Historic Houston Images

[citizen4rmptown]

intresting pictures

[kylejack]

Awesome pictures! Some I have the location figured out, others I'm still working on. The Metropolitan theater is still in downtown but is used for special events now. http://www.majesticmetro.com/

[Fringe]

Nice. Thanks for sharing. 

[barracuda]

I'm amazed by the number of pedestrians in the 3rd and 4th photos.

[sevfiv]

Note merged topics - copyrighted photos removed

[Heights2Bastrop]

I don’t know how I missed this thread when it was posted originally. I love old photos like these.

A couple of questions were asked but not answered about Christie’s. The photo with the frying pan sign would have been the east side of the restaurant. The west side had a sign on the side of the building saying, “We serve pizza pie”.

The Christie’s on Westheimer was the same family I am sure. As a small kid I was fascinated the posters of the different types of salt-water fish. The same posters were at the Westheimer restaurant. And they served the same fish salad at the newer place as they did at the South Main location.

As to the monorail, I was so excited to see photos of the interior of the car. It was exactly as I remembered it. The whole structure was dismantled, probably in ’56 or ’57, and then reassembled at the fairground in Dallas. That’s where I rode it. I didn’t know until a few years ago that the two monorails were one and the same.

My computer won’t let me use the posting functions for some reason, so I can’t link the pages, but some of the Life photos are of “Harmon Park”. What you hear is what you print, I suppose. Few people know this, but George Hermann actually pronounced his name as “Harmon”.

[azorks]

Man! I love those two buildings. I'd love to get in their and get a close look at those steel doors.

hardy street locomotive shops views of car shop

[NenaE]

Those doors & bldg. are intriquing, thnx for posting them, azorks. Hope nothing happens to that structure. This thread has some great photos, it's one of my favorites.

[tmariar]

If anyone is interested I have two names for the above station which was not really a station by itself it was also a shop.

The very first name I have heard given to this i "Shauer's Garage". Came from family members seeing as my Grandfather bough gas and had some maintance done from them.

But theres still a sticker on the door of the car that says the following.

Harley R. Weyand

Gulf

1402 Oxford St

Houston, Texas

862-1584

The service sticker is dated 10-25-79. So it is fully possible that this "station" used to b Shauer's Garage and then became Harley R. Weyand Gulf. Either way I have phyical proof that it was atleast Harley R. Weyand Gulf station that also did services. The sticker said the transmission and axle was checked.

It's near that you stil have that sticker! I can check some other directories later, but I checked quickly and saw a listing at this address in a 1930's directory for "Oxford Street Service Station".

[djrage]

Don't know anything about Galaxy Golf -- it's not listed in the phone book -- but it's not the 24 Hour Fitness location.

That's down the street in the 5700 block of Richmond. The late great Windsor Theater was at 5302 Richmond, at the eastern-most end of the Windsor Plaza shopping center, almost at the corner of Richmond and Post Oak.

It was shut down for some years, but some entrepreneurs bought it in the 90s and turned it into an entertainment complex they called City Lights.

I have no idea what is there now. Or if the theater building is even there any more. So sad. The Windsor was one of Houston's first Cinerama and Panavision screen movie houses, and showed first runs of many of the greatest movies of the 60s, 70s and 80s. It was really grand and expansive on the inside with a decor that would knock your eyes out.

It was a night spot for a number of years starting in 1990 as Avalon, then DV8. It flipped to Tejano as Zazz in late 1991. 1995 it was bought out and remodeled as a multi room night club called, City STREETS. The address I heard constantly advertised for this location was 5078 Richmond Avenue. For some reason during its Tejano days they would say 5100 Richmond.

[djrage]

Don't know anything about Galaxy Golf -- it's not listed in the phone book -- but it's not the 24 Hour Fitness location.

That's down the street in the 5700 block of Richmond. The late great Windsor Theater was at 5302 Richmond, at the eastern-most end of the Windsor Plaza shopping center, almost at the corner of Richmond and Post Oak.

It was shut down for some years, but some entrepreneurs bought it in the 90s and turned it into an entertainment complex they called City Lights.

I have no idea what is there now. Or if the theater building is even there any more. So sad. The Windsor was one of Houston's first Cinerama and Panavision screen movie houses, and showed first runs of many of the greatest movies of the 60s, 70s and 80s. It was really grand and expansive on the inside with a decor that would knock your eyes out.

Actually it now houses 24hr Fitness. The address of the Windsor Cinerama Theater is listed as 5078 Richmond Avenue. It closed in 1989 according to Cinematour.com It opened in mid 1990 as a nightclub called Avalon, then DV8. Flipped to Tejano in late 1991. In 1994 it was bought out from previous ownership, I understand they were escorted out of the building. Remodeled and reopened as a multi room nightspot called "City STREETS". During its Tejano days I heard ads stating the address as 5100 Richmond Ave. Not sure why.

Edited March 1, 2010 by djrage

[jazzooo]

Dokey's Hall ... anyone know where it was located??

[sevfiv]

Dokey's Hall ... anyone know where it was located??

