Highrise Tower

I was browsing the magazine Jewish Herald-Voice dated October 23, 1947 and came across an article about the Balfour Club Dance. On the night of November 2, 1947, at the Beth Jacob Auditorium, the Balfour "Golf Club" will be presented. The main attraction will be the presentation of the trophy to the winner of the Balfour Miniature Golf Tournament, which will be held Saturday night, Oct. 25, at the Almeda Way Miniature Golf Course. Tickets to the dance will be $1.00 couple or stag, and the time is 8p.m. until 12a.m. I believe the name "Almeda Way" was simply a local nickname? Possibly a typo? Wouldn't be the first time that Almeda was misspelled and published. Or, in 1947, Almeda was actually called "Almeda Way." Did we know about this? There was a lot of golf courses (and miniature golf?) around that whole area. In a A 1967 Houston/Bellaire map there is a Golf Course near the Veterans Hospital off Old Spanish Trail and Almeda Road. This seems different. 1967 map:

I was browsing the newspaper The Bellaire Citizen dated September 21, 1950 and came across a business ad for Humble Service Station located on Old Spanish Trail at Old Main Street Road. Pretty cool! Humble gas stations are no long around. Seems this was the grand opening as the ad says "They'll be orchids for the ladies at the opening of the new Humble Service Station - Gala Opening Saturday." Looks like the manager was W.G. Lopas, Jr. Agent. I forget if there's a gas station there today?

Here's the rendering.

This will be a mixed use development called Watermark. At the hospital so cannot post renderings. I’ll post a rendering in an hour.

Water/Waste Water Application pulled. Getting closer and closer!! Now we have a Plan Review Permit plus the additional Waste Water Permit. We should see activity here within the next few weeks!

Permit pulled for Soldier Piles, Temp Dewatering Wells, Tie Back Encroachments.

Noticed a sitework & foundation plan review permit today. There was only a (1) sub project so I don't think it's an actual new development? Sounds like this is a condo foundation repair. Wanted to post a thread in case something happens in a few months. Address is 5777 Sugar Hill Dr.

Under Contract per Loopnet. wow!! Looks like this is the very first time this parcel has been under contract. Sometimes, properties can fall in and out of contract for years. Lets hope this one sticks! If this is not a hospital, they would need to build tall in order to become profitable. I don't think a 5-story apartment mid-rise would work here. Loopnet listing: https://www.loopnet.com/Listing/1990-Old-Spanish-Trl-Houston-TX/19826697/

One Discovery Way: Parcel B: Two Discovery Way: Helix Park: Parcel J: Mixed-Use Garage: Collaborative Building:

Underground parking progress!!

Major progress for Levit Green Boulevard. Looking great!!

Tower crane coming down.

Front: Rear: This is a new payment parking system?

What were the roads and freeways like back when Pierce Junction was booming? I would like to take a look back at the life style back then. I know a few key roads were Almeda and Holmes. Were there any other big roads around back then? What about Airport Blvd? I believe West Bellfort/Willowbend/Buffalo Speedway wasn't even constructed yet. I did hear about a fatal car wreck near Pierce Junction, on the San Antonio Highway. Where exactly was that? Modern day Highway 288? What about schools and other landmarks? I believe the city "Myrtle, Texas" was a long Almeda road. I bet they had schools. Lastly, just how vast was the Pierce Junction Oil Field? Was it thousands of acres spanning all the way to Missouri City and Stafford, TX? Or was it more localized to the Astrodome area (Almeda/Holmes/Etc.)

