Subdude Posted June 27, 2005 Share Posted June 27, 2005 It would be great to do a project where you collect together images of all the everyday stores in Houston from back in the day... the grocery stores, the car dealerships, gas stations, pharmacies, cafeterias, produce markets, hamburger stands, dry goods stores, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted June 27, 2005 Author Share Posted June 27, 2005 Hermann Professional Building Extant 6500 South Main The Fabulous Tidelands Motor Inn Demolished 6515 South Main Bill William's Chicken House Demolished 6545 South Main Ye Olde College Inn Demolished 6601 South Main Medical Towers Building. Classic modern architecture. Extant 6605 South Main Hemphill Ford Demolished 6638 South Main Cathay House Restaurant Demolished 6703 South Main Christie's Restaurant Demolished 6800 South Main Ding-How Restaurant Demolished Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted June 27, 2005 Author Share Posted June 27, 2005 6900 South Main Shamrock Hilton Hotel. The most famous building in Houston. Demolished 6900 South Main Trader Vic's at the Shamrock. Excellent tiki! Demolished 6935 South Main Vallian's. Houston's original pizza place. Demolished 7021 South Main Sheriton Oaks Motel Demolished 7315 South Main Red Lion Restaurant Demolished 7707 South Main El Chico Restaurant Status? 7900 South Main Kaphan's Restaurant Demolished 7905 South Main Rodeway Inn Extant 8000 South Main Car'Lon Hotel Courths Demolished Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted June 27, 2005 Author Share Posted June 27, 2005 8001 South Main Stuart's Club Grill Demolished 8011 South Main Johnson's Magnolia Service Station (the address on the picture is incorrect). Demolished 8200 South Main Grant Motel Extant 8300 South Main Motor Inn Hotel Demolished 8330 South Main Surrey House Motor Hotel Status? 8510 South Main Gateway Crystal Swimming Pool (notice the rolling hills in the background ) Demolished 8700 South Main Alamotel Court Demolished 9000 South Main Chief Motel Demolished 9001 South Main Crestwood Tourist Hotel Demolished 9051 South Main Buffalo Inn Hotel Demolished Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jm1fd Posted June 27, 2005 Share Posted June 27, 2005 Here's what I could pull together for South Main.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>Great series. Where'd you find it all?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talbot Posted June 27, 2005 Share Posted June 27, 2005 South Main looks totally different now than what it did back then. It's hard to believe that there was that much open land. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted June 27, 2005 Author Share Posted June 27, 2005 There are other pictures as well, so if you have any requests let me know and I'll try to find them. It's funny. These are all from before my time, and I didn't even grow up here, but I really like seeing how the city used to look in these old pictures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heights2Bastrop Posted June 28, 2005 Share Posted June 28, 2005 Do you have a photo of Pier 21 Restaurant? It was on Main or Fannin just south of Holcomb. The front center of the building was the prow of a ship. I went to a number of dances at Sylvin Beach including (ahem) both of my senior proms. Anyone ever go there before? Is it still in operation? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted June 28, 2005 Author Share Posted June 28, 2005 Do you have a photo of Pier 21 Restaurant? It was on Main or Fannin just south of Holcomb. The front center of the building was the prow of a ship. Of course! It says "End of Main", but I think it was on Old Main Street Rd. (now part of Fannin) near the Prudential building. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoAtomic Posted June 29, 2005 Share Posted June 29, 2005 If I'm not mistaken, that Holiday Inn location is now the US Vets housing facility in Midtown. At least that's what it looks like to me...<{POST_SNAPBACK}>Is that the one that they've 'remodeled' with a stucco facade or something similar? If so, it's too bad - what a cool original design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted June 29, 2005 Author Share Posted June 29, 2005 Yes, exactly. I love the original design as well - so mid-century modern. Also, Danax is right. Stripping off the metal siding from the Midtown Sears would be one of the best things they could for the city. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astro Posted June 29, 2005 Share Posted June 29, 2005 Awesome photos Subdude!! Great job of putting thee threads together!! I love the old look of the Holiday Inn building as well but I don't remember it looking too different now? I need to take a closer look next time i go by there... I've always liked that Weldon's Cafteria building as well. And personally I kind of like the current facade on the Sears building... I'd just like to see it cleaned up and the windows put back in place on street level... (like that will ever happen. ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted June 30, 2005 Author Share Posted June 30, 2005 And personally I kind of like the current facade on the Sears building... I'd just like to see it cleaned up and the windows put back in place on street level... (like that will ever happen. )On the old forum someone had posted pictures of Sears right after it had been "modernized" in the 1950s. It didn't look as disgrusting as it does now, but it's still hard to see what possessed them to change it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heights2Bastrop Posted June 30, 2005 Share Posted June 30, 2005 Thatnk, Subdude! They can tear down those old icons from the past, but no one can destroy the memories of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashikaga Posted July 19, 2005 Share Posted July 19, 2005 9100 South MainKing's Court Demolished 9300 South Main White House Motor Hotel Status? 