Weingarten's Grocery Stores

[little frau]

Hopefully the building will still be with us. And another welcome to HAIF.

[NenaE]

Snigley,

See Post number 9, sevfiv's on this thread, gives a 1955 listing of Weingarten location's. If it hasn't been torn down, maybe it's one of those. I'd plug in those addresses to search on GoogleEarth for the actual bldg.But it's a time-consuming process.

The building does look very old, one of the first in growing phase (my guess) probably a "closer to downtown" street, probably near produce row, First Ward.

I still know there is a list somewhere, from a directory. Maybe from when we talked about the East End Weingarten's. I'll look there now.

Edited March 11, 2012 by NenaE

[Snigley]

Thanks for the help guys!. Since I've no idea where this building was, looking at the list only gave me a guess. I've also no idea whether or not the building is still standing. I've spent hours trying to research this, but so far I've come up dry.

Edited March 11, 2012 by Snigley

[kylejack]

Could try working it backwards with a process of elimination.

Store No. 14

1100 Quitman St.

demolished

Completed: 1938

Demolished: c. 1970

Architect: Joseph Finger

Store No. 16

4820 Washington Ave.

altered

Current name: Washington Plaza

Completed: 1941

Architect: Joseph Finger

Store No. 21

1102 Telephone Road

altered

Current name: Houston Independent School District Rudy C. Vara Center for Technology

Completed: 1947

http://www.houstonde...weingarten.html

Edited March 11, 2012 by kylejack

[NenaE]

Snigly, I've checked the online directories to 1926, thru Houston Library digital library, no help. article oh Handbook of Texas Online hints it was built shortly after 1926, after store no. 6 was built. . but probably long before 1938 when he had 12 stores. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fwe15 Have more sources to check out, tomorrow morning!

Yes Kylejack, that could help! Thanks, such a good site. I have books to consult, as well.

Edited March 11, 2012 by NenaE

[NenaE]

the bob bailey collection has a few neat older ones (with the weingarten name shown, on buildings and maybe signs):

http://www.cah.utexas.edu/db/dmr/dmr_resul...ed&folder=8

Snigley, have u seen the photos in this collection? See first and third ones...right style bldg., caption says Pasadena location, did ur grandparents live anywhere near there? that could help pinpoint, also the question would be : How many stores were built in that style in that time period, after 1926. The librarians at Pasadena Main Library location, by Foley's, might be able to help verify if it was store 7. They have a great set of archives and old phone books, even if u verify the new store. If it was the Pasadena one, it may have been torn down for the "new and larger" one, heard the Weingartens on Lawndale had that happen. Just an idea. I am only familiar with the store in Pasadena S.Shaver & Southmore as the new design, 1950's. The older one is nicer, IMO.

PS just looked on GoogleEarth w. timeline feature... which reveals that there was no structure at THAT Pasadena location in 1944, but sometime between 1944 and 1953 there was a rectangular bldg. (stand alone) built at S. Shaver and Southmore. Could have had a first location in the older part of Pasadena, first, before these dates.

All speculation, of course. The design still makes me think it's pre 1940's...I'd like to know what year the style dates to.

HAIFers?????

The naming/ signing on the actual building inlay/ facing makes me think...older, like those 4 - plex apartments w/ ladies names inlaid in them.

And of course, THE CARS IN THE PHOTO...what year make and models? this will help pinpoint the year, more than likely the grand opening, Bob Bailey took many commercial, promotional photos.

I just read a Facebook page for previous employees that mentions the South Shaver & Southmore store as #33, another calls it #75, also on eperson calls the Telephone Rd. store as #1. Who knows for sure? we need proof! haha.

I now do believe that Bob Bailey photo would have been a first Pasadena grocery store location located closer to old town Pasadena, there is a structure between Chartres & S. Walter that could have possibly been the location for the first Weingartens BB photo, before Hwy 225 was built, it faces what would have been the major road, very old structure.

Edited March 11, 2012 by NenaE

[gnu]

my '57 phone book says Weingarten's No. 7 was at 5100 Harrisburg.

I believe this is the same building shown in the photo.

That building is still extant and, if memory serves, it won some kind of preservation award in the last 10 years.

It was an HEB until the new Gulfgate store opened and is currently an Autozone.

Edit: HCAD says 1948...but we know they aren't always right.

Edited March 11, 2012 by gnu

[NenaE]

my '57 phone book says Weingarten's No. 7 was at 5100 Harrisburg.

I believe this is the same building shown in the photo.

That building is still extant and, if memory serves, it won some kind of preservation award in the last 10 years.