Craig Cohen of Houston Public Media broadcasting from the University of Houston had guest Bill McKeon on today's Houston Matters show. I'm sure the 11-minute interview will be online soon. There might even be local journalists that will create a story about this interview. Here is my write-up as I was listening live. The segments that stood out for me. (Verbiage might not be 100% accurate.) Craig Cohen: Is this then just about creating specific space for existing companies to move into? Bill McKeon: No, we are actually evolving. These are coming from internal obviously when you see the great developments that are happening at MD Anderson, Baylor College of Medicine, UT, A&M, those are driven demand, that is creating this demand. One of the great opportunities is for us to have the Work Force Training Center right in the heart of the BioPort. This will create 100,000 new jobs for Houston. That's a $54 billion economic impact for this BioPort alone. CC: Do you have a time line for all of this to happen? BM: We have been in the due diligence phase for a well over a year-and-a-half now. When you are talking about such a large amount of land you have to do a tremendous amount of work to study the land. In Texas, it's not surprising there is oil wells through out, there's energy lines. You have to be very detailed in your diligence phase, because you're really not just building a place to build a building, you are building a place to build 50 factories. It has been under way for a year, to a year-and-a-half already. We have 5 or 6 customers already looking to move into the area. We think it will be activated from a time line of as early next year, early 2023. CC: I hear 50 new factories and a couple of thoughts come to mind. One of course is the potential impact to the air quality. But the other one, which is a very much concern here in Houston, is what would all of that development mean for how water flows in the Texas Medical Center? BM: Water detention. What's great about modern architecture now, when you design sports fields that can be used as water detention centers should there be terrible rain. That can also be activated and used for soccer fields for the campus. In respect to Bio Manufacturing, Bio Manufacturing isn't like most manufacturing where you see smoke coming out of stacks. This is highly advanced technical equipment that is actually creating cell lines. So you're not burning, and creating anything negative for the environment. As a matter of fact, for an economic standpoint, we are building centralized distribution so that we are not buying 50 different warehouses we are actually centralizing making it less expensive and more efficient in the process. CC: Where does most of the Medical Manufacturing occur today? BM: Number 1 place is Europe, then number 2 is Boston, and up and coming will be Houston. In the Carolina's they start educational training in the 5th grade. They can come right out of high school and go into a $160,000, $170,000 dollar job. Part of our Work Force Training Center, we will be working with all of our schools to make sure we start the training very early on to create these opportunities to serve these great young men and women coming out of High School.

I noticed there was a Notice of Public Hearing sign posted a long Highway 288 near Fuqua St. Now there is a Urban Meridian Group sign posted. What's the scoop? UMG also has another parcel of land down the freeway a bit, on the opposite side.

There is some land-clearing behind the old railroad dispatch hut. Do we know what's going on here? I'd say residential of some sort. Haven't heard of any multifamily.

Just saw this label on Ebay. Cook's Roller Rink located at 1355 Sheffield Blvd. Phone: GL. 3-2790. Do we know what decade this would have been? 1950s is my guess ? Anyone remember this place?

I've always wanted to take a photograph of this building. Finally did today! F. O'Neil "Neil" Griffin Conference and Education Center located at 7455 Fannin St. along Knight Road. This building is apart of the UT Research Park Complex.

On the train.

I was reading the newspaper The Thresher dated March 12, 1937 and came across this business ad for Scott's Golf Practice Range located on Old Main Street Road and Bellaire (now Holcombe) Blvd. Amazing find!! That whole area of South Main sure did have a lot of golf courses. South Main was an forthcoming street. It started off being a countryside of fields and dirt roads. Great for golf courses, race tracks, and horse riding. My question is, where exactly is this? I thought that the End-O-Main Dance Pavilion was at that intersection. Any pictures or satellite imagery of this golf range? I've seen a lot of Main & Holcombe historical photos. Nobody knows for sure what buildings belong to which company. You cannot read business storefronts. Only helicopter and satellite views. Here is a list of the South Main golf courses, and accessories, that I know of: A-1 Golf Driving Range At 7801 South Main St. Dixie Golf Course At 6105 South Main St. Houston Golf Center At 7710 South Main St. Speedway Golf Center On Hillcroft St. & South Main St. South Main Golf Center/Briarwood Country Club At 10920 South Main St. South Main Golf Range At 1509 South Main St. The 1937 advertisement says: Scott's Golf Practice Range Close to Rice Driving : Approaching : Putting Open Day and Nite Lessons by Appointment - Harry C. Scott. Proprietor. Corner of Old Main Street Road and Bellaire Blvd.

