In the summer of 2010, I received a very popular email that contained approximately twelve percent of the pictures that you will see on this and the following pages. No one knows, it seems, who originally gathered those photos of Houston and sent them on their way around the web. That email caused me to want to find out as much as I could about the photos and give credit whenever I could find sources and information. Then that led to my continuing hobby of researching Houston in primarily the 1950s and 1960s.
So, I hope that you enjoy the following as much as I have enjoyed compiling and researching and giving credit where I could do so.
So, I hope that you enjoy the following as much as I have enjoyed compiling and researching and giving credit where I could do so.
Ringling Brothers Barnum And Bailey Parade Comes to 1936 Houston
Approximately 8 – 12 years before my classmates and I were born, this beautiful picture was taken of the 1936 Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Parade on Main Street at the corner of Rusk and beyond. A visitor to our Westbury High School site, David Bower, graciously shared this with us for "Reminisce."
Approximately 8 – 12 years before my classmates and I were born, this beautiful picture was taken of the 1936 Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Parade on Main Street at the corner of Rusk and beyond. A visitor to our Westbury High School site, David Bower, graciously shared this with us for "Reminisce."
Photo courtesy of the David Bower Collection
The little circle in the center of the picture is Mr. Bower at age three on the shoulders of his great-uncle. Note not only the wonderful elephants, but also the steam from the circus calliope toward the back of the parade . Familiar places to us in the photo include Battelstein's, Ralph Rupley Furs, and the Metropolitan and Lowe's Theatres. Also seen are the Hotel San Jacinto and the Second National Bank thanks to which we know that the photo was taken at 11:15 a.m. Besides the huge crowd on the street we see people sitting on the top of a building and hanging out of windows and even sitting precariously, in my opinion, on ledges. Such excitement is tangible in this photo because the circus has come to town in the middle of the Great Depression!
The little circle in the center of the picture is Mr. Bower at age three on the shoulders of his great-uncle. Note not only the wonderful elephants, but also the steam from the circus calliope toward the back of the parade . Familiar places to us in the photo include Battelstein's, Ralph Rupley Furs, and the Metropolitan and Lowe's Theatres. Also seen are the Hotel San Jacinto and the Second National Bank thanks to which we know that the photo was taken at 11:15 a.m. Besides the huge crowd on the street we see people sitting on the top of a building and hanging out of windows and even sitting precariously, in my opinion, on ledges. Such excitement is tangible in this photo because the circus has come to town in the middle of the Great Depression!
Posters such as the following one would have been seen all over town before the day of the circus' arrival. This one features Jumbo the elephant.
And the steam at the end of the parade would have been produced by a calliope such as this restored one:
Hurricane Carla Delays Opening of Westbury High School September 1961
It seems appropriate to include Hurricane Carla which famously, to us anyway, delayed Westbury High School's opening in 1961. The following is a photo of the track of Carla, now known as the most intense landfalling Atlantic hurricane in the United States based on size and intensity for total points on the Hurricane Severity Index. The next four in rank are Hugo, Betsy, Camille and Katrina. (See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Carla)
Hurricane Carla formed on September 3 and dissipated on September 16. Its highest one-minute sustained winds were measured at 175 mph making it a Category 5 Hurricane, although it landed as a Category 4 on September 11. Forty-three fatalities are directly attributed to Carla. The first live television broadcast of a hurricane launched Dan Rather's national career.
From: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Carla
From: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Carla
On to More Photos . . .
Some of these are from the original webmail and many have been added, now with history and original source citing . . .
Houston had a brief flirtation with the idea of a monorail for public transportation. By February 18, 1956, this monorail prototype was installed at Arrowhead Park on South Main near O.S.T. The coach held fifty-five passengers and on that day made three trips up and down the 1600-foot track at less than ten mph even though it was capable of speeds up to 250 mph. It didn't exactly produce the same feeling as any of the rides at Playland Park. Photo from:
http://images.google.com/hosted/life/l?q=Monorail%20source:life&prev=/images?q=Monorail+source:life&hl=en&safe=off&biw=1009&bih=632&tbm=isch&imgurl=010aae3d79273c24
http://images.google.com/hosted/life/l?q=Monorail%20source:life&prev=/images?q=Monorail+source:life&hl=en&safe=off&biw=1009&bih=632&tbm=isch&imgurl=010aae3d79273c24
But I am sure that these school children had a good time on their field trip even if the ride was a little slow.