It was an HEB until the new Gulfgate store opened and is currently an Autozone.

Edit: HCAD says 1948...but we know they aren't always right.

Thank u GNU !

Hoped u would show up with that! My ggrandmother lived near there...nice to know, that's close to the 4 plex w/ the name on it.

Where did u get ur hands on that phone book?

HCAD may actually have the date close to being believable, THIS Time...I usually don't trust them. But the Bob Bailey photo is dated 1949, which I believe is probably a grand opening promotional, or recently built "new store" shot.

Edited March 11, 2012 by NenaE

[NenaE]

http://www.ghpa.org/awards/list.html

yes, Gnu, correct, under year 2007, link above, GHPA preservation award, second line, says dates to 1929, 5104 Harrisburg Blvd.

That date makes more sense to me. I wonder why the 1949 reference fits in, guess when photo was possibly taken...hmmm.

Edited March 11, 2012 by NenaE

[Snigley]

Thanks a ton for all the research assistance! All I had was the photo dated October 1945, but it appeared to be an employee photo, not a grand opening. I had no idea the building would go back to 1929. It was my father's first job after returning from WWII, but I never know the location. I'm going to write this information on the back of the photo so my kids won't have to struggle with this down the road. Again, thanks so much for your help!

[Margo Mitchell]

Marketingwiz you are out of it!! I did not grow up in Houston, I grew up in South Louisiana in the Opelousas/Lafayette area and we had two Weingartens stores. they were huge, clean and had nice old fashion paper bags. One location was at Northgate Mall, it closed in early 1985 when I was 18 but I never remembered it being dirty or understocked. that store had everything we needed and I was almost saddened when it did shut down. The last thing I remember buying there was a couple of 6 packs of Miller Lite beer.

[Margo Mitchell]

I sure wish we still had Weingartens today because I would be shopping for groceries there. The piss poor selections of grocery stores we have in Houston sucks. I will take Krogers or Randells over most since they are long lived chains, but I think the rest of the selection sucks. Food Town is a dump, Fiesta, another dump, Sellers Brothers, crappy selections, Wally World, another dump and if I was going to buy anything there it would definitely have to be pre packaged, I don't like HEB and they should have stayed in the Hill Country. I really miss Pricebusters, don't know why Minimax closed up, Albertsons sucked and I was glad to see them go, never cared much for Safeway, the stores out west are much better anyway. The nearest Target Supercenter is too far away from me to justify making the trip there. Food Fair is boring

[NenaE]

My experience with Weingartens in the 1960's ~ 1970's was always a good one. Huge store, but very clean, nothing out of the ordinary with employees. The Gulfgate and Lawndale stores are the ones I recall. It seemed to me, as a kid, that the Gulgate store (connected to the mall) was much larger than the other one.

Edited October 25, 2012 by NenaE

[luciaphile]

Re post #40: harsh. I worked at Weingarten's for a little while when the store was really on its last legs. For a place that was struggling, it did seem to do as much as possible to discourage commerce.

The particular women I worked with liked to tell me about their lives. They seemed to have entered on a career as checkers after their "titty dancing" days were over (that was how they repeatedly styled it in conversation, I would have been happy with "exotic dancers.") I was unused to being on my feet all day as they were and once fainted dead away. They were very kind to me.

All you obsessively grocery-shopping guys would not have liked Weingarten's -- it was pretty much the opposite of Walmart. Mind, I've long since mastered the art of offering sweet, smiling, and where necessary obsequious 'customer service,' but in retrospect I find Weingarten's disinterest in it hugely appealing.

[billyf]

My dad worked for Purolator armored car service back in the mid 70s here in Houston. He used to pick up money for many of the Weingartens stores. One day his partner was shot in the face in an armed robbery. My dad stayed in the back of the truck and reported what was happening. His name was in the paper and he got some award for remaining calm in a crisis. I was just a baby at the time. I only remember going in a Weingartens store once with my mom and our next door neighbor. It was located on Little York and I-45 at 440 W LITTLE YORK RD. Its a Food Town today.

Edited October 26, 2012 by billyf

[Firebird65]

I only remember going in a Weingartens store once with my mom and our next door neighbor. It was located on Little York and I-45 at 440 W LITTLE YORK RD. Its a Food Town today.

Are you talking about the Food Town where the Big Texan Lanes bowling alley used to be? If so, I don't think that was ever a Weingartens. Before it was Big Texan Lanes it was a department store called Grants. Closest Weingartens was in Northline Mall, I believe.

