Historic Houston Images

[57Tbird]

On Texas.  It ended up being incorporated into the Chronicle building.

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In reference to the location of the original Majestic Theater... I was looking through a thread on the Cinema Treasures website and found this post...

"My grandfather began his career in the Houston theatre business in 1908 as treasurer of Houston's first Majestic Theatre(on Congress Ave.)"

[Subdude]

Wow. I always wondered what that building used to be. The first time I went there when it was Club 6400. The exterior reminded me of a Red Lobster. Well I was right in thinking of it as a restaurant. Thanks for that info.

About when was it Victoria Station and when after was that building used as a nightclub? I know it was Fizz then Hippos and soon after it became 6400. Anyone know where I can get pictures of this place as a restaurant and a nightclub? I've been searching for pictures of this place as Club 6400 online and cannot find anything. Why is that? Any help is greatly appreciated.

Here is 6400 Richmond in its incarnation as the Railhead.

There must have been some sort of fad back then for railroad-themed restaurants.

[lowspark]

I also remember a Circus themed restuarant on Westhiemer right there by or in the same location at Texadelphia and Papadeax. 

......

Anyone else remember those restuarants.

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That restaurant was called (of all things) Circus. It was owned by the Pappas family who owns Pappadeaux which now sits on that site. They also used to run a restuarant called The Strawberry Patch which served the most wonderful strawberry muffins and you could order a "flower pot of salad". That location is now Pappas Steakhouse.

The Railhead died around 1980 or so. We had a high school banquet there in 1978 and I remember it going under just a couple of years later.

[Heights2Bastrop]

In doing a search for Playland Park and the races they used to have featuring AJ Foyt and Billy Wade led me to a blurb about there being a racetrack at Arrowhead Park. I am pretty sure I know where it was because I remember seeing the monorail off South Main past where it makes the bend at the conjunction with Holmes. However, all my searches for Arrowhead came back with the stadium in KC.

Now, there used to be stock car races in the late 60

[Trophy Property]

for the longest time i would remember this really cool ice cream place where the servers would have white hats with a stripe around it, sing happy birthday and bring a banana split with sparklers stuck in the ends. i remembered it seeming overwhelming & fancy. it may have been the galleria? i was super, super young and when i mentioned it my grandmother she was pretty surprised that i remembered. ferrels, i think.

i did a google search and after a while found this site, lots of different sorts of ferrell's out there:

What about Swensons. That place rocked out. There was one on Voss at Woodway. I went to Second Baptist School in elementary (sucked to be me) and we used to hit that place on the way home at lease one a week. It was right next to the pharmacy..

[Trophy Property]

That restaurant was called (of all things) Circus. It was owned by the Pappas family who owns Pappadeaux which now sits on that site. They also used to run a restuarant called The Strawberry Patch which served the most wonderful strawberry muffins and you could order a "flower pot of salad". That location is now Pappas Steakhouse.

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Great Memory. I remember eating at the Patch and Circus. The best part of the Strawberry Patch was the muffins.

[lowspark]

I forgot to say.... I also remember Playland Park, but just the name, nothing else about it. My parents used to take me to Kiddie Wonderland on S. Main a lot and the thing I remember the most there were the ponies. They were slow, tired old ponies I guess because mine would always stop in the middle of the ring and refuse to move. At least that's what my memory tells me!!

[gnu]

What about Swensons.  That place rocked out.  There was one on Voss at Woodway.  I went to Second Baptist School in elementary (sucked to be me) and we used to hit that place on the way home at lease one a week.    It was right next to the pharmacy..

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At Farrell's you would get a free sundae or something if it was your birthday and you joined a club and they would send you stuff. The servers would come out wearing red light siren hats - at least that's my memory. We went to Farrell's in Almeda Mall several times for my birthday.

Swensons was cool too. They had the Earthquake which was a HUGE bowl with a scoop of every flavor they had in it.

[Heights2Bastrop]

Tbird, I would have sworn the monorail could be seen just after you made the big turn on South Main. However, the location you indicate makes more sense. I would see the monorail as we were on the way to or from Sargent or Bay City. We would have taken Almeda (current 521) to Brazoria, so we would not have been on Main.

Waxing nostalgic here, we would always come back on Sunday afternoon, and we always listened to the radio shows like Gunsmoke and Boston Blackie. It was always a special treat if we hit Christies or Spanish Village on the way.

You mentioned Jimmie Green Chevrolet. Do you happen to remember the Humble station at Shepherd and Westheimer? It was owned by a fella named Waddie Wadkins (Wattie Watkins?), and he had a deer processing facility on the Shepherd side of the building.

Thanks for the clarification on Meyer Speedway.

[djrage]

Here is 6400 Richmond in its incarnation as the Railhead.

[57Tbird]

You mentioned Jimmie Green Chevrolet. Do you happen to remember the Humble station at Shepherd and Westheimer? It was owned by a fella named Waddie Wadkins (Wattie Watkins?), and he had a deer processing facility on the Shepherd side of the building.

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Was the Humble station on the southwest corner? St. Anne's Catholic church was on the northwest corner, and I think there was a little shopping center on the northeast corner. Actually, I think Jimmie Green's Chevy dealership was next door to a Gulf station on the southeast corner. I'm not totally positve. I remember a Watty Watkins from a long time ago, but not in connection with that station or deer processing. I think maybe most guys with the last name of Watkins were called Watty. Right down Shepherd to the south was a big circular building...almost across from the Alabama theater, but to the north a bit. It had a huge circular mural inside depicting figures from the Bible. I think it was called the Bible Cyclorama, or something like that.

[Heights2Bastrop]

I did a search years ago for Wattie Watkins, and you are right, it does seem to be common to use the nickname with that last name, just as many use

[pineda]

I remember reading about a guy named (I believe) Terry Chumley who was a big hotshot driver and local favorite there.

