McCrory Building At 1000-1010 Prairie St.

[Htowngirl]

Mercury Room/Boaka Bar closed down like a year ago(?)... Has anything been done with the space? It is (was?) a gorgeous venue, it's a shame it's just sitting there.

http://images.clubzone.com/company/images/1798/1.jpg

http://images.clubzone.com/company/images/1798/2.jpg

http://images.clubzone.com/company/images/1798/3.jpg

[bkjones98]

Just a guess, but if the bar closed because the entity was liquidated, I can imagine that all the furniture and things were either sold off so satisfy debts or repossessed by their seller. Either way, I bet the place is pretty much empty now. That place was pretty nice though.

Edited January 17, 2008 by bkjones98

[IntheKnowHouston]

There was a thread for the McCrory Building in downtown Houston ( 1000 Prairie St -1010 Prairie St ), but I am unable to locate it. It may have been one of many threads from C&G wrongly deleted.

 

In any case, I hope it's fine if I create a new thread for the McCrory Building.

 

As many of you know, Company of Nomads announced the relocation of its downtown restaurant the Oyster Bar at Prohibition and burlesque venue Prohibition. The news also included the relocation of the subterranean food hall Conservatory. The food hall, along with the other businesses are relocating to East Village in EaDo, replacing Chapman & Kirby which will close sometime in February.

 

Here is the link to the Houston Chronicle article with the announcement and further details:

 

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/entertainment/restaurants-bars/article/Ambitious-new-food-hall-projects-slated-for-EaDo-14937598.php

 

Edited July 11, 2022 by IntheKnowHouston

[IntheKnowHouston]

Another food hall is moving into the subterranean space vacated by Conservatory, 1010 Prairie St. I heard about this prior to Company of Nomads' big announcement, but didn't believe it. However, social media pages created this week cements the rumors.

 

The food hall replacing Conservatory in the McCrory Building is Underground Hall.

 

 

https://undergroundhall.com

 

https://instagram.com/undergroundhalldowntown

 

https://facebook.com/undergroundhall

[jermh]

Good news! Now I'm curious if it will somehow incorporate the former prohibition space. I walked by last weekend, and workers were re-configuring the patio fencing at ground level to join the two areas. Previously the railing was separating the outdoor seating between the two establishments.

[H-Town Man]

I hope they don't change too much about the interior of Conservatory, I rather liked it. Strange that a food hall would just up and move like that, but I guess a food hall is just essentially another restaurant when it comes to leasing space in a building.

 

[LBC2HTX]

1 hour ago, H-Town Man said:

I hope they don't change too much about the interior of Conservatory, I rather liked it. Strange that a food hall would just up and move like that, but I guess a food hall is just essentially another restaurant when it comes to leasing space in a building.

 

I believe the owners of Finn Hall also own the conservatory. So my guess is they wanted to avoid cannibalization.  

[dbigtex56]

6 hours ago, IntheKnowHouston said:

The food hall, along with the other businesses are relocating to East Village in EaDo

'EaDo' is bad enough, but 'East Village', too? Seriously?
I suppose I should be grateful they're not calling it the French Quarter, but still. This is overreaching to a ludicrous extent.

[Texasota]

I think it's actually Bravery Chef Hall that they own. Which is... a very short walk. 

[LBC2HTX]

8 minutes ago, dbigtex56 said:

'EaDo' is bad enough, but 'East Village', too? Seriously?
I suppose I should be grateful they're not calling it the French Quarter, but still. This is overreaching to a ludicrous extent.

East village is just the name of the development. 

[H-Town Man]

10 minutes ago, LBC2HTX said:

I believe the owners of Finn Hall also own the conservatory. So my guess is they wanted to avoid cannibalization.  

 

Of course it's just getting replaced with another food hall there, but I could see if they were negotiating leases for multiple locations with the same operator, the operator wouldn't want them too close together.

 

[dbigtex56]

Thanks for the explanation.
There's been a trend of naming neighborhoods to make them seem more "New York-y" that I find unsettling.

It's a relief to know the name is confined to one building, and that we're not expected to believe that Alphabet City has somehow miraculously been transported to Houston.

[BeerNut]

56 minutes ago, dbigtex56 said:

Thanks for the explanation.
There's been a trend of naming neighborhoods to make them seem more "New York-y" that I find unsettling.

It's a relief to know the name is confined to one building, and that we're not expected to believe that Alphabet City has somehow miraculously been transported to Houston.

 

We should just go back to Ward designations...

[Twinsanity02]

7 hours ago, dbigtex56 said:

Thanks for the explanation.
There's been a trend of naming neighborhoods to make them seem more "New York-y" that I find unsettling.

It's a relief to know the name is confined to one building, and that we're not expected to believe that Alphabet City has somehow miraculously been transported to Houston.