Two "stewardesses" -- Kay Bright and Dorothy Buell -- guided the children aboard.
The "Trailblazer" was loaded from the ground. The rail was called the "Skyway." Both names were the result of a contest. I remember seeing it from the car a number of times during the months that it was at Arrowhead Park. By September of that same year, the whole thing was dismantled and taken to Dallas where it was actually used. The second, third, and fourth pictures and much of the information above are from:
http://blog.chron.com/bayoucityhistory/2008/10/when-monorail-came-to-houston/
When the Trailblazer got to Dallas, it was set up in the State Fair area as a concession during the Fair and on weekends from 1956 - 1962. The rail was eighteen feet off the ground. By the time it was retired, 1,000,000 people had ridden it.
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trailblazer_%28monorail%29
[I have found a few brief references to a very short display monorail at the corner of Highway 90 and Fondren. And another vague memory of a short monorail at Hobby Airport for a while. I have found no pictures of these.]
http://blog.chron.com/bayoucityhistory/2008/10/when-monorail-came-to-houston/
When the Trailblazer got to Dallas, it was set up in the State Fair area as a concession during the Fair and on weekends from 1956 - 1962. The rail was eighteen feet off the ground. By the time it was retired, 1,000,000 people had ridden it.
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trailblazer_%28monorail%29
[I have found a few brief references to a very short display monorail at the corner of Highway 90 and Fondren. And another vague memory of a short monorail at Hobby Airport for a while. I have found no pictures of these.]
Obviously, no air conditioning: note the wide-open front doors. 7-Elevens have their origin in Dallas in 1927. Use of the name 7-Eleven began in 1946, emphasizing the very long hours that the stores were open.
From http://www.answers.com/topic/7-eleven
From http://www.answers.com/topic/7-eleven
A Houston Original
This is a copy of a photo that can be found at http://www.cah.utexas.edu/db/dmr. It was taken in 1946. U Tote M was a chain of convenience stores that experienced great growth under the direction of LeRoy Melcher. He acquired the chain in 1950 and became its president in 1953. Melcher's success is noted by the fact that he expanded the chain from ten stores to more than one thousand stores in thirteen states.
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U-tote-M
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U-tote-M
This picture of a Toddle House was in the original email and I must confess that I barely remember them, but they were apparently quite popular.
Toddle House was a national restaurant chain in the United States specializing in breakfast and open 24/7. Each outlet was built to the same plan, and contained no tables, but merely a short counter with a row of ten stools. Payment was on the honor system: customers deposited their checks with the correct amount in a box by the door on the way out. Much of their business was take-out.
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toddle_House
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toddle_House
Sea-Arama opened in Galveston in 1965 as one of the first ocean theme parks in the nation.
Photo from: www.texasfreeway.com/houston/historic/photos/texas_highways_images/txhwys_may70_sea-arama_1e.jpg
Between 1957 and 1964 is when Sam Cooke produced all of his big hits. He died in 1964. Chuck Berry's huge hit "Johnny B. Goode" was in 1958, the same year of Earl Grant's only pop hit "The End." Therefore, this picture was probably taken in '58 or '59.
Sometime in the late 1950s, a swarthy-looking, cigar-chomping, ever-smiling Greek fellow named Jimmy Menutis bought The Wayside, an east end suburban movie theatre on Telephone Road, near Wayside Drive, and turned it into a club for contemporary music and dancing. For about five years, the place flourished as the biggest big-name rock ‘n roll music venue to ever hit Houston.
Menutis had gutted the old theater seats, replacing that area with ample table settings and plenty of room left over for dancing. The old stage remained for performers, but acts were free to wind their away into the seating areas and perform up close and personal for members of the audience. Jimmy Menutis closed sometime in the mid-1960s.
A visitor to our site, Betty Baker, told me of a band [with an original Jimmy Menutis drummer] that is still playing today. Betty says they are a great band to dance to. See: www.gratefulgeezers.com
This picture is from: http://www.scarletdukes.com/st/tmhou_venues2.html
Other Information is from:bill37mccurdy.wordpress.com/2010/08/05/jimmy-menutis-the-houston-heart-of-rock-n-roll/
Sometime in the late 1950s, a swarthy-looking, cigar-chomping, ever-smiling Greek fellow named Jimmy Menutis bought The Wayside, an east end suburban movie theatre on Telephone Road, near Wayside Drive, and turned it into a club for contemporary music and dancing. For about five years, the place flourished as the biggest big-name rock ‘n roll music venue to ever hit Houston.