This may have been Terry or Tony LaBonte. One was the father, the other his son who raced later also. I remember hearing about the LaBonte name in connection with Meyer Speedway.

[Subdude]

Is that the actual location at 6400 Richmond? Where did you get this photo?

I have a ton of them. I'll try to post some more.

Right down Shepherd to the south was a big circular building...almost across from the Alabama theater, but to the north a bit. It had a huge circular mural inside depicting figures from the Bible. I think it was called the Bible Cyclorama, or something like that.

Thanks for the info. Years ago I read some book that took place in Houston in the 1930s, and they mentioned that Bible Cyclorama on Shepherd. I didn't know it was a real place.

[57Tbird]

Years ago I read some book that took place in Houston in the 1930s, and they mentioned that Bible Cyclorama on Shepherd.  I didn't know it was a real place.

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I found it. It was located on the east side of Shepherd, about midway between Westheimer and W. Alabama. I remember it from the 40's - 50's. It was built in the late 30's. I don't know when it was torn down.

[Heights2Bastrop]

I passed that location quite a few times as a small kid, but I never remember seeing that building. I think that's something I would have remembered, so it must have been torn down in the early 50s.

[Ashikaga]

Peppermint Park, that was the indoor amusement park @ 59 and the Beltway right (before the beltway was there).

Man I went there a few times as a kid.  Then it turned into an auto shop.  It is still there, but not what it used to be.

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I remember a Peppermint Park near Gulfgate Shopping City (now Mall). Someone on the forum told me that it was on Reveille.

[Aland11223]

Okay, random. Peppermint park, I too loved that place. I'm 26 years old now, but still remember it. I see it's old location down on BeltWay 8 as I pass. It's now and has been for years an old car fixer up place. That made me mad when peppermint park went out of business, for awhile I had a tee shirt from them that was red which showed two children riding on a flying peppermint stick. Anyhow like I said, random!

[Ashikaga]

Okay, random. Peppermint park, I too loved that place. I'm 26 years old now, but still remember it. I see it's old location down on BeltWay 8 as I pass. It's now and has been for years an old car fixer up place. That made me mad when peppermint park went out of business, for awhile I had a tee shirt from them that was red which showed two children riding on a flying peppermint stick. Anyhow like I said, random!

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Well, I'm 47. I remember going to Peppermint Park by Gulfgate Shopping City (now Mall) when I lived in Houston from 1962-64. Are you saying that it went out of business fairly recently?

[Aland11223]

Well, I'm 47.

[nmainguy]

Does anyone have any photos and/or information on what was at the corner of Allen Parkway and Waugh Drive? I think I remember it being called the Buffalo House?

[jb4647]

Here are a couple of photos that my Dad shot in the early 60's:

[sevfiv]

Here are a couple of photos that my Dad shot in the early 60's:

awesome pictures of the shamrock!

[icepickphil]

jb4647 --

Saw some of the Astrodome, Sakowitz, and Joskes pics you also posted in other threads as well. All are fantastic. Please keep them coming!

How did your father get the arial shot of the Shamrock?

Here are a couple of photos that my Dad shot in the early 60's:

[gnu]

does anyone know what the restaurant was that is to the right (in the aerial shot). just south of the holcombe intersection - across the street

[57Tbird]

does anyone know what the restaurant was that is to the right (in the aerial shot).  just south of the holcombe intersection - across the street

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Valian's

[brucesw]

Valian's

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I remember Valian's being a little bit farther south of the intersection. If you came out of the circular drive in front of the Shamrock and crossed Main you went into the parking lot of Valian's, iirc. SpaceAge posted some 1969 listings in the 50s Era Med Center Hotel thread which put Valian's at 6935.

By 1970, Fannin Bank was on the SE corner of the intersection; it housed a lot of Shell employees and there was a Shell station in back by the parking garage. That may be a Shell station lit up on the corner.

Catty-corner to the Shamrock by the early 60s was the original Capt. Benny's, housed in a real shrimp boat, not a faux one. Benny Hienemann had been an oyster shucker at Bill Williams, just up the street. He bought a shrimp boat, hauled it to that corner (looks like a car lot in the picture), cut a hole in the side, put in a cooler and a bar and started serving oysters on the half shell, cold boiled shrimp and ice cold beer. The place was packed. My older brother tried to get me to go there one time when I visited ca. 62-3, but I wasn't having anything to do with oysters on the half shell . Fortunately I later overcame that attitude.

BTW I was at the BookStop on Shepherd last week and happened to remember there used to be a Valian's take-out across the street, where the Pappas Seafood is now.

Edited October 2, 2005 by brucesw

[jb4647]

jb4647 --

Saw some of the Astrodome, Sakowitz, and Joskes pics you also posted in other threads as well. All are fantastic. Please keep them coming!

How did your father get the arial shot of the Shamrock?

Here are a couple of photos that my Dad shot in the early 60's:

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I'm not sure. I figured he shot it from a plane...probabably Continental. Speaking of which, here's a photo of my grandparents departing a Continental flight back in '62:

[57Tbird]

I remember Valian's being a little bit farther south of the intersection.  If you came out of the circular drive in front of the Shamrock and crossed Main you went into the parking lot of Valian's, iirc.  SpaceAge posted some 1969 listings in the 50s Era Med Center Hotel thread which put Valian's at 6935.

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That is Valian's just north of the big parking lot across Main from the Shamrock. I went there often when I was at Rice in the mid-50's. Had my first pizza there. Not sure if it was still Valian's when that photo was taken, but that is where it was.

[Heights2Bastrop]

The building at the top center is Christie's Seafood.