Memories Of Meyerland/Willowbend/Westbury

[IronTiger]

However, in reading, while Riverside Terrace was once the white Jewish center of the neighborhood, today, that people group now resides in Meyerland. Clearly Meyerland did take aim at Riverside Terrace and was instrumental in altering the demographics.

[NenaE]

Consider that after 1952, the line that separated black residents from white residents in the area moved progressively southward. In 1952, the line was Alabama St. Blacks traditionally stayed north of Alabama while south of Alabama was white. When Jack Caesar moved in, the line moved south to Cleburne, then Blodgett. By the late 50s when this brochure came out, the line was just past Southmore, and that's when you saw businesses opening up in homes such as Wyse Barber Shop and Bill Clair Mortuary.

The area was still mostly white in 1958, but demographics were obviously changing. A few years later in the mid 60s, the area was 50/50 black and white. Around that time, the line was at Brays Bayou, which was finally crossed by 1970, and then the area became majority black. I think part of that reatively late crossing of the bayou came from the fact that black residents displaced by the construction of 288 decided to stay in the area and moved south of the bayou (such as my uncle and aunt who moved from Rosedale St. to Rio Vista Dr.), while white residents took their eminent domain checks and went to places like southwest Houston.

 

Informative, JLWM8609. TY. It's always been a favorite neighborhood of mine. Along with Meyerland's architectural gems, I cherish the diversity of Riverside's homes. I love its mix of home styles and the rolling terrain. The smaller ones are just as nice, in my eyes. Talented architects got to see their residential designs built in Riverside, when much of Houston was trying to exclude them. The neighborhood of Riverside Terrace started out as the dream of a Mr. MacGregor, a man of Scottish or Irish ancestry, obviously. His wife carried out his vision, after he died. It's a unique place, among so many cookie cutter neighborhoods. It's a real shame that Hwy. 288 destroyed it's original layout. The racial discrimination is a large aspect of the story, and it needs to be remembered. Yet, I'm happy Riverside Terrace fell and hopefully continues to fall into the hands of people who love, cherish, and protect it's uniqueness, no matter what color of their skin, religious background, or sexual orientation. It's my hope that it keeps it architectural cohesion in an age of such rapid gentrification. It's hard to keep estates (especially large ones) intact when owners pass. 

 

Side note: I read recently that in the early days of the Houston Ward system, the residential ethnic lines were faint, or non-existent. 

[ArchMemoH]

Hiram Clarke @ Fuqua

Chimney Rock @ Airport

Gessner @ Hammerly

Belle Park @ Bellaire

 

 

were 1 hour dry cleaners

[nm5k]

Memories for the area just out side the loop in zip coeds 77096 77035 & about 1/3 of 77025

Willow Bend on the West side of the train tracks where the baseball field about 5 to 7 yrs ago their use to be a place that sold plants there still is a old brown metal building that still stand

 

South Main & Willowbend there use to a golf course wierd thing about it it was so close to the street bet a few times people driving by got golf balls through there window

 

#1 When the dino's roamed the earth, that was the site of Mel's Bar B Q. 

It burned down if I remember right, and was the plant store a few years later.

 

#2 I worked as a caddie there 2-3 times in the early 70's.

 

 

 

[ArchMemoH]

What was behind the Taco Bell on Chimney Rock @ Gasmer, it looks like some sort of a grocery store/supermarket?

[ArchMemoH]

Remember 93, lokithebubba, can you play 43 holes

[DJboutit]

The lady that left Annies opend Cues 1993 to 1995 South Post Oak & MC Dermed right next to the Chinese Buffet across the freeway from Whataburger and Kroger.  Cues has much better food than Annies which has gone down hill in the last 5 to 7 yrs

Edited March 20, 2015 by DJboutit

[LarryDallas]

Great thread. 

 

I've lived in the area about 17 years and these are the changes I have seen:

 

The shopping center next to Westbury Square:

 

Blockbuster closed about 6-8 years ago and became a cash advance store

The anchor store was an HEB in the late 1990s.  They had a chronic problem with shoplifting and finally called it quits around 2005.  The store identical in size at Chimney Rock and S. Brasewood still exists.  The HEB that closed became a 99 Cent Only store.  In 2009 that chain was going to close all Texas stores but they changed their minds.  

Meyerland Auto used to be at the Chimney Rock side of the center.  It moved to S. Post Oak about 5-7 years ago.  They divided the space and the car repair bays changed hands twice in terms of who leased them.  The main office of Meyerland Auto became a check cashing place.  

The bank changed from Bank One to Chase roughly 5-6 years ago; it was never a Washington Mutual though. 

 

If any place needs gentrification it is that center.  It's 100% ghetto now and should just be demolished to develop single family homes or condos.  

 

On Willowbend east of Stella Link right before the second set of RR Tracks on the north side of the road there was Kruger Motorsports that closed around 2001.  It looked to be a chain gas station at some point prior to a repair shop.  The building was demolished a few years later and now it is just a vacant lot.  A bit towards Stella Link on that same side of the street was a C- store in the strip mall that had virtually no customers ever.  It closed around 2002.  In that same strip mall was a small shoe repair store an old man used to run.  He had a hug collection of die cast toys he collected for decades in his store.  I had shoes repaired there around 1998 and he took a lot of pride in his work.  I guess he died; the store has been shuttered for at least 8 years now.  There was also a barber shop next to his store that closed at roughly the same time.  At the east end of the center was a resale shop in the early 00s that was converted into a banquet hall.  It looks as if this has closed too.  The entire center is now vacant and shuttered.  

[ArchMemoH]

Where was the KFC on West bellfort @ chimney rock

[DJboutit]

Strip shopping center on Willowbend just east of the rail roads tracks was torn down at the end of last summer town homes will be built in its place.

 

Strip center next to Auto Zone West Bellfort and Chimneyt Rock was torn down early last yr a fitness center will be built in its place I do not know how they have enough room for the building and the parking lot. 

Edited January 20, 2016 by DJboutit

[ArchMemoH]

where was the old jack in the box, where the auto zone, pizza hut is, did they moved to gulfton?

[onebob]

I realized it been 60 years since CP. Gary L Herod was killed guiding his aircraft down from a engine flame out in preventing it from crashing into the houses below. It was the early morning 2-3AM March 15, 1961 We lived on Jackwood St. close to Renwick and all were woken the early morning by sound of something exploding. My father was out of town on business at the time but my mother got up and got  into the car and drove down Renwick towards the bayou. She came of back hours later and explaining a plane had cash down by the bayou. She had found CP. Herod wallet in the field and gave it to the police but said he was laying on the north side on the cement surface of the bayou and was quit upset of what she saw. Being a nine year old youngster and with my kid friends went down to the crash location after school and saw the jet tail section. At that time Renwick stop at Lock Lomond Dr. and pass that was a dirt road and deep ditch to the west that emptied into the bayou. This area was a empty field area all the way to the bayou but a large forest of tall tree just near to the bayou that ran east to west. At the time east of Renwick was empty fields also.  When we came upon the crash site it was approximant maybe 100-150 feet east from the dirt road and ditch but could see the remains of a jet tail section extruding up and out of the ground but slightly titled to the west being the front remaining section was buried in deep. Bit and pieces of glass from the canopy was about and melted metal at the immediate site. The remains of the wreckage was removed days later.  

I offend thought about Captain Gary L Herod every time when I drive near around the site or in the old neighborhood. What it must have been as he leaving Ellington AFB heading to San Antonio that early morning and having a flame out loosing propulsion and looking down into the dark and the dilemma to glide back or how to put his aircraft down without causing any ground causalities. His guidance was street lights and darkness.