Menutis had gutted the old theater seats, replacing that area with ample table settings and plenty of room left over for dancing. The old stage remained for performers, but acts were free to wind their away into the seating areas and perform up close and personal for members of the audience. Jimmy Menutis closed sometime in the mid-1960s.
A visitor to our site, Betty Baker, told me of a band [with an original Jimmy Menutis drummer] that is still playing today. Betty says they are a great band to dance to. See: www.gratefulgeezers.com
This picture is from: http://www.scarletdukes.com/st/tmhou_venues2.html
Other Information is from:bill37mccurdy.wordpress.com/2010/08/05/jimmy-menutis-the-houston-heart-of-rock-n-roll/
Until 1965, when all newly connected telephone numbers nationwide consisted of numbers only, we had word prefixes. Many will remember that PA was Parkview. Others represented in this newspaper ad are National, Homestead, Mission, Underwood, Prescott, and Oxford.
Weight-loss studios were quite popular in the 1950s and 1960s. They were somewhat the forerunners of the modern-day gym. Often the machines were designed to move the body and muscles, rather than the person's doing the work herself.
From: http://robert227.bizland.com/phonemuseum/exchanges/exchangelist.htm
Speaking of Telephones . . .
In 1960, the "hot" new thing was telephones in colors!
From: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/electronics-ads-1960s/9
From: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/electronics-ads-1960s/9
And look at these world-wide long distance rates in 1966!
From: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/electronics-ads-1960s/20
From: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/electronics-ads-1960s/20
Sunbeam's long-time mascot is called Little Miss Sunbeam. In 1942, illustrator Ellen Segner was commissioned by the Quality Bakers of America to create a marketing symbol of a young child. Over six months she submitted hundreds of sketches before coming across the girl who would become the first Miss Sunbeam in Washington Square Park close to Segner's studio in Greenwich Village.
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunbeam_Bread
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunbeam_Bread
Sharpstown Mall Appears on the Scene
Sharpstown Center which opened September 14, 1961, was the third mall to be built in Houston after Gulfgate Mall opened in 1956 and Meyerland Plaza in 1957. Sharpstown Center was the first air-conditioned, enclosed shopping mall in the Houston area.
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharpstown_Mall
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharpstown_Mall
A Wonderful Boss at Baker's Shoe Store in Sharpstown
When I first published Reminisce, I highlighted one of the most influential experiences of my professional life. It occurred when working for Baker’s Shoe Store in Sharpstown with Larry Jackson and Tommy Tucker, both very good and special friends in my Westbury High School class of 1963.
We were in our junior and senior years. The lady customers enjoyed being shown shoes by those two good-looking young men. I sold stockings in individual small flat boxes, showed handbags to go with shoes, and rang up all the store's sales. Recently, Mary Evelyn Prater ('63) reminded me that she worked there as well. I had forgotten, I am sure, because we would have worked on different days.
Baker's was so special to me because of the manager, Mr. Money. He was the best boss that I ever had. He was kind, patient, understanding, and he was a born teacher. I loved working for him. He would and could correct us and never belittle us while doing so. I learned much from him.
Eventually, I would become a teacher of literature and writing, then an Assistant Principal. In total, that career as an educator lasted over thirty years.
Throughout the whole professional time, I drew, despite many years of academic advanced training in education and management, mostly upon what I learned from Mr. Money. I would and did try to emulate his style, his thoughtfulness and patience that he had shown to Tommy, Larry and me.
The three of us had a wonderful time working at Baker's, and tried always to be “professional,” that is, not to act like just young people. We wanted to succeed — to act like adults in the working world — because of this wonderful man, our boss, Mr. Money. We wanted to be more, to excel and step up. We did, and through his teaching over those two years, he made us feel proud of how we conducted ourselves as we entered this new life.
After Reminisce had been online for a while, a lady — who was visiting by referral — happened to see my note about the job at Baker's. She wrote a personal message to the site and said that her father used to be the manager of Baker’s Shoes. At my request, she then sent me his picture, which I have included above. She was and is Mr. Money's daughter, now Cindi Money Dean.
