous For Seafoods 9200 S. Main, -M-2-444- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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