9350 South Main John's Restaurant. This may have become the Poly-Asian restaurant later. Demolished 9604 South Main Las Vegas Motor Hotel Extant 9810 South Main Sonny Look's Sir Loin House Demolished 9901 South Main Elliott's Steak House Demolished 10015 South Main Mitchell Inn Extant 10200 South Main The Yacht Restaurant Demolished 10319 South Main Holiday Inn Motel Extant <{POST_SNAPBACK}> That Sonnys and Sir Loin's resemble a place that I went to in Beaumont back in the 1970s called "Steak and Ale." Were there any "Steak and Ale" restaurants in Houston? I don't think that the one in Beaumont is there anymore. Chet Cuccia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowspark Posted July 27, 2005 Share Posted July 27, 2005 El Chico is gone and has been for years. Guess you can call it demolished because I'm about 99.9% sure that building is no longer in existence. Funny thing is that El Chico became just another run-of-the-mill TexMex place later, but back in the day of the restaurant pictured above, it was a pretty fancy place. I remember my parents getting dressed up for a night-on-the-town type evening to go out for dinner there. They didn't take us kids to such a fancy place! Funny to think of El Chico that way, or any TexMex place, but that's how it was back then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trophy Property Posted July 28, 2005 Share Posted July 28, 2005 I mentioned this in another thread - we need a section called "Historic Houston" for posts like this.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>Those are awesome pics Subdue - Good Work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Town Man Posted July 30, 2005 Share Posted July 30, 2005 Subdude, this is great. I am flattered that my idea had something to do with the creation of this "project," but I never could have done what you have in making it a reality. For once I feel like this site could be something more than just a bunch of bored malcontents spouting off their views about architecture. As you build on this and other people contribute, we really could build a significant resource for historic Houston on the web - THE resource for historic Houston on the web. Bravo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diane Posted August 6, 2005 Share Posted August 6, 2005 El Chico is gone and has been for years. Guess you can call it demolished because I'm about 99.9% sure that building is no longer in existence. Funny thing is that El Chico became just another run-of-the-mill TexMex place later, but back in the day of the restaurant pictured above, it was a pretty fancy place. I remember my parents getting dressed up for a night-on-the-town type evening to go out for dinner there. They didn't take us kids to such a fancy place! Funny to think of El Chico that way, or any TexMex place, but that's how it was back then.<{POST_SNAPBACK}>Remember Molina's "Mexico City" restaurant? I think the original location was on Fannin or Main - delicious food & perfect atmosphere. I would love to find one of the old menus because for many years, it was a "family tradition" in our family to go there on Christmas Eve. Great pics! I have many good memories of Valian's too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heights2Bastrop Posted August 6, 2005 Share Posted August 6, 2005 Yes, that would be Brays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucesw Posted October 14, 2005 Share Posted October 14, 2005 10200 South MainThe Yacht Restaurant Demolished Did this become Angelo's Fisherman's Wharf?, a place that had an all-you-can-eat option IIRC. That's about the right address. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJones Posted October 14, 2005 Share Posted October 14, 2005 Another one I found.Gaidos, 9200 South Main. I knew they were in Galveston, but not in Houston. It's not in this picture, but they used to have a Giant Shrimp sculture with a cowboy outfit on, brandishing sixguns like he is ready for a gunfight, and a Giant Blue crab, on the other end of the building, with a sign underneath it that said "actual size". 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted November 23, 2005 Share Posted November 23, 2005 the Warwick (now soon to be ZaZa) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted November 26, 2005 Author Share Posted November 26, 2005 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted November 27, 2005 Share Posted November 27, 2005 "...midtown... at the very center of the entertainment and cultural area."Does this mean that "Midtown" was a lot larger back then? Was this before the "Museum District" label was invented? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted November 27, 2005 Author Share Posted November 27, 2005 "...midtown... at the very center of the entertainment and cultural area."Does this mean that "Midtown" was a lot larger back then? Was this before the "Museum District" label was invented?Yeah, I think the "Museum District" is fairly recent, like from the 1990s. I'm not sure what was considered "midtown" back then, although it makes sense that it would have covered the area between downtown and Uptown (the area on South Main near the Shamrock). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houston19514 Posted November 28, 2005 Share Posted November 28, 2005 Yeah, I think the "Museum District" is fairly recent, like from the 1990s. I'm not sure what was considered "midtown" back then, although it makes sense that it would have covered the area between downtown and Uptown (the area on South Main near the Shamrock).Huh? Are you referring to the "area on South Main near the Shamrock" as "Uptown"? If so, why?Or are you saying that the "area on South Main near the Shamrock" is between downtown and Uptown? Hardly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdude Posted November 28, 2005 Author Share Posted November 28, 2005 The area around the Shamrock was known as "Uptown" from after WW2 until (I think) about the 1980s. I've seen it in a lot of old ads. Calling the Galleria area "Uptown" was just dreamed up in the 1990s as kind of a marketing gimmick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torvald Posted November 28, 2005 Share Posted November 28, 2005 I mentioned this in another thread - we need a section called "Historic Houston" for posts like this.i agree! i think i may have some old postcards/flyers from the area too. i'll post them here if they serve as good additons to whats shown above... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sevfiv Posted December 8, 2005 Share Posted December 8, 2005 (edited) The area around the Shamrock was known as "Uptown" from after WW2 until (I think) about the 1980s. I've seen it in a lot of old ads. Calling the Galleria area "Uptown" was just dreamed up in the 1990s as kind of a marketing gimmick. yes - this Towers Motor Hotel postcards says it's in "uptown" (and it was located on Holcombe near Main) Edited December 8, 2005 by sevfiv Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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