Houston does seem to have a New York fixation in the naming of areas.

[IntheKnowHouston]

On 1/17/2020 at 8:52 AM, jermh said:

Good news! Now I'm curious if it will somehow incorporate the former prohibition space. I walked by last weekend, and workers were re-configuring the patio fencing at ground level to join the two areas. Previously the railing was separating the outdoor seating between the two establishments.

 

CultureMap announced the news yesterday afternoon and has additional details.

 

https://houston.culturemap.com/news/restaurants-bars/01-17-20-underground-new-food-hall-downtown-daut-elshani

 

[TheSirDingle]

Website:https://www.undergroundhall.com/

 

The new food hall, Underground hall, features 5 food vendors and a bar (1 or 2 idk). 

Hotline Burger: Established in 2019, it's a take on the smash burger way of cooking some patties, and damn does it look good. They started out as a tent with a portable griddle, and decided it was time for a full fledged food stall. Never had a smash burger before, but it looks like a pretty damn good burger. 

 

Wokker: An interesting combination of Asian and Texan cooking techniques, one could say Tex-Asian. Wokkin the streets of Houston since 2014, and started by a 2010 UH grad. This Fusion of Asian and Texas cooking looks like a match made in heaven (also it's also in the ballpark of comfort food 😋). Hoping to try this one soon. 

 

Don Juan Tacos and Ceviche: A more than just average taco stop, Don Juan provides a large variety of delicious tacos and Ceviche. I haven't seen much on these guys yet, but their food looks pretty good. 

Their instagram: https://picpanzee.com/donjuan_h

 

Treacherous Leches: A favorite returning from the long beloved conservatory, Treacherous Leches will make even the sweetest of teeth awestruck. If you want some sweets, and are looking for a low price, convenient store this is they place for you. 

 

Crisp: An italian favorite from the Heights, with a pizza sauce recipe reaching back generations. Crisp offers a selection of pizza, pasta, salads, and more (hopefully they have their wine and beer at this location too). Overall looks pretty good, and hopefully strays true to the original in the Heights. 

 

Pretty good lineup from the looks of it, i'm definitely going to try Wokker and their cowboy katsu. The hole that once was conservatory has now been filled 🥳. 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 12, 2020 by TheSirDingle

[jermh]

Oh yeah, I've been to this since it re-opened. It's almost the same as it was during it's life as the conservatory, but with a new wood ceiling and bad caricature murals above the entry stairs. It's probably more of a my own internalized "oh no, change!" reaction to the changes rather than them really being out of place. 

 

Everything that used to be dark gray or black colored paint wise is now white. The arcade games are gone, but the back bar had a bigger, and welcome in my opinion, selection of local beers on tap. I tried an IPA by Brash there for the first time, and it was pretty good. Obviously most of the food vendors are new, but I think it's the same taco place that replaced El Burro & The Bull shortly before conservatory closed and it's for sure the same Tres Leches place. I'm happy this is open again. 

Edited March 12, 2020 by jermh

[IntheKnowHouston]

I don't know if anyone knew of the ongoing thread about developments at the McCrory Building (1004-1008 Prairie St) or not. But there were discussions specifically about this building in the thread titled "Downtown Restaurant and Bar Scene - More Coming."

Here are the posts from that thread pertaining to this property:

 

On 2/9/2022 at 7:01 PM, jermh said:

The old Prohibition location on prairie next to Underground Hall (formerly The Conservatory) is becoming Hamburger Mary's from Montrose.

 

On 2/10/2022 at 5:55 AM, HoustonMidtown said:

https://www.outsmartmagazine.com/2022/01/hamburger-marys-houston-closes-after-nearly-five-years/

 

On 2/13/2022 at 10:35 PM, j_cuevas713 said:

Wait so does this mean they are leaving Montrose all together?

 

On 2/15/2022 at 2:06 PM, corbs315 said:

Yeah they closed

 

On 2/15/2022 at 2:09 PM, j_cuevas713 said:

Yes but are they leaving the neighborhood all together or just relocating within Montrose?

 

On 2/15/2022 at 4:12 PM, HoustonMidtown said:

From a few posts up:

 

The old Prohibition location on prairie next to Underground Hall (formerly The Conservatory) is becoming Hamburger Mary's from Montrose.

 

On 2/16/2022 at 12:14 PM, j_cuevas713 said:

GREAT LOCATION!!! 

 

[IntheKnowHouston]

Food truck BunSlut / Bun Slut is one of the newest vendors at Underground Hall.

BunSlut announced the news earlier this month on their social media platforms. The burger restaurant opens at 1010 Prairie St in December.


https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck6CjA-uf8z/

https://www.instagram.com/p/ClEjzJijSfQ/

https://www.undergroundhall.com/bunslut/