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The Downtowner Co. Map Guide Publisher


DMac

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of a 1940 street guide of the central core of of downtown bounded by the big bayou to the north, Clay on the south, Austin to the east & Bagby/I-45 to the west.

Really kool map guide as it gives names of ALL known merchants @ that time + several Corp's announced plans to build high rise Bldg's. Can you just imagine the research that went into making this guide map?

Earlier in the summer sum young lad had loaded a portion of this map to this group & I can't remember his name @ the moment.

A couple of Q's @ this time if I may. Does anyone remember this {The Downtowner} Company ? As tyme permits next time sum one is @ the Julia Ideson research enter may I request a quick look up of a specific address in either Morrison & Fourmy's or Polk's City Directories for the year 1940?

.

I found the guide quite by accident last week while do'n some research on street maps for Houston @ the univerisity {Steen} library. SO I had a copy made to keep here @ my desk for reference. They also offered to make a digital CD & next time I'm in there I may look into cost and if not prohibitive may get one made so I could share w/the group. You have to see this map guide to appreciate its value as a research source.

It would be interesting to learn if they continued to publish them, espically if they expanded the area east to Charters, & south to include TMC, Hermann Park & Rich University w/its 11 named colleges on campus.

Respectfully

Danny

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of a 1940 street guide of the central core of of downtown bounded by the big bayou to the north, Clay on the south, Austin to the east & Bagby/I-45 to the west.

Really kool map guide as it gives names of ALL known merchants @ that time + several Corp's announced plans to build high rise Bldg's. Can you just imagine the research that went into making this guide map?

Earlier in the summer sum young lad had loaded a portion of this map to this group & I can't remember his name @ the moment.

A couple of Q's @ this time if I may. Does anyone remember this {The Downtowner} Company ? As tyme permits next time sum one is @ the Julia Ideson research enter may I request a quick look up of a specific address in either Morrison & Fourmy's or Polk's City Directories for the year 1940?

.

I found the guide quite by accident last week while do'n some research on street maps for Houston @ the univerisity {Steen} library. SO I had a copy made to keep here @ my desk for reference. They also offered to make a digital CD & next time I'm in there I may look into cost and if not prohibitive may get one made so I could share w/the group. You have to see this map guide to appreciate its value as a research source.

It would be interesting to learn if they continued to publish them, espically if they expanded the area east to Charters, & south to include TMC, Hermann Park & Rich University w/its 11 named colleges on campus.

Respectfully

Danny

It sounds like you are talking about Bracey's Block Maps which looked like this:

braceys.jpg

You can find most of the same stuff in Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, but neither of these go past the 40-50s

Edited by isuredid
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No it is not Bracey's Block map altho I sure wish it hap the applicable # for each block. And I am familiar w/Sanborn's map[s. This appears to be sumthing that a cartographer put together showing each merchant/company for approx 125 blocks.

BTW if I amy ask, what is your source for the Bracey map in your post? I'd like v ery much to research some of those for an ongoing project of family property geneology.

Respectfully

Danny

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No it is not Bracey's Block map altho I sure wish it hap the applicable # for each block. And I am familiar w/Sanborn's map[s. This appears to be sumthing that a cartographer put together showing each merchant/company for approx 125 blocks.

BTW if I amy ask, what is your source for the Bracey map in your post? I'd like v ery much to research some of those for an ongoing project of family property geneology.

Respectfully

Danny

The usual suspects can be rounded up for the source of the Bracey's Block Map/books. The Texas Room at Julia Ideson downtown.

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Shame on me for using the words I-45. For the time period in question I should have stated Houston ave.

As regards "Downtowner" I believe I asked about "The Downtowner Co." who was the architec/publisher of the map guide.

Respectfully

Danny

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  • 2 months later...
Wow. There was a hospital and a dairy by Continental Center!

That was Downtown Memorial Hospital, the original flagship of what is now the Memorial Hermann Hospital system. My baby brother was born there in 1956.

Downtown Memorial was closed and the property sold in 1979. The same block is now occupied by the 1100 Louisiana building.

Edited by FilioScotia
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  • The title was changed to The Downtowner Co.
  • The title was changed to The Downtowner Co. Map Guide Publisher

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