Both she and her sister, and other family members have visited Reminisce. And, they know how much their father meant to these three Westbury High School students all these years, and how we admired him so much. To me, he represented the people of that era, which were the best of the culture of Houston, Texas, in the early 1960s.
Even though Mr. Money is not with us today in one sense, in another he very much is. The quality of his life didn't just rest with his children, other family, friends, and no doubt many more employees like us Westbury Rebels, but was passed on through my best efforts to accord his same goodness to thousands of young people. I am sure that I did not replicate his contribution to this world perfectly. But in all of those thirty plus years, his guidance attended my most important and best efforts.
Being able to tell this story has been one of the gracing moments for me of this experience with Reminisce. And now I have been contacted by a fellow graduate, Mary Evelyn, who also worked for Mr. Money and who thinks of him as highly as I do.
Tana (Westbury High School class of 1963)
We were in our junior and senior years. The lady customers enjoyed being shown shoes by those two good-looking young men. I sold stockings in individual small flat boxes, showed handbags to go with shoes, and rang up all the store's sales. Recently, Mary Evelyn Prater ('63) reminded me that she worked there as well. I had forgotten, I am sure, because we would have worked on different days.
Baker's was so special to me because of the manager, Mr. Money. He was the best boss that I ever had. He was kind, patient, understanding, and he was a born teacher. I loved working for him. He would and could correct us and never belittle us while doing so. I learned much from him.
Eventually, I would become a teacher of literature and writing, then an Assistant Principal. In total, that career as an educator lasted over thirty years.
Throughout the whole professional time, I drew, despite many years of academic advanced training in education and management, mostly upon what I learned from Mr. Money. I would and did try to emulate his style, his thoughtfulness and patience that he had shown to Tommy, Larry and me.
The three of us had a wonderful time working at Baker's, and tried always to be “professional,” that is, not to act like just young people. We wanted to succeed — to act like adults in the working world — because of this wonderful man, our boss, Mr. Money. We wanted to be more, to excel and step up. We did, and through his teaching over those two years, he made us feel proud of how we conducted ourselves as we entered this new life.
After Reminisce had been online for a while, a lady — who was visiting by referral — happened to see my note about the job at Baker's. She wrote a personal message to the site and said that her father used to be the manager of Baker’s Shoes. At my request, she then sent me his picture, which I have included above. She was and is Mr. Money's daughter, now Cindi Money Dean.
Both she and her sister, and other family members have visited Reminisce. And, they know how much their father meant to these three Westbury High School students all these years, and how we admired him so much. To me, he represented the people of that era, which were the best of the culture of Houston, Texas, in the early 1960s.
Even though Mr. Money is not with us today in one sense, in another he very much is. The quality of his life didn't just rest with his children, other family, friends, and no doubt many more employees like us Westbury Rebels, but was passed on through my best efforts to accord his same goodness to thousands of young people. I am sure that I did not replicate his contribution to this world perfectly. But in all of those thirty plus years, his guidance attended my most important and best efforts.
Being able to tell this story has been one of the gracing moments for me of this experience with Reminisce. And now I have been contacted by a fellow graduate, Mary Evelyn, who also worked for Mr. Money and who thinks of him as highly as I do.
Tana (Westbury High School class of 1963)
Progress at Sharpstown Mall
A Good Way to Start an Argument
Those of us who grew up in the fifties and sixties sometimes like to say that another mall preceded Sharpstown, Meyerland and Gulfgate. It was Palms Center which was located at Griggs and South Park Blvd (now MLK), and it opened in September, 1955, almost a year before Gulfgate opened. Yet, if one looks at this issue carefully, Palms Center was actually more of a shopping center than it was a mall. It was definitely an early example of such, but I think technically not a mall.
_
Palms Center, 1965 (Larry
Evans : Chronicle file)
Even the main sign reminds me more of the Bellaire Triangle Shopping Center, more than it does a sign for a true mall. But there is room for argument with my declarations, of course, mainly because one dictionary definition of a mall is a covered shopping center. Neither Meyerland, nor Gulfgate was covered when it first opened.
Once again I relied, this time the only source that I could find, on our oft-quoted "friend" J.R. Gonzales. I do not know J.R., but feel by now that I do.
