Gulf Building At 712 Main St.

[editor]

I got a nice letter today from the daughter of the man who built the Gulf sign that used to be on the Gulf building. Amazingly, the company is still in business and doing stuff that you would recognize every day like the Metro bus shelters and the Dynegy sign. There's even a picture of the old Gulf sign on their web site. Pretty neat.

[TJones]

I would write her back and tell her she might want to consider taking down the enron picture, off the website.

[brucesw]

The Gulf lollipop! I love it.

That sucker was huge .

There needs to be a museum for these sorts of relics - the Gulf sign, the throbbing, er, blinking ball atop the Continental building, the Indians atop Bill Williams , plus relics of by-gone Houston commerce such as Cheek-Neal's Maxwell House Coffee, Duncan's Admiration Coffee, Magnolia's Wamba Coffee, the various beers that have been brewed here, etc.

[CE_ugh]

The Gulf lollipop! I love it.

http://www.houstonian.freeservers.com/hist...1-1945/gulf.jpg

That sucker was huge .

There needs to be a museum for these sorts of relics - the Gulf sign, the throbbing, er, blinking ball atop the Continental building, the Indians atop Bill Williams , plus relics of by-gone Houston commerce such as Cheek-Neal's Maxwell House Coffee, Duncan's Admiration Coffee, Magnolia's Wamba Coffee, the various beers that have been brewed here, etc.

It now is a part of some barn somewhere in Texas. That about the extent of knowledge that anyone has of its whereabouts

[Heights2Bastrop]

I worked for Gulf for a year from '67-'68. The very first day on the job, there were bad storms in Houston and reports of tornados. Some of us from the reproduction department went up on the roof to check it out, so I got to see the sign up close.

It was pretty neat, but what struck me was the bad smell on the roof. I looked around and noticed numerous dead birds. The only thing I could figure is that they died from flying into the sign.

[EastEnd Susan]

I remember sitting in class at Austin High school on Dumble watching the Gulf sign and wishing I was anywhere but in class.

[Ashikaga]

The Gulf lollipop! I love it.

That sucker was huge .

There needs to be a museum for these sorts of relics - the Gulf sign, the throbbing, er, blinking ball atop the Continental building, the Indians atop Bill Williams , plus relics of by-gone Houston commerce such as Cheek-Neal's Maxwell House Coffee, Duncan's Admiration Coffee, Magnolia's Wamba Coffee, the various beers that have been brewed here, etc.

In my opinion, one of the biggest mistakes ever made by an advertising agency was when Gulf ran a slogan that called its fuel: "The Gas With Guts".

[dbigtex56]

In my opinion, one of the biggest mistakes ever made by an advertising agency was when Gulf ran a slogan that called its fuel: "The Gas With Guts".

How....flatulent.

[Ashikaga]

How....flatulent.

I remember Enco/Esso's (now Exxon) slogan: "Put A Tiger In Your Tank". At least that didn't sound as bad as Gulf's.

[nmainguy]

I remember a while back someone proposed putting up alot of the old neon signs that have since been removed along a stretch of Shepard Drive around Alabama. I think there was a rotating piano that was at H&H Music on the SW Freeway, the weather ball, the Gulf sign [even though it was 8 stories tall!] and a few others. They wanted to get a variance from the city since it's illegal to have rotating and blinking signs anymore. I never heard anything else about it...

[WTx]

I'm not one that subscribes to tallest is always best. Nobody can argue that Houston has some really nice towers and the Bank of America is a jewel among the newer buildings. However, I have always been a fan on the 10's, 20's, and 30's buildings. The Gulf Building is one of my Houston favs. Anybody have any day and night pics of the building??

[Montrose1100]

I'm not one that subscribes to tallest is always best. Nobody can argue that Houston has some really nice towers and the Bank of America is a jewel among the newer buildings. However, I have always been a fan on the 10's, 20's, and 30's buildings. The Gulf Building is one of my Houston favs. Anybody have any day and night pics of the building??

Taken by me:

Found:

[WTx]

Thanks Montrose!!!! I really like old/new reflection pics that highlight onld and new. I love the reflection picture!!

[emil76]

Here is a night pic of the Gulf I took during the World Series games, sorry I haven't edited it yet.

[editor]

[mike1]

Interesting pictures. Does anyone know if this building used to have a sign on the top of it, perhaps in the '50's or '60's? If so, does anyone have a picture? I've heard that it used to have a circular rotating sign on top and was referred to as "The Lollopop." Pilots used it to navigate at night. The story sounds plausible, but is just bizarre enough that it could be an urban myth.

[bachanon]

link

see link for explanation

[mike1]

link

see link for explanation

Thanks for the link. I'm glad to know someone wasn't pulling my leg. I must not look that gullible after all!!!

[gto250us]

the following is from a souvenir booklet designed for the opening of the Gulf Building in 1929.

