sevfiv Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 I'm looking for what these series of buildings were originally - all were built in about 1965 and all designed about the same. Does anyone know what these were? Or have access to a 1965/1966 city directory? There are additional locations at 1636 Gessner, 4615 Bell Park, and 12760 Memorial. TIA! 9803 Stella Link: 1007 Edgebrook: 14615 Hiram Clarke: 8631 Martin Luther King: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 They were dry cleaners. If memory serves, the name was Oriental Cleaners. The one on Memorial is still a cleaners; the Baskin Robbins across the parking lot has also been in the same place since the mid 60s. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 (edited) There's another one on North Shepherd towards I45. It looks closed. I ll try to remember to get an address the next time I drive by. Edited March 9, 2016 by Ross 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted March 9, 2016 Author Share Posted March 9, 2016 Thanks everyone! Here's the Chimney Rock location: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 There was an Oriental Laundry and Cleaners incorporated in 1960, so the timing is right. I can see where they probably thought that the roof design was vaguely Asian, so Mollusk's guess seems very reasonable. Remember there was that tiki thing going on at the time. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted March 10, 2016 Author Share Posted March 10, 2016 12 minutes ago, ArchMemoH said: the bellaire @ belle park location is remodeled, someone on the alief facebook group page told me Yeah, just a remnant of the roof line at that location.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marmer Posted March 10, 2016 Share Posted March 10, 2016 I saw a similar cleaner building on Cullen south of 610 this morning. Roofline was similar in angle and scale but the Oriental detailing, such as it is, was absent. Could be coincidence; not sure. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 The one on Shepherd is at 5210 North Shepherd and is owned by the Fingers. It looks like it used to be a Pilgrim. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucesw Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 North Braeswood @ Stella Link - similar but just a coincidence? This one was a bike shop for a while but before that, 10 years ago or so, it was a Pilgrim. It would make sense if it was another dry cleaning establishment before that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted March 14, 2016 Author Share Posted March 14, 2016 3 hours ago, brucesw said: North Braeswood @ Stella Link - similar but just a coincidence? This one was a bike shop for a while but before that, 10 years ago or so, it was a Pilgrim. It would make sense if it was another dry cleaning establishment before that. Interesting - I have seen that place for the past 20+ years and didn't think about it, but I can totally see it. Edit -- just looked it up - in 1970 it was a Dobb's House restaurant. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucesw Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 (edited) 32 minutes ago, sevfiv said: Interesting - I have seen that place for the past 20+ years and didn't think about it, but I can totally see it. Edit -- just looked it up - in 1970 it was a Dobb's House restaurant. That probably was the original incarnation then. I've been making occasional visits to Three Brothers across the bayou since the early 70s, driving down Stella Link from visiting relatives in West U, but I'm drawing a blank on it as a Toddle House. Edited March 14, 2016 by brucesw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purpledevil Posted March 17, 2016 Share Posted March 17, 2016 On Saturday, March 12, 2016 at 3:39 PM, Ross said: The one on Shepherd is at 5210 North Shepherd and is owned by the Fingers. It looks like it used to be a Pilgrim. For many years it WAS a Pilgrim Cleaners, which I assumed is what it originally was built as. After Pilgrim closed up shop there, it took on the more generic "North Shepherd Cleaners" name and continued operating for another couple of years. It is currently vacant and the last business that occupied it, I believe, was a low end used car lot. 5210 North Shepherd was still a fully functioning Pilgrim within the last 10 to 15 years. I pass that building just about every day...and it's still appalling to me that Chirp's greasy fried rice goodness is no longer available right down the street. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle C Posted March 21, 2016 Share Posted March 21, 2016 The one on Edgebrook was also a cleaners when I moved to the neighborhood in 1972. