dbigtex56

Shhh! Are you trying to ruin The Texas Lottery? I've seen people walk through thunderstorms to buy a lottery ticket. So much for people paying attention to statistics...

Last time? About a week ago. I've been there many times after dark and have never had anything but a pleasant experience.

re: interiors Check out this website - Bradbury & Bradbury Art Wallpapers. Wallpaper would be historically correct. Although I haven't priced this company's products (I imagine they don't come cheap) you can still get some great ideas for Victorian, Arts & Crafts and Art Deco interiors, including color schemes and borders.

Forgive my pedantry, but I doubt if a 1925 house is Victorian. 'Victorian' refers to the styles in vogue during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901). Not a lot of houses built after the first decade of the 20th century could be classified as Victorians. By the 1920s, Craftsman and Four Square houses were popular, and used a different color palate. Victorian colors would be inappropriate.

Although Vitrolite might not be exactly period correct, it could still look appropriate. Unfortunately, it might be difficult to find someone who knows how to install it, let alone obtain it to begin with...wonder there's a modern equivalent - opaque spandel glass, perhaps?

Shucks, you beat me to it. The tip-off for me was the City Hall tower.

Good points, RedScare. In addition to design issues, there's also the matter of unregulated homeowners' associations. Can one buy a new suburban home without being locked into an agreement which can go sour at any time? I've heard too many stories about associations which are power-drunk or outright corrupt. Maintaining some standards is desirable - necessary, even. But IMHO, the relationship between homeowners and their 'associations' is much like that between a buck private and a drill sergeant. That's not a home - that's a barracks.

Looks like something you'd see in the "If They Mated" segment of Conan O'Brien.

Now, now...don't diss-Miss Kathy. She's the one who got Metro rolling, repaved the downtown streets, shook up the Good Ol' Boys in HPD, supported non-discrimination and brought governmental fiscal responsibility to the forefront. Sure, she burned out after four terms, but she's left a respectable legacy.

Applause for the current (city) administration! Looks like Tremont management has been given every opportunity to fix the problem yet, inexplicably, they prefer to be jerks. I'm glad that the city is putting the screws to them, and to others who won't even minimally maintain their property. 'Property Rights' has to be balanced by responsibility of ownership. Hope this trend continues and grows. "The hallmark of aristocracy is responsibility." - "Little Edie" Beale in Grey Gardens

I'm of the impression that state law allows alcohol to be served from 7am - 2am, Monday through Saturdays. On Sundays, alcohol can be served starting at 10am only when accompanied by food. Otherwise, the hours on Sundays are 12pm - 2am. What Mayor White was trying to change is the practice of 'after-hours' at bars. In other words, no alcohol is being served after 2am, although soda, juice, coffee, etc. can still be sold. So long as all alcoholic drinks are confiscated by 2:15am, bars and nightclubs are free to continue operating. If bars are forced (by city ordinance) to close their doors at 2am, you'll have people guzzling down that drink they ordered at 1:59am. Further, if someone feels he's had one too many, he can't stay until his liver has had time to do its thing. After hours allows for a 'cooling off' period before someone takes the wheel. Also, people leave in a more staggered pattern (if you'll excuse the expression.) If everyone's kicked out the door promptly at two, expect a mini rush hour. That's the down side. On the other hand, the sale and use of illegal drugs is rampant after 2am. I think that's his real target.

And Capital One already knows "What's in your wallet?"

Funny AND scary. (did you notice that one of the books he checked out from the library was Nancy Drew, Danger on Deception Island? ) If you're not 'paranoid' about such invasions of privacy, perhaps you should watch the movie Brazil again, or reread Orwell's 1984. And bear in mind the measures which were taken at the height of the Red Scare (no, not him) in the 50's. Imagine what fun McCarthy could have had with such a database...

Yeah...maybe if they'd spent more money on routine maintenance and less on some truly ugly decor, the house wouldn't be 'hopeless'.