I cannot recommend his website enough:
http://blog.chron.com/bayoucityhistory/2011/07/palms-center-in-pictures/#327-2
I cannot recommend his website enough:
http://blog.chron.com/bayoucityhistory/2011/07/palms-center-in-pictures/#327-2
J.R. goes on to quote the Houston Post concerning the opening of Palms Center:
A payday crowd of thousands gave the Palms Center shopping city a rousing welcome Thursday to the southeast part of Houston.
The crowd swarmed through 41 stores in the center, overflowed the 2,000-car parking lot and stacked up traffic for several miles on adjoining thoroughfares.
Even before (U.S.) Rep. Albert Thomas cut the ribbon at the opening ceremonies Thursday morning, throngs were promenading through the center, looking into the show windows of the various stores and shops.
And, J.R. gives us an update as of this year:
These days, Palm Center houses offices for the county, the Houston Public Library and the Harris County Hospital District to name a few. Houston Texans YMCA is nearby. Work is already under way to install MetroRail’s Southeast Line along Griggs, too.
[You might like to see eight more pictures of Palms Center from the 60s thru the 90s at J.R.'s site.]
Now, back to Sharpstown . . .
Later in the decade, 1968 to be exact, an attraction was added to Sharpstown that offered much fun to go along with the shopping experience.
This was called "Mi Tee Slide" and was built and operated by members of the Kelsoe family. These pictures were sent to us by Neal Kelsoe, son and nephew of the Kelsoes who provided this great entertainment.
This wonderful photo shows not only the structure of the slide, but also the mall in the background. Thanks To Neal for sharing these with us.
Near the Mall and the Slide . . .
Outdoor theatres, or drive-ins as we called them, started out very much as family entertainment. Parents would pack up the kids in their pajamas, toss in picnic baskets, blankets and pillows, and head for the nearest drive-in. Playgrounds for the kids became common fairly early after the advent of the drive-in in 1933. But the Sharpstown Drive-in Theatre kind of outdid most of the others with their appeal to families with children.
Opening in 1958, at 6366 Bellaire Blvd, this drive-in became the one that all the kids in the area wanted to go to. It operated from 1958 to the 1980’s and had a car capacity of 1,281. "The theatre started out as a family place, with a merry-go-round and a children’s train that gave rides around the base of the screen, and went through a ‘tunnel' which was huge. As time wore on, the place became seedier, less frequented because city lights began to interfere with the experience. It then began showing lower-quality films, even soft core porn."
From: http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/21993
Picture from: http://www.drive-ins.com/theater/txtshar [This is a great site about drive-ins and their photos are copyrighted. Thus I am careful to give them credit. You might enjoy going to the site for history and pictures and information.]
From: http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/21993
Picture from: http://www.drive-ins.com/theater/txtshar [This is a great site about drive-ins and their photos are copyrighted. Thus I am careful to give them credit. You might enjoy going to the site for history and pictures and information.]
_
Loews Sharpstown Open-Air Theatre screen tower
and box offices from the April 7, 1958 issue of Boxoffice Magazine.
This photo was taken in 1957.
From: http://www.drive-ins.com/theater/txtshar
This photo was taken in 1957.
From: http://www.drive-ins.com/theater/txtshar
A rare shot from 1957 of a large concession stand/snack bar. As kids we could hardly wait until intermission in order to go get our treats.
Also from: http://www.drive-ins.com/theater/txtshar
Also from: http://www.drive-ins.com/theater/txtshar
This ad from the Houston Post makes it clear why the Sharpstown Theatre was so popular in its earlier days of the late 50s and all through the 60s, and even some of the 70s.
From: http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss340/kennymcintyre/HPIM4231.jpg
From: http://i589.photobucket.com/albums/ss340/kennymcintyre/HPIM4231.jpg
And the Texas Medical Center Appears and Grows
The following two pictures, the first from the 1950's and the second from 2007 demonstrate the phenomenal growth of the Texas Medical Center in our lifetime. This is, of course, one of the most important places in Houston and has given our city much of its world-wide fame.
