gonzo1976 Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 Anyone know what's going on behind the Lyric Centre, Smith and Preston? Just heard from a friend of mine who said he saw some interesting things while crews were doing work in the parking lot. He says crews were digging and found what he says is the basement to the old Brazos Hotel. Apparently, workers found bathtubs, two large boilers and ornamental ironwork. I went by early Tuesday morning and saw some type of underground concrete structure that could appear to be a basement. There were some windows facing west. Why a basement would have windows is beyond me, though. It seems like the original building was bulldozed, but the basement remained intact and was paved over. By the time I took some pictures early Wednesday morning, work crews had put up some wood to protect the windows, I guess. Sorry for the poor image quality. http://img340.imageshack.us/img340/3338/undergroundeb8.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nativehou Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 Apparently, workers found bathtubs, two large boilers and ornamental ironwork.Urban archaeology. I love it! There must be some other cool stuff down there, too. Let us know if you find out more.Does anyone have a photo of the old hotel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicman Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 Urban archaeology. I love it! There must be some other cool stuff down there, too. Let us know if you find out more.Does anyone have a photo of the old hotel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 The second Brazos Hotel was at the northwest corner of Preston and Smith, behind where the Lyric building is now. It was originally the Tel-Electric building. It was demolished in 1980. Here it is: The original Brazos hotel shown above was demolished to make room for a larger train station. Is the photograph of the northwest corner of that block? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gonzo1976 Posted June 21, 2007 Author Share Posted June 21, 2007 Is the photograph of the northwest corner of that block?Yep. You can see the Hogg Building in the back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnfinley Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 That's awesome! Thanks for the pictures and story. I wonder what they'll do with the stuff that was found in the basement? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 that is really neat - for clarification, this is from the second incarnation of the brazos? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roym Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 interesting....very interesting. Thanks for the topic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 It's not surprising that there are windows buried there. The land in that whole area was raised at one time and all the 2nd stories of the buildings became the ground floors. If you go to the Spaghetti Warehouse and walk around the sidewalk you can look down into light wells next to the building that go down to what used to be the ground floor (now the basement). There's a few old buildings in that area that are like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 that is really neat - for clarification, this is from the second incarnation of the brazos?Correcto. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gonzo1976 Posted June 21, 2007 Author Share Posted June 21, 2007 I have a feeling the workers are going to do what they need to do, then pave it over again. I'm not sure how much is really down there.I wonder. Is it common (when razing a building for a surface parking lot) to just level the building without consideration for any sub-ground structures? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 Yep, I think so. When they excavated the 1000 Main block for the Reliant building the foundations of the Lamar Hotel and C&I buildings were clearly visible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FilioScotia Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 (edited) There were some windows facing west. Why a basement would have windows is beyond me. How big are the windows? Are they regular size? Or small and narrow? Many 19th and early 20th century buildings had basements with ceilings that were slightly above street level, to accommodate transom type windows near the ceiling, that could be opened for ventilation. That's also why old buildings and houses also had transoms over the interior doors -- for ventilation. In days of old, all houses and buildings were built with ventilation in mind. It's how they survived before air conditioning was invented. Edited June 21, 2007 by FilioScotia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 I need to check this out. Basement windows don't appear to be visible in the picture of the hotel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnfinley Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 In the postcard, you can't see windows. However, on the right hand side of the pic (before you get to the car) there is some sort of railing that could be possibly going around a light well. The railing could possibly be blocking off a set of stairs that lead to the basement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gonzo1976 Posted June 21, 2007 Author Share Posted June 21, 2007 The windows appeared to be regular size. They may end up not being windows, but they sure appeared as windows to me.It's just odd that the windows were oriented the way they are. Looking at the picture, you see that the windows weren't facing the street. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houston1973 Posted June 22, 2007 Share Posted June 22, 2007 The windows appeared to be regular size. They may end up not being windows, but they sure appeared as windows to me.It's just odd that the windows were oriented the way they are. Looking at the picture, you see that the windows weren't facing the street.From the book Houston A chronicle of the Bayou City page113 it has a picture of the dining are of the Brazos Hotel. it doesnt state the year but is quoted...."With music provided by a small chamber group on the balcony, the group dining in the outsied dining area at the brazos Hotel ws capable of dealing with the extremes of the Houston summer. "The picture looks more like a courtyard .Im going to see if i can take a look after work Friday and maybe take a closer look or ask around. ill post my pics here for all to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnu Posted June 22, 2007 Share Posted June 22, 2007 (edited) From the book Houston A chronicle of the Bayou City page113 it has a picture of the dining are of the Brazos Hotel. it doesnt state the year but is quoted...."With music provided by a small chamber group on the balcony, the group dining in the outsied dining area at the brazos Hotel ws capable of dealing with the extremes of the Houston summer. "The picture looks more like a courtyard .Im going to see if i can take a look after work Friday and maybe take a closer look or ask around. ill post my pics here for all to see.Maybe a rooftop courtyard? Edited June 22, 2007 by gnu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted June 22, 2007 Share Posted June 22, 2007 From the book Houston A chronicle of the Bayou City page113 it has a picture of the dining are of the Brazos Hotel. it doesnt state the year but is quoted...."With music provided by a small chamber group on the balcony, the group dining in the outsied dining area at the brazos Hotel ws capable of dealing with the extremes of the Houston summer. "The picture looks more like a courtyard .Im going to see if i can take a look after work Friday and maybe take a closer look or ask around. ill post my pics here for all to see.That would have been the outside dining area of the original Brazos Hotel that overlooked Buffalo Bayou. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted June 22, 2007 Share Posted June 22, 2007 (edited) here are a couple more pictures - would have been neat to see before the wooden covers were placed. also curious what became of the tubs and ornamental work... Edited June 22, 2007 by sevfiv Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ttuchris Posted July 1, 2021 Share Posted July 1, 2021 There were two Brazos hotels. https://blog.chron.com/bayoucityhistory/2012/01/a-gathering-at-the-hotel-brazos/ "The hotel was razed in the early 1930s to make way for the Southern Pacific Station, which itself was torn down in the 1960s to make way for the post office. Another Hotel Brazos was built on Preston behind what’s now the Lyric Centre, but it wasn’t as successful." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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