Memories Of Texas Medical Center

[Subdude]

Indeed. I do have interior photos I posted earlier, but the link appears to be broken. I had already promised someone else to repost it when I get back.

[JLWM8609]

Looking at that map, it seems as if US 59 was routed through the south side of Houston on Fannin, down Holcombe for a bit and eventually down S. Main to Rosenberg. But I thought US 59 was multiplexed with O.S.T. through the Riverside area down to S. Main before the freeway was built. Maybe I understood it wrong. Was Fannin and S. Main north of OST "Bus. US 59" while OST itself was "US 59"?

[sevfiv]

Looking at that map, it seems as if US 59 was routed through the south side of Houston on Fannin, down Holcombe for a bit and eventually down S. Main to Rosenberg. But I thought US 59 was multiplexed with O.S.T. through the Riverside area down to S. Main before the freeway was built. Maybe I understood it wrong. Was Fannin and S. Main north of OST "Bus. US 59" while OST itself was "US 59"?

funny enough, i was wondering about 59, too - i was scanning a postcard of the St. Francis Motel and the address was 90A at Highway 59 (today we know it as 3615 OST, near Tierwester). i'll have to dig up some old maps.

Edited August 29, 2007 by sevfiv

[tmariar]

Looking at that map, it seems as if US 59 was routed through the south side of Houston on Fannin, down Holcombe for a bit and eventually down S. Main to Rosenberg. But I thought US 59 was multiplexed with O.S.T. through the Riverside area down to S. Main before the freeway was built. Maybe I understood it wrong. Was Fannin and S. Main north of OST "Bus. US 59" while OST itself was "US 59"?

I think so - isn't that what this 1952 map shows?

[JLWM8609]

I think so - isn't that what this 1952 map shows?

Yes, that's what I thought. That other map of the current Medical Center area from the early 50's was a bit deceiving as it has S. Main and part of Fannin listed as just "Hwy. 59", not US or Business.

[plumber2]

That map is great, but why is US 75 shown in two locations, North Sheperd and Airline? Shouldn't one of these had been marked Business or Alternate?

[57Tbird]

Wow, fantastic photo!

Would someone mind posting an editing version of this photo showing the various landmarks than can be identified? That would be really cool. I always have a hard time figuring out what's what on these aerial photos...

I thought I would take a stab at adding names that I know and some I think I know. With the original poster's (Earlydays) permission, and with his help on some of the names, I am putting it up again with names at the bottom of the photo. I guess I am limited to the file size that's shown here, because the one I uploaded was about 1 MB. and you could zoom in for more detail than the final zoom allowance here shows. The numbers on the photo are small because I didn't want them to override the picture. Hope you can read them OK.

Please help out with names that have question marks and with any other buildings you might know that aren't numbered. I will add them.

[Subdude]

Cool, thanks 57Tbird!

6 was the Post/Shell Bldg/Magnolia Hotel. The dark building at the bottom was the Rossonian.

7 I think is Texaco

8 Medical Arts

9 Cottton Exchange?

10 Petroleum Building

13 Union Station

21 I believe was the Montrose Apartments

[OldHouseLover]

I guess a persons memory can forget local's in 60 plus years. but that must be the one.

Could there be a pic in Haif somewhere?

Valian's Restraunt was behind the APC building [Adams Petroleum]. Great food too!

[plumber2]

#41 (Bill Williams Restaurant looks to be about the spot were the now vacant Crowne Plaza Hotel and Wells Fargo Bank Building are located. The Crowne Plaza will be imploded Nox. 11th and the bank building soon after to make way for the new Texas Children's Matenrity Center.

[57Tbird]

Cool, thanks 57Tbird!

6 was the Post/Shell Bldg/Magnolia Hotel. The dark building at the bottom was the Rossonian.

7 I think is Texaco

8 Medical Arts

9 Cottton Exchange?

10 Petroleum Building

13 Union Station

21 I believe was the Montrose Apartments

I think #13 is a little too far to the west to be Union Station, if you count the blocks from Fannin. Union Station is on Crawford. The Church of the Annunciation, also on Crawford, is directly south across Texas from Union Station, so US would be partially hidden by the church... if that's the church. OTOH, #15 may be too far to the east to be on Crawford. It looks like there is a steeple there, so that's why I thought it might be the COTA. Also, Union Station is only four stories high, and #13 looks more than that. Opinions, please?

A maps.live.com link won't work here. If you use IE, go to the maps.live.com site and Birds-Eye View the area to the South of Minute-Maid Park. You can see the location relation between the old Union Station and Church of the Annunciation.

Re #21... Earlydays said he and his wife remembered that structure as a very elegant 1920

Edited September 23, 2007 by 57Tbird

[roym]

Fantastic effort 57TBird!! Fascinating to be able to better visualize where everything was!

[Vertigo58]

Fantastic effort 57TBird!! Fascinating to be able to better visualize where everything was!

Exactly! My eyes are dried out now. Visine?

[contessabp]

Am currently researching Texas Medical Center area during the late 1940s and early 1950s for a book. Am very interested in downloading the early photo of S. Main & Fannin, but am unable to accomplish this because the complete file is missing, according to HAIF electronic response to my attempts. Could you please direct me to the complete file or repost the original? Thank you very much.