I was browsing the newspaper The Rice Thresher dated February 12, 1964 and came across this business ad for Monarch Bowling Alley located Old Spanish Trail & Scott Street. Given it was in the 1960s, did anyone ever go here and bowl? Are there any pictures of this place, or postcards? I'd love to hear some memories! Coming Saturday... the one... the only.. Grundelet presented by The Rally Club and featuring the hairy navel contest between the following distinguished John "Jelly Roll" Mims, Bart "Hirsute" Huemmer, Gibson "Umbilicus" Anderson. Saturday, Feb. 15. 9 till 1. T.J. McWright's Combo. Free Beer. $3.50 Couple.

The address to the Diamond L Ranch is 12841 South Main St. I believe J.L. Sweeney owned another Diamond L. Ranch near Forth Worth. Forgot the small Texas town name. I came across the address while browsing the newspaper The Bellaire Texan dated September 21, 1977. Almeda Plaza Civic Club's World Champion Rodeo featuring Leo Frank and Baldridge Smith, has been slated for the Diamond L Ranch at 12841 S. Main Sep. 24 and 25. There's an earlier ad (1936) from the Epsom Down's Rodeo located at 9700 Humble Road. The stock for the rodeo was furnished by the Diamond L Ranch. This may have been when J.L. Sweeney had the ranch near Forth Worth? There's an incredible date-gap between 1936 and 1977. Maybe the newer ranch on South Main was owned by a descendant of J.L. Sweeney?

@Ross@Dave W I found the confusion! There were 2 End of Main (dance places.) The original back in the 1940s burned down, then it was rebuilt as a fireproof building, near the other location. I believe they were called slightly different things. Both had "end of main" but one was called a "Dance Pavilion" and the other a "Ballroom". Officially at least. I'm sure the locals called the venues multiple things. Now for the "end of main" part.. I've read, and heard, a lot of different spellings! End-o-Main End o Main End-of-Main End of Main End o' Main The original location at 6815 Old Main Road was managed by (owned by?) Marvin S. Hacker. The owner of the new location at 9810 South Main was Harry D. Johnston. Although the Johnston's were in partnership of the original location. Note: A HAIF member ( @sherlene ) indicates the original location was owned by Ed Eisemann. So maybe, indeed, Marvin S. Hacker. was only the manager? Per Ross: End-O-Main Dance Pavilion was at 6815 Old Main Road in 1942. The End-O-Main Ballroom shows up in the 1959 Houston City Directory at 9810 Main. From the newspaper Southwestern Times dated April 6, 1950. End 'O Main Dance Hall Opens At New Location The new End O' Main Dance Hall located at 9800 South Main, will hold its grand opening Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, according to the owners, Mr. and Mrs. D.J. Johnston of 2054 Southgate. Music will be furnished by Milt Smith and His Orchestra. The Johnstons who were partner in the original wooden hall on the Old Main Street Road when it burned to the round May 11, 1949, sold the original site. The new building, of fireproof construction is of masonry. Design to hold a maximum of 1200 to 1300 people, the building has a 50-by-100-foot dance floor. After the week-end, the hall will be opened regularly on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights.

I was reading an old newspaper called The Bellaire & Southwestern Texan dated August 6, 1969 and came across this ad for Speedway Golf Center located on Hillcroft & South Main St. Ph - 723-7720 12 Acres practice area. 328 Tiff Tees. Wilson Balls *Accurate Yardage * Lighted by Steber Supoer Sports Lights Professional instructor - Frank Godsoe This is very, very cool! I never knew about this place! I guess the Meyer Speedway took all the fame, since it was located next door. Cheers!