The 1976 directory lists Dokey Hall / Clover Ballroom at 316 Milby St.

[marmer]

I have no idea what is there now. Or if the theater building is even there any more. So sad. The Windsor was one of Houston's first Cinerama and Panavision screen movie houses, and showed first runs of many of the greatest movies of the 60s, 70s and 80s. It was really grand and expansive on the inside with a decor that would knock your eyes out.

At some point it was subdivided down the middle into two smaller theatres. That meant that all the seats faced the screens at an angle. I remember going there in the late 70's and early 80's.

[jazzooo]

The 1976 directory lists Dokey Hall / Clover Ballroom at 316 Milby St.

Thank you, sir!!

[Utinga]

I believe that was Victoria Station. Their specialty was prime rib.

Wow, flashback with this post. I was 19 and took a first date there, she orders the highest priced steak, shrooms on the side, along with several sides, then eats about three bites. Total!!!

Yikes! Lol it was that far out? Is that the address? I need to see what's there now.

[houstonnative47]

If you have photos of these places and/or memorabilia from them, please post.

Shamrock Hotel

Kiddie Wonderland

Peppermint Park

Sea Arama

The Pig

The old baseball stadium where fingers is now (forgot the name)

HoustonHistory.com is a great site for lots of old pics. His site is amazing.

[Goatman79]

I have a couple dozen photos of Sea Arama (but they are from 2006 when the place was badly in ruins. I explored the entire property and got lots of photos of everything inside and out, but am not very savvy with posting them as URL's yet. If they are of interest, I can figure out a way to post them. I also have some older photos of it from the internet.

[Chi-Char-Hou-Dal]

Very cool thread - wish we could get it going see what's still around?

[august948]

A slideshow of color images from around 1960 from the Chron...

http://blog.chron.com/bayoucityhistory/2013/05/color-images-provide-rare-sight-into-houstons-past/?cmpid=hpfsln#11882-1

[kbates2]

Those are pretty great. Good argument for or against people who want to 'preserve the character' of neighborhoods. Yes neighborhoods get ripped out and decimated, but, at one point fairly recently, most of the spots you think of as having one character, probably were completely different.

[IHB2]

I was born in 47, moved to a new house in Bellaire near Chimney Rock & Bissonnet in 48 - there was a rice field at the western end of our street, a little over a block away, and a friend I met in kindergarten lived on several acres and his family kept horses 1 block north of Bellaire Blvd & 3 blocks west of Chimney Rock. sleeepovers at his place were great b/c we got to stay in one of their very cool barns.

 

and it was all prairie, very few trees except for the forest along Brays Bayou pre-channelizing.

 

yeah, you could say the "character" of the neighborhoods has been only fluid and the worth of preserving them at one stage rather than another is purely a matter of opinion.

[plumber2]

There is an aerial image of Robertson Pavilion at Hermann Hospital, showing the entrance that was shot on the Route 66 TV series that FiloScotia bet the farm on. Sorry Filo, start selling of your livestock.

[Michelle C]

I was looking at various pictures of the 1935 flood of downtown Houston and while trying to get a firm location and direction as to what I was looking at I found this contradiction. Look at the two pictures I have posted. Look to the building on the north side of the bayou on the left. I know it is hard to see but if you enlarge the picture you can plainly see what it says on the side of the building. In the first picture it says Grocers Supply Company. The second picture the same building says Guenard Speed and then I can't read the rest of it. I looked up the address in my 1937 phone book and couldn't find the Guenard Speed what ever. I was however able to find the Grocers Supply Company listed at 819 Commerce street which would be a viable location for that building.

 

 

[arche_757]

Fascinating!  My best guess is the one picture on the left dates from the 1935 flood.  Which I believe was the worst in history until Tropical Storm Alisson in 2001?

 

My guess is the other picture shows a different flood from an earlier period.  If you look, the water is clearly higher in the "grocers" picture (water is in the bottom window).  I do believe that would be the best explanation?

 

Thanks for posting.  I love the old photos that show the city.

[Subdude]

I would guess that the photo on the right might date from the 1929 flood.  In the background Washington Ave. appears to extend straight beyond the Hotel Macatee, and the tower of the Brazos Hotel is visible.  To make way for the new Southern Pacific railway station which opened in 1934, a section of Washington was closed and the old Brazos Hotel was demolished.  That places the picture on the right to sometime before 1934, so it couldn't be the 1935 flood.  

 

 

[houston1973]

http://www.legacyroots.com/uploads/8/8/2/2/8822787/396160_orig.jpg

[houston1973]

http://www.legacyroots.com/1/post/2013/01/where-was-this-picture-taken.html

 

[Michelle C]

Thanks for the info. When I was making the post I had written that I thought it was possible that it could be from the 1929 flood and was miss dated, but then deleted it because I did not want to influence anyone thinking. I wanted total independent conformation which you quickly gave me. Thanks again for the quick response.

[plumber2]

Total Independent Confirmation? You'll get plenty of that here on HAIF!