Houston's Official Air Beacon

Four hundred fifty feet above the street level is mounted the Jesse H. Jones Aeronautical Beacon. This is the Houston air mail beacon authorized and approved by the United States Department of Commerce. Utilizing twenty-three thousand candle power, this light is visable on clear nights for a distance of fifty miles. Two shafts of light are incorporated into the scheme, one of fifteen thousand candle power, pointing vertically into the heavens and another of eight thousand candle power, sending a horizontal beam towards the Houston airport. The searchlights are equipped with an automatic device which changes globes in case of burned-out filaments, so that light is constant between sunset and sunrise.

The general arrangement of exterior floodlighting for the edifice utilizes two hundred thirty-two projectors distributed between the twenty-second floor and the top of the building, bathing it in a clear white light which brings into strong contrast the carvings and ornimentation of the upper thirteen stories of the structure, The whole plan provides for a distribution of twelve million six hundred thousand candle power.

The booklet also says that ground was broken in late summer 1927 and first tenants, Sakowitz Bros., moved in on 16 Apr 1929.

[mike1]

I did some research and found something on the Gulf Building Sign in the Houston Chronicle archives. Quite an interesting history, and quite contraversial at the time, it seems. Here's the link:

http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive....id=2001_3296980

[Subdude]

I did some research and found something on the Gulf Building Sign in the Houston Chronicle archives. Quite an interesting history, and quite contraversial at the time, it seems. Here's the link:

http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive....id=2001_3296980

Thanks for the link. That was an interesting article. I know the sign was considered garish at the time, but I really wish it had been kept. It would make a nice local landmark.

[gnu]

Here is a small pic from an ebay auction. you can see the gulf sign on top of the bldg. in the pic on the map.

[mike1]

Here is a small pic from an ebay auction. you can see the gulf sign on top of the bldg. in the pic on the map.

Thanks for the pic. It does kind of look like one of those old timey gas pumps with the big orange sign on top. Good idea or bad , it must have been quite a sight in its day!

Edited January 14, 2006 by mike1

[gnu]

Thanks for the pic. It does kind of look like one of those old timey gas pumps with the big orange sign on top. Good idea or bad , it must have been quite a sight in its day!

It was definately one of those things kids look for when you are going by downtown.

I always had to look at it just like the flying eagle on the budweiser plant.

i can remember the center white section of the Gulf sign being out at one time and I used to think it looked like a hamburger. I am sure I rattled endlessly about this to my parents. Kids

[Ashikaga]

It was definately one of those things kids look for when you are going by downtown.

I always had to look at it just like the flying eagle on the budweiser plant.

i can remember the center white section of the Gulf sign being out at one time and I used to think it looked like a hamburger. I am sure I rattled endlessly about this to my parents. Kids

All of those skyscrapers in Downtown Houston naturally contain many offices. Offices are mostly for businesses. Are there enough businesses that occupy at least half of all of those offices? Or are most of the offices in the building vacant?

[DMac]

All of those skyscrapers in Downtown Houston naturally contain many offices. Offices are mostly for businesses. Are there enough businesses that occupy at least half of all of those offices? Or are most of the offices in the building vacant?

I recently had access to the 46-47 Morrison & Formy City Directory and as best I can remember I counted ALL the tenants of the Bldg. @ that tyme and the # was approx 855 for the 37 flrs.

Amazing thing about those old reference sources if they listed tenants for ALL floors in ALL Bldg's downtown. You wont't find that kind of data today. Probably sum'n 2 do w/homeland security.

Also since most Bldg's had additional entrances on more that one street they too were list @ the cross street addy.

[Ashikaga]

I recently had access to the 46-47 Morrison & Formy City Directory and as best I can remember I counted ALL the tenants of the Bldg. @ that tyme and the # was approx 855 for the 37 flrs.

Amazing thing about those old reference sources if they listed tenants for ALL floors in ALL Bldg's downtown. You wont't find that kind of data today. Probably sum'n 2 do w/homeland security.

Also since most Bldg's had additional entrances on more that one street they too were list @ the cross street addy.

When I worked for a geographical firm, a house/building was identified by what street the front door was on. The back and side doors weren't to be noted on my report.

[MidtownCoog]

Here is a night pic of the Gulf I took during the World Series games, sorry I haven't edited it yet.

Very Nice.

I have a similar shot, not nearly as pretty, taken from the top of 1001 McKinney garage.

[Gary]

I've got a couple of nice ones but don't have them downloaded yet. Here's one that I think I stole from Red (not sure). It's from a distance but looks great with all the density around it.

[Ashikaga]

I remember sitting in class at Austin High school on Dumble watching the Gulf sign and wishing I was anywhere but in class.

Over here, there is now starting to be some consistency and a little less confusion. Here's the way that I've understood the chronological sequence. Gulf became Chevron as a result of a merger. Then Chevron merged with Texaco. Then Texaco merged with Shell.

Now over here, the Texaco stations changed their name to Shell. But some of the Conoco stations are now Texaco. Now I've noticed that what used to be Chevron stations are now Shell. How can Texaco now be at those former Conoco stations if Shell bought it out? Now, it's consistent if all of the former Chevron and Texaco stations all become Shell. What were Diamond Shamrock stations are now called Valero.

Is something similar to all of this happening in Houston?