Memories Of East End

[marmer]

I remember Lancias and Fiats. Don't know about TVR.

TVR is on the sign in the picture posted above.

[Idylweird]

TVR is on the sign in the picture posted above.

Noticed that after the post. Isn't that always the way?

[NenaE]

Thanks Guys, here is the full sign, it did say Checkers in the yellow part. That name does sound familiar to me. And the other names. I also remember the Princes in the corner.

[Vertigo58]

This just popped up in mind as I passed through Fourcade & Telephone Road intersection (caddy corner from old Rufus Cage School).

Doctor Ballard is back in business! After being gone for decades. He was a local family Dr. in this area for years. Obviously retired but maybe only open for short hours? Gotta say Hi.

In any case this whole section on that block have had numerous business's over the years. That video store (I think ) is still there but there was a printing company housed there and around 1976 there was a hippie guy that ran what was known as a Head Shop on the very end of that row of stores. A place where you could buy black light posters, strobe lights, drug parphenalia? Yep, papers, clips, rocks, bong's and all that other stuff like incents and Mr Zig Zag T-shirt's & High Times Magazine's. What!

We obviously didn't care for that but we used to always chat with the hippie guy about concerts coming to town and junk. I really cannot recall the name of his store. I was a miracle he opened this place since there were still plenty of old timer redneck types still around this nabe. They surely must have frowned down on his pad. Maybe thats why he closed after a short time? So Near East End once had its own little Head Shop.

[Vertigo58]

Well everyone from the old East End, I am afraid there will be more notable structures about to bite dust in a clean sweep in the next few months/year.

Tune in to the Metro / Brown Line topic and see the latest. We realize change is inevitable and that some not all can be saved but all we can do is sit and watch now.

Now, where's my life vest? 1st Class Passengers first... right?

[msteele6]

Offenhauser Company at 2201 Telephone Road near 45 South approx 3 blocks north. This company has been here since 1933.

I thought for sure they would have folded years ago but the place is alive and is as busy as ever. When you pass by early in the morning when its still dark, you can see the whole gigantic building lit up brightly. It still looks like 1933. No joke. In a cool way though. Front entry has a 1930-40's type of design. Steel and aluminum panelling like the way the did back then. Apparently they show no signs of slowing down either. I always wanted to walk around inside only got a little past huge gate on side as a teen. It was cavernous. Really reminds one of an aircraft barrack. Check it out on day/early morn. This is old and historic near East End as original as it gets.

http://www.offenhauser.com/index1.htm

Offenhauser was (is?) a metal fabricating company. It would not surprise me to learn that the sculptural frieze on their building was manufactured by the company itself. They do very specialized fabricating e.g. archtectural metal for handrail and stairs etc. I happen to know this because in another life I was the QC manager for a pressure vessel manufacturer and we had them form a steel conical section for one of our vessels. The company was related to (maybe identical with) the company that made the engine blocks for Indy racers in the '50's '60's (?). These were the famous Offy engines that dominated the Indianapolis 500 for a long time.

[kylejack]

Wasn't there a theater in Chinatown?

[LTAWACS]

Anyone remember this place? Or it's original name? It was an auto import showroom on I45-south, around Fingers & U.of H. The pic is old, taken many yrs. ago, direction is heading north, towards downtown, on 45. Don't know if it's still standing. Liked the "googie-style" roof.

I also remember a taxidermist on the other side, 2 story bldg. with a big picture window, polar bear standing on its hind legs.

P.S. "Happy B-Day" Vertigo58 & Stolitx !

no longer there.

[LTAWACS]

Hope you don't mind Nena! Thanks to you we finally found a photo of this long forgotten East End theater yep right at Lawndale and 75th!

Still there to this day, although I think it's a church or something. If only it could be restored! Its neat how the evening sunsets on the front as it has for decades. This is real true old Houston history people!

Can't help but wonder when was The Last Picture Show? Ja ja!

Thanks Nena!

must have been sometimes in the late 70's.

[msteele6]

must have been sometimes in the late 70's.