[57Tbird]

Am currently researching Texas Medical Center area during the late 1940s and early 1950s for a book. Am very interested in downloading the early photo of S. Main & Fannin, but am unable to accomplish this because the complete file is missing, according to HAIF electronic response to my attempts. Could you please direct me to the complete file or repost the original? Thank you very much.

I think the original poster, Earlydays, might need to give permission and receive credit should he wish. With his permission, I have added building names that are known by myself, Earlydays, and other HAIF'ers. I have some more names, but have not updated. I have done some work with Photoshop to remove some minor imperfections in the photo from the original. If Earlydays gives his permission for its use, I can furnish you with the large file, modified photo, with or without building names.

[Earlydays]

I think the original poster, Earlydays, might need to give permission and receive credit should he wish. With his permission, I have added building names that are known by myself, Earlydays, and other HAIF'ers. I have some more names, but have not updated. I have done some work with Photoshop to remove some minor imperfections in the photo from the original. If Earlydays gives his permission for its use, I can furnish you with the large file, modified photo, with or without building names.

Yes, you have my permission to use the photo.

[contessabp]

Yes, you have my permission to use the photo.

Thank you very much for allowing my use of your photograph of South Main and Fannin. Please let me know the correct wording for the credit.

[NenaE]

Had to resurrect this topic, to draw attention to these aerial maps & photos that 57Tbird originally posted. I joined this forum years after many HAIFers, and continue to find good information. I've never seen some of these places before. Just what I needed to find the exact location for The Tidelands Moter Inn. The address on the postcard says 6500 South Main. GoogleEarth takes you further down S. Main, but it's actual location is seen in the maps. Corner of S. Main & University.

As I read in earlier posts, the inn had a third floor added later, with those '60's style arches. Was a popular place, with a nightclub, and all. Says the pool had a "wading pool with an elevated waterfall and underwater music". Cool! The style reminds me of the lanai addition to the Shamrock Hilton. Wish I could have seen these places. The Tidelands sign seems eerily familiar to me, guess I remember it from my youth.

There was also a Galveston hotel sitting on the seawall with the same color scheme, the bldg. shape was curved around a pool. Blue, yellow, orange colors come to mind.

[Earlydays]

Had to resurrect this topic, to draw attention to these aerial maps & photos that 57Tbird originally posted. I joined this forum years after many HAIFers, and continue to find good information. I've never seen some of these places before. Just what I needed to find the exact location for The Tidelands Moter Inn. The address on the postcard says 6500 South Main. GoogleEarth takes you further down S. Main, but it's actual location is seen in the maps. Corner of S. Main & University.

As I read in earlier posts, the inn had a third floor added later, with those '60's style arches. Was a popular place, with a nightclub, and all. Says the pool had a "wading pool with an elevated waterfall and underwater music". Cool! The style reminds me of the lanai addition to the Shamrock Hilton. Wish I could have seen these places. The Tidelands sign seems eerily familiar to me, guess I remember it from my youth.

There was also a Galveston hotel sitting on the seawall with the same color scheme, the bldg. shape was curved around a pool. Blue, yellow, orange colors come to mind.

Our family stayed at the Tidelands in the July of 1963, when we moved back to Houston after living overseas for 5 years.

[Fringe]

I understand the Tidelands Motor Inn had a club and a lot of big time performers played there in it's early days. An interesting tidbit: The Smothers Brothers debut album "The Smothers Brothers At The Purple Onion" was actually from a recorded show at the Tidelands because their Purple Onion recording had to many sound problems.

I never went to the Tidelands when it was a hotel but went there a lot while Rice used it as a it's graduate apartments. And I monitored it's tear down about 5 years or so ago (lots of asbestos). It was in pretty bad shape by then.

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[sevfiv]

There is an old Tidelands bin floating around Rice University:

..and another postcard:

[Highrise Tower]

Found this artsy, drawing post card on Ebay.  Pretty cool! Never even seen this before.

St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital
Texas Children's Hospital
Texas Heart Institute
Operated jointly in the Texas Medical Center
Houston

 

[Highrise Tower]

Here's the Texas Medical Center logo back in the 1970s.  This was when the governing body was called Texas Medical Center, Inc.

[Highrise Tower]

I was invited to a dinner party tonight. The person hosting is a manager at Anderson.

I brought up the pink stone that MD Anderson likes to use on their buildings. She said Anderson used to teach, in orientation, the story about Monroe Anderson's trip to the Arizona mountains.  Monroe Anderson's discovered some pink rock during his trip to Arizona, and that's the beginning of the story about the pinkish stone used throughout their TMC medical campus.

I've also been told, again, that Pisters is a real down-to-earth guy. He's the President, but likes to act and walk around, like a normal guy.

[Highrise Tower]

The original 7200 Main plot!

Picture taken September 10, 1947.

I know Joseph Finger designed two homes near there. Could this be them? They may have been across the street.

[Highrise Tower]

Another 7200 Main view. wow!!  I believe a few decades later, a pair of medical/office buildings were built.  Then demolished so the St. Nicholas School could be built. Now that the school has been demolished we are awaiting the next chapter of 7200 Main.

Whose mansion is on the far left? It has some type of gate, where as the others do not.