The Texas Medical Center was created through generous philanthropy. Back in the 1930s, a businessman named Monroe Dunaway Anderson was thinking of good and beneficial ways to use his money to help mankind. With the support of his trustees and his interests in health and education, they came up with the idea that a great medical center should be built in Houston, next to Hermann Hospital. The idea was to have a medical center that consisted of many different hospitals, academic institutions and various support organizations. Land was made available without cost, to institutions so that they would come and build here. Seed money was also provided, and people from all over Texas were asked to help fund it. By 1954, the Texas Medical Center had eleven institutions: four hospitals, two children's hospitals, a university, a library, a speech and hearing center, a dental school, and an overall planning and coordinating group.
From www.texasmedicalcenter.org/root/en/GetToKnow/History/HistoricalJourney.htm
The Texas Medical Center was chartered under the laws of the State of Texas on October 20, 1945. The Board of Trustees held its first meeting on December 11 at the Houston Club. Members included James Anderson, William B. Bates, Ernst W. Bertner, Ray Dudley, Frederick C. Elliot, John Freeman, Horace M. Wilkins, Hines Baker and Clinton S. Quin. During this meeting, Ernst William Bertner was elected President of Texas Medical Center, John H. Freeman was approved as temporary Chairman of the Board, and Leland Anderson was nominated and approved as the tenth trustee.
From: www.texasmedicalcenter.org/root/en/GetToKnow/History/1945-1954.htm
Today the Texas Medical Center is the largest medical center in the world; many more facts about it can be found at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Medical_Center.
From www.texasmedicalcenter.org/root/en/GetToKnow/History/HistoricalJourney.htm
The Texas Medical Center was chartered under the laws of the State of Texas on October 20, 1945. The Board of Trustees held its first meeting on December 11 at the Houston Club. Members included James Anderson, William B. Bates, Ernst W. Bertner, Ray Dudley, Frederick C. Elliot, John Freeman, Horace M. Wilkins, Hines Baker and Clinton S. Quin. During this meeting, Ernst William Bertner was elected President of Texas Medical Center, John H. Freeman was approved as temporary Chairman of the Board, and Leland Anderson was nominated and approved as the tenth trustee.
From: www.texasmedicalcenter.org/root/en/GetToKnow/History/1945-1954.htm
Today the Texas Medical Center is the largest medical center in the world; many more facts about it can be found at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Medical_Center.
The following are three photos of post cards of the Texas Medical Center
in Houston
From: http://postcards.delcampe.net/list.php?language=E&searchString=Texas+Medical+Center&cat=-2&searchMode=all&searchTldCountry=net&searchInDescription=N
The Space Program Begins
President Kennedy speaking at Rice University on September 12, 1962. In this speech Kennedy stated that "no nation which expects to be the leader of other nations can expect to stay behind in this race for space." He also said these famous words: "We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard."
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Kennedy
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Kennedy
On that very hot late summer's day in 1962, President Kennedy spoke in philosophical terms about the need to solve the mysteries of space, reaffirmed America's commitment to landing a man on the moon before the end of the 1960s and also defended the enormous expense of the space program. Along the way, the President made humorous mentions of the Rice-Texas football rivalry and the blazingly hot weather.
From www.historyplace.com/speeches/jfk-space.htm
From www.historyplace.com/speeches/jfk-space.htm
On July 4, 1962, NASA opened the Manned Spacecraft Center in southeast Houston in the Clear Lake area, now the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. This is a 1964 photo of Building 1.
From www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/about/history/jsc40/jsc_gallery_center6.html
From www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/about/history/jsc40/jsc_gallery_center6.html
Neil Armstrong on the moon — July 20, 1969, just in time to reach America's goal as stated by President Kennedy at Rice Stadium in 1962.
At the North End of the Medical Center and Right Across from General Sam
The Mecom Fountain, named for John Mecom, is in the traffic circle at the confluence of South Main, Montrose and Hermann Drive in the Museum District, at the northwest edge of Hermann Park, within eyesight of the Sam Houston Monument.
From: http://www.chron.com/news/gallery/Mecom-Fountain-A-Houston-Landmark-29517/photo-1517790.php
From: http://www.chron.com/news/gallery/Mecom-Fountain-A-Houston-Landmark-29517/photo-1517790.php
The Fountain came about in 1964, thanks to the oil industry superstar John W. Mecom. As a child John W. Mecom had grown fond of the Warwick Hotel in Houston , having stayed there for some time with his mother while his father was out on business. Once Mecom learned the Warwick was up for auction in 1962 he bought it for $1.4 million dollars and began renovation for one of the most well-known Houston landmarks of all time. In this process Mecom paid for the construction of three fountains around the hotel. A fountain of a “sea nymph” standing on a fish sprouting water from its mouth, three cherubs that “frolic” as six jets rain water atop of them, and the oblong pools of the Mecom in the traffic circle near Hermann Park.