That was the old AvaLawn (I believe that was the spelling) theater. It was demolished last year if memory serves. To its left was a doctor's office and other small businesses and to the left of them the Chuck Shack, to the right was the old Mading's Drug Store (then Mading-Dugan, then Rexall, then Eckerd and now a vision center(?)).

[LTAWACS]

That was the old AvaLawn (I believe that was the spelling) theater. It was demolished last year if memory serves. To its left was a doctor's office and other small businesses and to the left of them the Chuck Shack, to the right was the old Mading's Drug Store (then Mading-Dugan, then Rexall, then Eckerd and now a vision center(?)).

the old eckard space is now an amegy bank. at first eckard moved across the street to a new building. then cvs purchased eckard back in the day. so now it's still a cvs.

[NickWallingford]

Talking to a couple of the older residents of the neighborhood they tell the story of a lady who was married to the old principal of Austin HS. Apparently the two of them bought quite a few homes in Broadmoor and rented them out but did no repairs to any of the properties that they accumulated. I tried contacting her myself but was ignored, I would need to find her name but she is older and owns a lot of land or did two years ago here in Broadmoor.

I could be wrong (it happened once before...) but I would say that would be Mrs. Edna Mae Goettee, who was married to James H. Goettee, principal at AHS from 1949 until 1966, then assistant superintendent in charge of secondary schools of the HISD from 1966 until he retired in 1972. Goettee was superintendent of the Spring schools from 1933 to 1938. He died 17 Jul 1986.

Edna was still alive in 2009 - she was born 6 Sep 1916, so would be 95 or so now. She taught at Henderson Elementary, and was later principal there. She was my first grade teacher!

[NenaE]

Wow, Nick, nice story. Would love to have had a visit with your teacher, or read an interview. Imagine the stories she could tell.

On a separate note, I recall the sign on that Imported Auto Showroom/ shop spelled "Chequer", a European (British?) spelling, no doubt.

It's detected in the photo I submitted in an earlier post, if you look really hard.

It always bugged me, growing up, thinking about how it was mis-spelled, not understanding, as a kid.

[msteele6]

Winkler Babtist Church

Located directly behind the present Home Depot and 1 block over on corner of Winkler. This church was built approx 1976 and has a very unique design facing the street. Round building with what is a huge bible opened up with a page turning above the entrance. At least I have not seen another like this in Houston since? Was really neat when it was new and my old best friend attended the school in back. This was where they would send bad kids whose parents had $. They used to pack em in but as with the rest of the area, everyone pulled up roots and headed away from the neighborhood. Church lost $ and now stands as (not sure what).

Side note: This is a very dangerous intersection, site of numerous serious accidents. No stop lights. Scene of my 1st bad accident in this very spot. Anyway this church is only 30 years old. Short life.

 

Just noticed this post. The actual name of the church was the Freeway Baptist Church. I attended this church from the early 1960's until the 1970's. The church is still in existence and is now located just south of the Beltway next to the little league fields. The pastor was originally Jack Bridges, then Scotty Alexander and finally (for me) Granville LaForge.

[skater]

the sears store on the corner of Harrisburg and wayside had a large mechanical santa during the Christmas season. he was automated and would rock and cry out ho ho ho. you could hear it all over the neighborhood. it was about 1949 or so when I would press my face up against the corner window looking at all the toys in that window. I think the talking santa didn't last long because the neighbors didn't like the ho ho ho. I grew up and later retired from the telephone co. across the street from sears. the corner was a very classic 40-50s area of Houston. I miss those days as a kid and the classic time in which I lived.

[djrage]

On April 6, 2007 at 5:30 PM, OldHouseLover said:

Anyone remember these:

Robert Hall Clothier on Harrisburg

Deli on Telephone [@ Pease]

Felix Mexican Restraunt on Telephone

Rainbo Bakery & thrift bakery across st. [now city water dept]

"Filling"/Service station on Telephone near present "pay day" loan bldg

Beautiful Church that was on Wayside where present Elem. School is now located [Methodist} Near

Fiesta

Photo company in 4800 blk Gulf Fwy. Bldg abandoned for yrs.

