Historic Houston Images

[Vertigo58]

Is this house and the other colonial mansion still around?

That looks just like the old U of H FRAT house over by or across the street from Lawndale Forest Park Cemetary in East End? It's either Forest Hill or Palo Alto street?

Place was quite wild in the 80's ie; Animal House. It better still be there!

[johnfinley]

That house is on Pasadena. The other house I'm referring to is on Westmorland.

[Vertigo58]

That house is on Pasadena. The other house I'm referring to is on Westmorland.

The Westmoreland is miraculously still there but needs restoration badly. That one needs to be turned into a museum and have tours. No joke. It is right out of the past and well worthy of having films shot there.

There were some discussions as to why current young owners were having delayed restoring, but time is of the essence my friend. Even the homes across the street are a trip! Great example of Houston's exuberance in architecture at the turn of the century or shortly there after.

[johnfinley]

From HCAD, it appears that a frat sold the house on Pasadena to it's current owner. I did google the house Westmoreland house, and it's under another topic here on this board. It appears that it's owners are a little eccentric.

[Mark F. Barnes]

1896 house of the Heights district

Freedman's Town

Lyons Ave and Jenson 1956

Lyons Ave and Jenson today

Main Street 1910

Heights Blvd 1910

[northbeaumont]

1896 house of the Heights district

Freedman's Town

Lyons Ave and Jenson 1956

Lyons Ave and Jenson today

Main Street 1910

Heights Blvd 1910

I like those small, Levitt Town-looking houses. That street photo had to have been taken no later than the 1940s. I don't think any of those cars had any kind of computer system under their hoods.

[Vertigo58]

That Lyons and Jensen photo is extremely rare!

There is a seperate topic we discussed and someone called it Little Pearl Harbor? looking from above on 59 that always was a mysterious little abandoned town or village for years.

[Gwendolynn]

I saw a post a LONG while back by Ojy in this and another forum (where I'll be copying this post) She never did scan in all those family photos.. she's my sister, so I'll apologize for her (she's had a kiddo and is about to have another one, and they kill brain cells, ya know).

So, here's random photo I found of the car rides at Kiddie Wonderland

http://www.angelfire.com/tx5/seributra_d/kw1975.JPG (not embedding it because it's not stored on my own space yet)

Here's a black and white gallery I found while web-crawling which shows some of the ugliness that was our amusement park, there towards the end: FZC photography- Kiddie Wonderland

I saved this forum in my bookmarks so I can share if I come across more (or if, heaven forbid, I manage to get access to the family albums and scan in ours, hehe).

[LarryDallas]

Does anyone have interior photos of the Savoy of Houston in her glory days?

There is a thread on HAIF that has pics of what it looks like now.

[ssullivan]

From today's Chronicle comes this article about a large collection of documents and photos related to the early years of public transportation in Houston. The collection recently turned up in an estate sale in Missouri City, and has made its way into the hands of the author of the book about Houston's streetcars that was published about 10 years ago, and the city's Preservation Officer.

I find this of personal interest, as the estate sale was that of one of my relatives.

Chronicle article: A ride through our transportation past

[FilioScotia]

I can't wait to see this stuff. Read about it here http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5851165.html

[sevfiv]

It's great that the material was located and Baron can use it. Houston Electric is a neat book, and a supplement to it would be interesting.

Maybe when he is done with the material he'll give it to a library, etc...

[gonzo1976]

Maybe when he is done with the material he'll give it to a library, etc...

That's his plan. It will probably go to the HMRC.

[NenaE]

That's his plan. It will probably go to the HMRC.

That's what I read, in the Hou. Chronicle article. Good to know a history buff found the collection, and passed on the info. Three cheers to that fellow! I'm writing out my unofficial "HAIF will" instructions, I'm making a list of names.

[sevfiv]

^I needed to look more closely...it's Monday though

[ssullivan]

I knew this collection existed nearly 20 years ago when it was mentioned one time when we were at his house visiting. Too bad I never got to see it, but I'm thrilled it's made it into the hands of someone who will put it to good use.

[Dub]

Thanks so much for the post and link. Every afternoon on my commute home i pass by the old electric car right of way adjacent to 45 South and Beltway 8. Keep thinking it would be nice if someday more information surfaced to fuel my imagination.... Thanks again...

[baron]

It was a real thrill to locate that collection after knowing about it all these years, but not being able to see it. When I was researching my book I contacted Lambert about the materials but he apparently wasn't in a "sharing mood" at that time. So it was really seredipidy that the collection surfaced again and someone tipped me off about it. And since I don't live in Houston anymore, it was fortunate that Randy Pace of the city historical preservation office was able to help me arrange the purchase from the estate.

The collection has a few photos but is mostly ledger books with legal documents, board meeting minutes, and other fairly esoteric stuff. I'm looking forward to going through it all, and yes, I do intend that it will eventually end up at the HMRC where it can be used by other researchers.

