Gragg Building At 2999 South Wayside Dr.

[MidtownCoog]

The Gragg building comes up from time-to-time. Nice link on the NASA history from the City of Houston Parks and Recreation Department.

http://www.houstontx.gov/parks/images/Parks/Gragg003.jpg

http://www.houstontx.gov/parks/graggflash.html

[isuredid]

This building comes up from time-to-time. Nice link on the history from the COH Park (Green) Department.

http://www.houstontx.gov/parks/graggflash.html

Thanks for posting this. I grew up about 2 blocks away and rode my bike over there many times as a kid to watch the comings and goings. At the time it was Nasa there was a gate with soldiers where the neighborhood ends before S.Wayside passes in front of the building.

I have always wondered who owned that 11 acres behind the building and this posting has given me enough clues to go find out. There used to be a fairly large house on that land. It had a circular driveway lined with Palm Trees. Some of the palm trees are still there. There was a life sized concete deer in front of that house that you could spy through the trees. I always tripped out on that deer as a kid, when passing by in the car.

The old house was abandoned and eventually collapsed, more or less, and had to be torn down. People used to abandon houses all the time back then. You don't see that much anymore.

[Firebird65]

People used to abandon houses all the time back then. You don't see that much anymore.

Maybe because rather than abandon them, they can foist them off on some Carlton Sheets wannabe? LOL!

[MidtownCoog]

I know those palms. I think part of the drive is still there. This was my route to UH in the 90s. I used to see packs of wild dogs there - seriously.

There was debate on this board if this buidling was actually the NASA HQ. I think this link pretty much seals the deal - it was.

[isuredid]

Regarding that house that used to sit on that 11 acre tract, I remember that if you went back a distance in the woods past where the house had sat there were old barbed wire fences and cattle guards so the guy must have had cattle on the land around there at one time. There was an old man you could see sitting out in the front yard sometimes. When he died was when the house was abandoned.

Members of the Kuhlmann family owned a lot of the land around there, but I don't think they had owned that parcel. There is a deep gully right across the road from the Gragg building behind the woods and the neighborhood called Kuhlmann's gully. Some think the Houston toad may still exist down in that gully. I know we found those toads often when I was a kid.

[isuredid]

I went and traced back that 11 acre tract today where the old house had been. This was the most interesting item I ran across. It is an affidavit sworn to by the son of the man who had owned the property. There is a lot of good information in here. He talks about the fences that I remember and some other interesting twists. Those deer I remember seeing as a child were real. Actually I did have memories of seeing real deer, but I believe those were replaced eventually with the concrete deer.

This affidavit was taken when the land was sold to the Gragg family. It started out as 12 + acres, but after some easements had been carved out by the city for roads and sewers it left about 11.5 acres. W.D. York was a partner with the Gragg family and the land he is talking about with the cyclone fence is the Parks Department Land.

[isuredid]

This deed was interesting to me. It has Daniel Shipman granting his labor of 177 acres to Rufus K. Cage. Part of this land became the Parks Department land. Daniel Shipman was an old Texan who first came to Texas in 1822. I found this deed interesting because it says he was residing on this land in 1835, the year before the revolution. I also found it interesting because he sold to Rufus K. Cage. I assume this is the father of Rufus T. Cage for whom the old Cage elementary school was named. You can read more about Shipman at the Texas Handbook Online site:

Texas Handbook Online - Daniel Shipman

[isuredid]

In 1918 Mary E. Harris and her husband George L. Harris purchased the 12 + acre tract. They are the ones that built the house that the Gordon Cleaves McDannald afidavit refers to as an old residence on the property used as an office. The 1930 census shows Mary E. Harris and George L. Harris living on Telephone road with two daughters, Dixie K. Harris-22, and Mary G. Harris-15. George is 62 and Mary is 48.

By 1935 Mary E. Harris was a widow and had sold the land to R.Y. Smith (mentioned in the affidavit) and Arthur T. McDannald. The 11+ acres stayed in the McDannald family until sold to the Gragg family in 1970.