Italian Grocery on Lockwood near Harrisburg.

K-Mart on Telephone previously was Globe Discount.

Busch Stadium on Cullen @ Fwy-where Fingers now located. With Prince's across Cullen vision the traffic:)

Old post I know but just saw this....

K-Mart on Telephone previously was Globe Discount.

When was this? It was always a Kmart as far as I can remember (early 70s into the 90s)

Globe was over on Woodridge where Lowe's is now. 

To add to this, I do remember that church near Fiesta but do you remember the church in front of Gulfgate on Winkler?

Remember Sage on Winkler (its some kind of school now I think)

The center at the Wayside/Marcario Garcia (remember when that street was renamed) split with the Dunkin Donuts, Taco Bell (i worked there in the months before we moved down Wayside in 1994), there were 2 other food places back in the day that there i don't remember, I think one was a barbecue place. There was also a gas/service station there. 

 

 

 

[msteele6]

The church on Winkler was Woodridge Baptist Church. I went there a couple of times as a kid before my parents decided to become members at Freeway Baptist a few blocks west on Winkler.

 

The donut shop at the Wayside split was built in the late '60's early '70's. I went there as a kid, well before your time there in the '90's.

[NenaE]

I went to that Dunkin Donuts, too, in the late '60s to 70's. Bright Orange and Bright pink/purple deco. 

 

There was a long, sleek shopping center across from Woodridge Baptist Church. It had a carpet company with a very cool sixties space age / planet blinking sign near the street, was multi-colored. There was an Olan Mills portrait studio there, too. The center was similar to the Lawndale Weingarten's little strip center (still there).

[msteele6]

NenaE,

 

That strip center across from Woodridge Baptist was the location of the Thornhill's cafeteria you were asking about in another thread. It was situated perpendicular to the church fronting on Winkler.

[msteele6]

I had forgotten about the carpet store in that center. Now that you mention it, I went to that carpet store with my parents and I believe that we actually bought the first carpet for our house from that store.

 

If I remember correctly that carpet store had an ad on television, however, I can't remember the name of the store. It might have incorporated the owner's name into the business name.

[NenaE]

Do you remember exactly where the carpet store was located, in the strip center? I thought it was on the right, when viewed from Winkler (historic aerial maps and google/earth) but it looks like that is where the restaurant would have been. Maybe the left corner? There's also a smaller version on this sleek 50's building next to it. I could be very off...A six or 7 yr old's memory can be mistaken in the details. As for the carpet business name, I haven't a clue. I can remember that sign, like it was yesterday. Greens, yellows, oranges, reds... flashing, typical, cool neon for that time period. Round green planet circle with colored sticks jutting out and smaller colored circles inset. Aerials show the two buildings were both built prior to or in 1953. Didn't realize they were that old. The aerial maps are interesting, you can trace the path of Plum Creek, flowing under the church and Gulfgate parking lots. The large tree behind Wendy's is probably a remnant from the wooded area lining the bayou, prior to all the construction. The size of it always caught my eye. Those old apartments had some big trees, too. The animal hospital north of this corner on Winkler still has the 60's river rock facade, nice. 

[gnu]

Just looked it up for you guys....it was Carpet World.

So obvious, NeneE, after your description of the sign!

 

[msteele6]

Thanks for the info gnu, it jogged my memory just enough to remember the name "Vic" associated with Carpet World which led me to an obituary for William Blackmon which in turned mentioned his business partner Vic Vitaro and that is the name I remember for the carpet store "Vic Vitaro's Carpet World".

 

I do believe that we bought the first carpeting for our house from this business and that they advertised on television.

 

NenaE, I also picture the store at the right end, however, that would certainly be tenuous.

[NenaE]

Ok, I remember that sign, too. I believe the bottom had a red background with white letters, blue planet, green spherical circles. It's not the one I was picturing at that location. But, I may be getting them mixed up. Nice ad!