From: http://peoplesguidetohouston.wordpress.com/2010/10/06/fountain-of-wisdoma-girls-tale-of-the-mecom-fountain-by-jamie-thomas/
From: http://peoplesguidetohouston.wordpress.com/2010/10/06/fountain-of-wisdoma-girls-tale-of-the-mecom-fountain-by-jamie-thomas/
General Sam, Hermann Park and the Houston Zoo
This photo of General Sam Houston's Statue can be found at: http://www.texasexplorer.com/HermannPark.htm
The Sam Houston Monument was completed in 1924 and unveiled on August 16, 1925. It is a bronze sculpture on a gray granite base. On March 1, 1917, an article appeared in the Houston Chronicle calling on Texans to come together and raise the money necessary to erect a monument commemorating Texan hero and statesman, General Sam Houston. The Women's City Club raised the funds for this monument and commissioned Enrico Cerrachio as the sculptor. The General is shown on horseback leading his men into the battle of San Jacinto, which the monument is positioned to point towards. Cerracchio depicted the horse in motion by raising and detaching the front left and back right legs from the base and bending its head downward.
From: http://www.houston.tx.gov/municipalart/samhouston.html
From: http://www.houston.tx.gov/municipalart/samhouston.html
The Burke Baker Planetarium was added in the 1960's.
Photo from: The Houston Museum of Natural Science
Photo from: The Houston Museum of Natural Science
George Hermann, an admirer of Central Park, donated most of his namesake park's land in 1913, near the end of America's heroic park-building era. The celebrated St. Louis architect George Kessler, Hermann Park's first master planner, laid out its grand entrance, now Mecom Fountain, as well as its live-oak allees, but his plans for a reflecting pool and meandering lake weren't completed. His successor, the firm Hare & Hare, maintained the original plan's integrity even while adding a golf course and a zoo.
From: http://www.chron.com/entertainment/article/Hermann-Park-a-landscape-jewel-1681434.php
From: http://www.chron.com/entertainment/article/Hermann-Park-a-landscape-jewel-1681434.php
After two decades of mistreatment, Hermann Park got some attention in the 1960’s when several
important institutions were built. The Museum of Natural Science and the Burke Baker Planetarium
were completed in 1964, and a new Miller Outdoor Theatre was constructed between 1967 and
1969 on the site of the old Doric proscenium. As the first project of the Neighbors of Hermann
Park, the columns of the old theater were salvaged for the Mecom-Rockwell Colonnade, which
encircles a fountain on Hermann Drive opposite the Warwick Towers. The much larger tri-part
Mecom Fountain was constructed in 1964 in the Kessler-designed Sunken Garden at the entrance to
the park.
From: http://www.hermannpark.org/pdfs/Scardino_history.pdf
important institutions were built. The Museum of Natural Science and the Burke Baker Planetarium
were completed in 1964, and a new Miller Outdoor Theatre was constructed between 1967 and
1969 on the site of the old Doric proscenium. As the first project of the Neighbors of Hermann
Park, the columns of the old theater were salvaged for the Mecom-Rockwell Colonnade, which
encircles a fountain on Hermann Drive opposite the Warwick Towers. The much larger tri-part
Mecom Fountain was constructed in 1964 in the Kessler-designed Sunken Garden at the entrance to
the park.
From: http://www.hermannpark.org/pdfs/Scardino_history.pdf
Many of us drank from this very water fountain at the Houston Zoo in the mid-1960s. This photo is from: http://www.houstonzooblogs.org/zoo/2011/07/mystery-image-mondays-at-the-houston-zoo-week-eight/
The 1950s saw a boon in construction as the Zoo added a primate house, bear moats, feline house, hippo pool, giraffe house, waterfowl pond, sea lion pool and concession area. The first major indoor exhibit building was the reptile house in 1960.