[isuredid]

I went and explored the 11+ acre tract today because it is now part of Gragg Park. Still many remnants of the old McDannald Oil Company. Here is the foundation of the old house that used to serve as the headquarters

Here is the cattle guard that I remembered. That road used to go further back into more woods. Now there is a maintainence facility back there:

Here is a boat shaped pond that looks to still be in decent shape after 40 years

The asphalt road looks like it would still be usable. You can see the palm trees up towards Telephone Road. The road used to be lined with palms, but now there are just a few left. I didn't see any remnants of the old cedar fence that used to surround the property.

[isuredid]

I know those palms. I think part of the drive is still there. This was my route to UH in the 90s. I used to see packs of wild dogs there - seriously.

There was debate on this board if this buidling was actually the NASA HQ. I think this link pretty much seals the deal - it was.

I believe you about the wild dogs. There used to be packs of wild dogs running around in Washington Cemetery in the 80s. Now there are coyotes.

[musicman]

don't know if this will help any but i mentioned this to my dad. he said when he was younger he used to caddy at the golfcrest country club. he would get off the bus at telephone/winkler (near telwink) and walk down Golfcrest to fairway (before 610 was built). the former golf course is now it's hisd's barnett stadium. well anyway...after he was done caddying, many times he and my uncle would go eat at a red bricked restaurant which is where the palm trees are now. he is saying this is about 1950 or so. so it may have been a restaurant at one point.

he said back then wheeler didn't connect to telephone (where the palm trees are. you used to access the restaurant via telephone.

[isuredid]

don't know if this will help any but i mentioned this to my dad. he said when he was younger he used to caddy at the golfcrest country club. he would get off the bus at telephone/winkler (near telwink) and walk down Golfcrest to fairway (before 610 was built). the former golf course is now it's hisd's barnett stadium. well anyway...after he was done caddying, many times he and my uncle would go eat at a red bricked restaurant which is where the palm trees are now. he is saying this is about 1950 or so. so it may have been a restaurant at one point.

Hmmm....I think that building was headquarters for McDannald Oil Company from 1935 to 1965 and then it was torn down, but it was a red brick building. There was a restaurant down the street from there called "The Famous Chicken House" which may have also had palms around it. A lot of those business around there had palms. The Helena Motel down the street also had many palm trees.

When I was a teenager the Golfcrest Country Club had been abandoned and had completely overgrown and gone back to the wild. There was a lot of wildlife back there including rabbits, squirrels, racooons, ducks, etc.. The club house was still there and the swimming pool was growing a green culture and aquatic plants.

Another restaurant close to there was the Galli Spaghetti House. That was closer to Tel-Wink grill and was back in some woods. I thought the woman who ran the place was old back in the 70s, but I think she just died not long ago. I guess when you are a teenager you think everyone over 40 is old.

[musicman]

Hmmm....I think that building was headquarters for McDannald Oil Company from 1935 to 1965 and then it was torn down, but it was a red brick building. There was a restaurant down the street from there call "The Famous Chicken House" which may have also had palms around it. A lot of those business around there had palms. The Helena Motel down the street also had many palm trees.

When I was a teenager the Golfcrest Country Club had been abandoned and had completely overgrown and gone back to the wild. There was a lot of wildlife back there including rabbits, squirrels, racooons, ducks, etc.. The club house was still there and the swimming pool was growing a green culture and aquatic plants.

Another restaurant close to there was the Galli Spaghetti House. That was closer to Tel-Wink grill and was back in some woods. I thought the woman who ran the place was old back in the 70s, but I think she just died not long ago. I guess when you are a teenager you think everyone over 40 is old.

you must be my age cause i remember the golf course as you do. i also remember you could see if from long dr before they built the low income housing.

now my mom's getting involved. they both knew the chicken house place. that is closer to the present day wayside and telephone according to them. he said there was also a theater near there as well (near present day maxwell) but it turned into a club called jimmy or johnny minutes (sp). my mom said that she saw chuck berry perform there in the 50's.

i know the spaghetti house that's on the other side of telwink (towards 610). He said that that's definitely not where he's talking about. he said near the theater there was also a headquarters for an oil company but he said he didn't remember the name.

he said that the people he caddy for would take them to the restaurant in the red brick building right there where the palm trees are currently. on my last phone call he said that he would even bet they served mexican food.

he said the old kmart property (new dollar store) was all woods at this time.

if we go to telwink tomorrow i'll have both of them drive by again to see if it causes any flashbacks.