It's not like he's beating his dog. Owners of older houses - especially those in prime areas - are put in a quandry. Without maintanance, of course the place will fall apart. But why pour money into a house when there's a good chance it will be demolished anyway? I have a friend who bought her charming little house near River Oaks Plaza about 12 years ago. During that time, the valuations of similar houses have gone from $80k to just under $300k, with taxes to match. What few similar houses remain, that is...most of the street has been taken over by hulking townhomes. So what should my friend do? She'd like to stay there, but the taxes are killing her. She can spend several thousand dollars to patch the place up - but it's doubtful that there will be any return on her investment. Who cares if a tear-down has a new roof? I'd like to see every architecturally significant house maintained and preserved. It kills me that people prefer some giant Barbie's Dream House over a smaller house of superior design. But such are the economic realities of Houston.

Good point. When I first discovered this forum, I was hesitant to post anything because of my lack of formal architectural training. It was a relief to find out that even a layman's observations and opinions was welcome. What a privilege to exchange ideas and insights about architecture with like-minded people! It's impossible to seperate urban architecture from city planning; and one can't discuss city planning without politics and socio-economic forces being mentioned (i.e., the homeless population downtown). It's easy to become distracted from the central theme (and I'm as guilty of this as anyone), and to regard the forum as a sort of chatroom. Some of this is good - part of what keeps people coming back is seeing how people of wildly divergent opinions interact with one another. Personalities emerge, especially in the Way Off Topic section. But this is terratory which many other chatrooms have covered. If one wants only to rant and 'flame', there's a million places on the web where that's the norm. I hope HAIF continues to hold itself to a higher standard. Some of the posts are as well-written and insightful as major media Op-Ed pieces. I hope that HAIF can increase its popularity and still maintain its core membership - those who have an interest in architecture.

Perhaps the graffiti artists could be persuaded to add some lemons. That might get the property owners' attention.

Proctologists are used to ignoring a command to "Stop! Stop!"

Well, at least you admit it. BTW, you misspelled 'heist'.

Houston's Fresh (

Fascinating, seeing the different 'takes' people have on anchormen (anchorpeople? anchorpersons? Max Headroom?) Can't wait to see how Good Night, and Good Luck interprets the power of those who deliver the medium of television to us. Hope it doesn't suck.

Very insightful HeightsGuy, and especially applicable to this forum. Baseball became America's Game at a time when much of America was rural. As someone who grew up in a farming community, I saw firsthand that there were ample opportunities for young people to play baseball. Many small towns had informal leagues, often sponsored by local businesses. Land was cheap, people were involved with their communities, and lawsuits were unheard of. Kids would create their own baseball fields on vacant lots or large lawns. This way of life is increasingly rare in America. Mr. Wilson isn't amused when Dennis the Menace hits a home run through his living room window. Is it mere coincidence that Ray Oswalt is from rural Mississippi? I don't think so. On the other hand, basketball is less demanding of space. Even the barest urban parks can find it in their budgets for a few hundred square feet of asphalt and a basketball hoop. Thus the discrepancy. Racial imbalance in sports is directly related to the opportunities that young people are given. I hope that Mr. Aaron will use his considerable influence to promote access to sports facilities to all children - black and white, rich and poor, male and female.

Very interesting! The process reminds me of those rings one used to get out of gum machines. They were surfaced with plastic ridges, and the images would change depending on the angle from which they were viewed (e.g., pretty girl - pretty girl winks). They were common in the 1950s - 1960s. I tried for about 20 minutes to find an example on Google with no luck - does anyone know what the accepted term for this gimmick might be? Are they still made? Speaking of unusual photographs, found this site which is worth a view... (Site contains nudity. Younger or more sensitive viewers, etc.)

Last weekend I went to a party, and conversation turned to new development in Montrose and Midtown. A couple of the guys were professional interior designers (hold the jokes, please) and they were very emphatic about the horrible design of the units in this building ("weird" and "hopeless" are the words that stick in my mind.) This was completely aside from the legal and health controversies of Tremont Tower, of which they were unaware. (Oh, and FYI: The 'Tuscany look' has been done to death. That's all their clients ask for, though... )