Thanks for the nice comments on this forum about this acquisition. I was going to post something on the Houston Chronicle site (where people comment on news stories) but you wouldn't believe the asinine comments some people have left. I decided not to waste my time there!

Steve Baron

[ricco67]

It was a real thrill to locate that collection after knowing about it all these years, but not being able to see it. When I was researching my book I contacted Lambert about the materials but he apparently wasn't in a "sharing mood" at that time. So it was really seredipidy that the collection surfaced again and someone tipped me off about it. And since I don't live in Houston anymore, it was fortunate that Randy Pace of the city historical preservation office was able to help me arrange the purchase from the estate.

The collection has a few photos but is mostly ledger books with legal documents, board meeting minutes, and other fairly esoteric stuff. I'm looking forward to going through it all, and yes, I do intend that it will eventually end up at the HMRC where it can be used by other researchers.

Thanks for the nice comments on this forum about this acquisition. I was going to post something on the Houston Chronicle site (where people comment on news stories) but you wouldn't believe the asinine comments some people have left. I decided not to waste my time there!

Steve Baron

Well, we should be thanking you for the time and effort you're putting into it and sharing it with us.

The devil is in the details and I'm sure the ledgers give some interesting clues as to what happened. I look forward to any information you can share about it as well as a future book on the subject.

Oh yeah, the people at Chron.com are tools.

[Subdude]

Note dupe topics merged.

[NenaE]

Hard to believe, that whole intersection (see pics above) at Lyons & Jensen has disappeared, where the Roxy Theater was, very eerie. What happened to it?

Thanks Isuredid for sharing the priceless pics! what a great thread. Anyone know anything about that Lee El. School? Sits so high on that slope, can see the back of it from I45N. What year was it built?

[nm5k]

I like the "then and now" pictures.. IE: the one of Lyons and Jenson..

Where did all the buildings go.. Looks like a different city..

About the only thing I can see that might be the same in each is the

storm drain by the curb, and the man hole cover out in the street..

[Rusty_S]

I like the "then and now" pictures.. IE: the one of Lyons and Jenson..

Where did all the buildings go.. Looks like a different city..

About the only thing I can see that might be the same in each is the

storm drain by the curb, and the man hole cover out in the street..

I have no idea. Probably didnt have no one going to those businesses and slowly just got sold off or abandoned and then torn down. In the 2006 picture it looks like there is alot of missing grass patches if those buildings were torn down a long time I would think that the grass would have covered all the area by now.

That is what makes vintage photos so good. I have a small collection now from specific photos I saved between 1950 - 1970.

[Subdude]

On the right side the telephone pole and traffic light support look like they could still be in the same location as in the original photo.

[Rusty_S]

On the right side the telephone pole and traffic light support look like they could still be in the same location as in the original photo.

Looks like they are. The telephone pole is probably the same one in the orignal photo but the traffic light pole was changed out obviously since they now hang the traffic lights from wires above the road instead of off to the side.

[gonzo1976]

I wrote about the Jensen/Lyons intersection in a blog post last year. The photo is from 1956

http://blogs.chron.com/bayoucityhistory/20...en_now_4_1.html

[NenaE]

Thanks, Gonzo. The Cinema Houston book talks about the Roxy Theater, and states (about that spot) that there is not much there anymore. What a shame.

[misplaced txgirl]

gonzo, i'm really enjoying the blogs in the chron., especially the then and now pictures.

i agree, i think it's the same pony in ALL the pictures of little kids...

i realized when looking at the pony picture, i have my own then and now too...

i have the picture of me on the pony in the late 50's in cottage grove, and who would have thought years later, that little kid would be named the US National Champion with her own horses several times, especially with one that was spotted too...

more then and now pictures please...thanks

[IronTiger]

I have no idea. Probably didnt have no one going to those businesses and slowly just got sold off or abandoned and then torn down. In the 2006 picture it looks like there is alot of missing grass patches if those buildings were torn down a long time I would think that the grass would have covered all the area by now.

That is what makes vintage photos so good. I have a small collection now from specific photos I saved between 1950 - 1970.

I think those missing patches is concrete foundation.

[Retama]

I used to spend a lot of time in this area as a young police reporter and I heard some wild tales about it before I ever saw it from an old Houston cop I used to know. This is the "Little Pearl Harbor" section made famous by its vice rackets and killings and by blues singers like Weldon "Juke Boy" Bonner who wrote songs about it.

The area was in very sad shape as far back as 1980 when I first saw it: lots of abandoned and burned out buildings. It was essentially an urban ruin back then created by the drug plague. Crime drove a lot of people out. Dopers would squat in the empty buildings and burn them down. The owners didn't have the money or the will to rebuild and the place was just wiped out. Same thing is happening in inner city Detroit where there are so many open, unpopulated areas that wildlife are moving back into them.

I drove back to this section of Fifth Ward earlier this year and was stunned at the block and blocks of empty lots where the grass is reclaiming the sidewalks and even the streets.