[isuredid]

you must be my age cause i remember the golf course as you do. i also remember you could see if from long dr before they built the low income housing.

now my mom's getting involved. they both knew the chicken house place. that is closer to the present day wayside and telephone according to them. he said there was also a theater near there as well (near present day maxwell) but it turned into a club called jimmy or johnny minutes (sp). my mom said that she saw chuck berry perform there in the 50's.

i know the spaghetti house that's on the other side of telwink (towards 610). He said that that's definitely not where he's talking about. he said near the theater there was also a headquarters for an oil company but he said he didn't remember the name.

he said that the people he caddy for would take them to the restaurant in the red brick building right there where the palm trees are currently. on my last phone call he said that he would even bet they served mexican food.

he said the old kmart property (new dollar store) was all woods at this time.

if we go to telwink tomorrow i'll have both of them drive by again to see if it causes any flashbacks.

Here...you can show your mom this picture of Jimmie Menutis Club from another thread, and quess who is on the marquee... It was a movie theater before that. Follow that thread down to the Las Vegas Inn...a Mexican Food Restaurant. See if that rings a bell with your Dad.

Tour of Telephone Road

[musicman]

Here...you can show your mom this picture of Jimmie Menutis Club from another thread, and quess who is on the marquee... It was a movie theater before that. Follow that thread down to the Las Vegas Inn...a Mexican Food Restaurant. See if that rings a bell with your Dad.

Tour of Telephone Road

yep the bell is ringing! he said i wasn't listening. LOL. good ole dad. he said the vegas place was next door to the place where the palm trees are currently. i emailed my mom the link and she said she had forgotten about the sam cooke show because she didn't get to go because it was sold out.

[isuredid]

if we go to telwink tomorrow i'll have both of them drive by again to see if it causes any flashbacks.

How is the food at Tel-Wink these days? I was a busboy there for awhile in 1969 when I was 14. If you worked 8 hours you got a free meal, but you were limited to what you could order. Usually just hamburgers or some other sandwitch. They always served "Texas toast" with every meal and that was one of my jobs, to bring folks more bread.

It was an unusual experience for a 14 old because I would work from 6 pm to 4 am on the weekends. The bar crowd would show up shortly after 2 am when all the bars had closed along Telephone, and there were always lots of bars. Women would ask me to meet them after I got off. It didn't seem to matter to them that I was just 14, but I never took them up on their (drunken) offers.

[musicman]

How is the food at Tel-Wink these days? I was a busboy there for awhile in 1969 when I was 14. If you worked 8 hours you got a free meal, but you were limited to what you could order. Usually just hamburgers or some other sandwitch. They always served "Texas toast" with every meal and that was one of my jobs, to bring folks more bread.

It was an unusual experience for a 14 old because I would work from 6 pm to 4 am on the weekends. The bar crowd would show up shortly after 2 am when all the bars had closed along Telephone, and there were always lots of bars. Women would ask me to meet them after I got off. It didn't seem to matter to them that I was just 14, but I never took them up on their (drunken) offers.

it tastes great to me....don't know how they make it with the cheap prices. lines at both lunch and dinner. I don't think any of the current waitresses work as long as you did as a 14 yr old. They just use regular toast now. hrs are now only for breakfast and late lunch (til 3 or 4) . btw my mom said she's going to hunt down a pic of her, chuck berry and a friend of her's from school. evidently he was very willing to take pics with the clientele. in those days she said that was on the "other side of town". she is from the north side. my dad said that he thought johnny minutes was owned by a street boxer/fighter. and during the evenings he was the bouncer.