[billyf]

Are you talking about the Food Town where the Big Texan Lanes bowling alley used to be? If so, I don't think that was ever a Weingartens. Before it was Big Texan Lanes it was a department store called Grants. Closest Weingartens was in Northline Mall, I believe.

You probably remember better than me. I remember going there and I know it was in that area, but could have been in Northline. HCAD says that 440 W Little York was built is 1970 and was owned by WEINGARTEN RLTY INV #0950. Of course they could have just been leasing the building.

[luciaphile]

I just remembered it wasn't a Weingarten's at all - it was a Lewis & Coker. My memory has never been sharp. Sorry, carry on.

[scrubba]

I used to shop at the wiengartens store located in the then Little York shopping plaza at little York and North Freeway. In it was a DPS, Big Texan Bowling and the grocery store . My business was located directly behind the D P S parilel parking slot . Id eat lunch and watch thes people try and put their "Puny lil cars in a 25 foot space , what fun that was on a hot day ! scrubba

[scrubba]

Note to Billy, the Wiengartens was a Wiengartens from when I leased there , ( 1976- 1983 ) . Big Texan lanes was opposite of the grocery store and the DPS was net door to the bowling alley with a Walgreens liquour and drugstore , a Radio Shack and a couple of other sores I don't remember . Out in the front of the parking lot , there was a Tenneco gasoline station too.

On looking at a recent Google Map, looks as though a lot got torn down from when I left the area in 1984. The North Freeway Business park is still behind the shopping plaza , but I'm told everyone I remember from that time i no longer there .

[rrrich7]

definitely a Weingarten's at Hillcroft and Beechnut - it's where my family did our grocery shopping.

[IronTiger]

Weingarten's was long gone by the early 1990s (closed and bought by Safeway in the mid-1980s).

The "red dot" was probably the result of Grand Union's buyout of the store for a few years.

[GEM]

:600 Lockwood,Corporate headquarters,warehouse,bakery,mailroom etc.........

[IronTiger]

Was that their old warehouse that burned down in a 1994 fire, then?

[BelindaMata]

Remember the Henke's at the "Y" on Telephone Road?

[osr403]

Iron Tiger: The answer to your question is yes. At one point there was a huge round water tank with a large "W" with a red dot in the middle still standing, even after the fire. I haven't been on the east end in years so don't know if this is still standing there.

Scrubba: To add to your post, I fondly remember that strip center Having a large Sears on the opposite end of it from Big Texan. Also had a Wyatt's Cafeteria in the strip. The Weingarten's space is still there, occupied by the $ store. The old Walgreen's (complete with counter and fountain) space is now occupied by the hair and beauty supply.

Some may not remember, but the Fiesta at the corner of E.14th & Studewood was a Weingarten's between its long history as Studewood Food Market and Fiesta. My mother ran the snack bar at the back corner of the store next to the meat department. I have tons of pictures taken of her inside that store. Shame to hear that it's being torn down in the near future. That store actually replaced the original Studewood Food Market that burnt to the ground in the 60's, owned by Carl Cohen.

Edited December 21, 2012 by osr403

[MikeRichardson]

Additionally, I believe that the Randalls store nearby, at 1407 S Voss was also originally a Handy Andy since it has the same exact peaked roofline, footprint and stone facade that the old Westheimer/Gessner store had.

I don't know about Handy Andy, but there is another Randalls store at 5219 FM 1960 West that (used to have) the exact same architecture as 1407 S Voss. They remodeled the FM 1960 store so extensively that you can only tell it was almost the same as the Voss store by going inside and looking at the ceiling.

The Voss store has not been remodeled since the 90's. Knowing Safeway they will just shut it down (like every other unremodeled store in the past few years) when the lease is up and claim the landlord wanted an extra $1 per month and there's too many other stores nearby and oh by the way our executives have no balls

[Victor Del Rio]

The Kroger's at 1938 W Gray St  Houston, TX 77019 used to be a Weingarten's.

[rsb320]

The Kroger's at 1938 W Gray St  Houston, TX 77019 used to be a Weingarten's.

 

So did the former Fiesta on Dunlavy as well as the Container Store on Post Oak.

[etheriemma]

 

There used to be a Weingarten's located at 1500 Richmond Ave. (see photo above).  The Menil Collection purchased the property and kept the outer shell of the original Weingarten's store (which had a lot of nice decorative motifs along the top of the building), and remodeled the property into the Dan Flavin Installation at Richmond Hall.
 
Here's a short history of the building:  http://www.hamiltonshirts.com/blog/2010/06/28/dan-flavin

 

You can see interior shots of the Flavin artworks (made of colored lights) here:  http://menil.org/visit/flavin.php