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djrage Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 On March 7, 2016 at 11:32 AM, sevfiv said: I'm looking for what these series of buildings were originally - all were built in about 1965 and all designed about the same. Does anyone know what these were? Or have access to a 1965/1966 city directory? There are additional locations at 1636 Gessner, 4615 Bell Park, and 12760 Memorial. TIA! 9803 Stella Link: 1007 Edgebrook: 14615 Hiram Clarke: 8631 Martin Luther King: I asked about these buildings a few years back here. I wondered if they were from a chain of chinese restaurants at one time. Looks like that thread is long gone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djrage Posted March 25, 2016 Share Posted March 25, 2016 There's one on Wirt Rd just south of Long Point also: see here: https://goo.gl/maps/FNraqXuwKRn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted March 26, 2016 Author Share Posted March 26, 2016 ^Thanks, that's on the list too, and also was a One Hour Martinizing in the 1970s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purpledevil Posted March 26, 2016 Share Posted March 26, 2016 Have you received a pic of 5210 N. Shepherd yet, sevfiv? If not, I live right down the road from it. I'll pull over and snap one for you when I pass by it tomorrow. I've got to make a trip down to O'Reilly for an oil pressure switch on my truck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted March 26, 2016 Author Share Posted March 26, 2016 10 hours ago, Purpledevil said: Have you received a pic of 5210 N. Shepherd yet, sevfiv? If not, I live right down the road from it. I'll pull over and snap one for you when I pass by it tomorrow. I've got to make a trip down to O'Reilly for an oil pressure switch on my truck. It is on my list but haven't made it there yet - that would be great! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purpledevil Posted March 26, 2016 Share Posted March 26, 2016 5210 North Shepherd Drive Inside and out... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted March 27, 2016 Author Share Posted March 27, 2016 Oh, thank you! If you're cool with me using them, let me know how you'd like credit to read (info@arch-ive.org). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purpledevil Posted March 27, 2016 Share Posted March 27, 2016 Please use them as you wish, and you're most certainly welcome. I don't really care about being personally credited, sev. Make them your own. To me, it's just a small token of my appreciation for the website and my fellow HAIFers. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marmer Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 Regency Auto Repair and Body Shop at 6935 Almeda Road looks similar with the roofline and the rock corners. But it might just be a coincidence. The "Oriental" detailing is conspicuously absent. https://www.google.com/maps/@29.7008952,-95.3863702,3a,37.5y,105h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sIzCuAzpB1-ZjNaDVIxm3Ew!2e0!5s20151001T000000!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted June 2, 2016 Author Share Posted June 2, 2016 ^Thanks! Looks like that place is a little older than the rest and was Select Beauty products originally. It would be interesting to see what it looked like pre-garages.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 16 hours ago, marmer said: Regency Auto Repair and Body Shop at 6935 Almeda Road looks similar with the roofline and the rock corners. But it might just be a coincidence. The "Oriental" detailing is conspicuously absent. https://www.google.com/maps/@29.7008952,-95.3863702,3a,37.5y,105h,90t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sIzCuAzpB1-ZjNaDVIxm3Ew!2e0!5s20151001T000000!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1 The stone walls are a nice period touch. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted June 2, 2016 Share Posted June 2, 2016 That's a pretty standard steel framed building shape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted August 23, 2016 Author Share Posted August 23, 2016 Hi all - it looks like the Memorial Sav-On (most recently A-1 Cleaners; 12748 Memorial Dr.) has been or will be torn down very soon. If anyone has any pictures or can get one in time, I'd be forever grateful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted September 5, 2016 Author Share Posted September 5, 2016 On 8/22/2016 at 8:30 PM, sevfiv said: Hi all - it looks like the Memorial Sav-On (most recently A-1 Cleaners; 12748 Memorial Dr.) has been or will be torn down very soon. If anyone has any pictures or can get one in time, I'd be forever grateful! I made it by last week and it was long gone. Salvaging Street View images instead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EspersonBuildings Posted January 2, 2017 Share Posted January 2, 2017 I remember the one on Hiram Clarke was an Oriental Dry Cleaners. In later years it became a funeral home, I think it still might be. Thanks for the picture! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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