Coinciding with all the Zoo improvements in the 1960s and 70s was the arrival of the Zoo’s third and longest tenured director, John Werler. John was hired in 1956 as the general curator and became the Zoo manager in 1963. John was a well-known celebrity in town and appeared on weekly TV shows with his favorite reptiles and other critters. John and his Swedish born wife, Ingrid, ran the Zoo as a family and were loved and respected by all. He was one of the longest serving zoo directors, retiring in 1993 after 30 years. John was a very special and talented individual who loved his snakes. Just before he died in 2003 he published his definitive book on Texas snakes.
During the tenure of John Werler the Houston Zoo added a small mammal house (now called Natural Encounters), a tropical bird house, Children’s Zoo, rhino exhibit, large cat exhibits, vet clinic and aquarium. The Brown Education Center was dedicated in 1988, a gift from the former Zoological Society of Houston.
From: http://www.aza.org/Membership/detail.aspx?id=14154
Coinciding with all the Zoo improvements in the 1960s and 70s was the arrival of the Zoo’s third and longest tenured director, John Werler. John was hired in 1956 as the general curator and became the Zoo manager in 1963. John was a well-known celebrity in town and appeared on weekly TV shows with his favorite reptiles and other critters. John and his Swedish born wife, Ingrid, ran the Zoo as a family and were loved and respected by all. He was one of the longest serving zoo directors, retiring in 1993 after 30 years. John was a very special and talented individual who loved his snakes. Just before he died in 2003 he published his definitive book on Texas snakes.
During the tenure of John Werler the Houston Zoo added a small mammal house (now called Natural Encounters), a tropical bird house, Children’s Zoo, rhino exhibit, large cat exhibits, vet clinic and aquarium. The Brown Education Center was dedicated in 1988, a gift from the former Zoological Society of Houston.
From: http://www.aza.org/Membership/detail.aspx?id=14154
A Variety of Good Food
Some of you will remember the Corral Room at Kelley's Steak House. The back of this postcard gives the following information: "910 Texas Ave. is part of the famous Kelley tradition in Houston. A handsome dining Room supplying Houstonians and visitors with really fine food at really moderate prices." It was located across the street from the Rice Hotel.
From: http://www.cardcow.com/222256/kelleys-famous-corral-room-houston-texas/
and http://blogs.houstonpress.com/eating/2011/03/vintage_houston_restaurant_pos.php?page=3
From: http://www.cardcow.com/222256/kelleys-famous-corral-room-houston-texas/
and http://blogs.houstonpress.com/eating/2011/03/vintage_houston_restaurant_pos.php?page=3
_One of my favorite things about doing this website is re-connecting with
people from my past. This time it was Vicki Graham Carson with whom I
went to Pershing Junior High and Bellaire High School (for one year).
We had not crossed paths in fifty years until recently.
I do not remember eating Youngblood's Fried Chicken, but all those who did, including my friend Vicki who went there on Sundays with her mom, say that it was just about the best that ever existed. I do remember the sign.
I do not remember eating Youngblood's Fried Chicken, but all those who did, including my friend Vicki who went there on Sundays with her mom, say that it was just about the best that ever existed. I do remember the sign.
This photo is from: http://www.restaurantwarecollectors.com/forums/showwiki.php?title=Youngbloods+Fried+Chicken
You may remember these dishes.
From: http://www.restaurantwarecollectors.com/forums/showwiki.php?title=Youngbloods+Fried+Chicken
From: http://www.restaurantwarecollectors.com/forums/showwiki.php?title=Youngbloods+Fried+Chicken
This is actually a photo of a line formed at a Youngblood's in Austin, but I imagine it looks very similar to the one in Houston on Main Street. Neal Douglass took the photo May 21, 1958; this is a digital image, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth18894 : accessed November 18, 2011), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Austin History Center, Austin Public Library, Austin, Texas.
This information and photo may be found at http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth18894/
This information and photo may be found at http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth18894/
_
Chronicle file
Staff of Stella Link location, April 1967.
I, like MANY other Houstonians, loved Alfred's Delicatessen, particularly their hot pastrami sandwiches and blueberry pie. In fact, all of the sandwiches and pastries were delicious. The two locations at which I ate are the Stella Link site (above) and the Village site on Rice Blvd.
There was one at Town and Country Village as well. See below.
There was one at Town and Country Village as well. See below.
_
Chronicle file Alfred’s new Town & Country location, Oct. 1968
_ The man behind the name was Alfred Julius Kahn, who came to the U.S. from Germany to escape Nazism. After fighting in the Pacific in World War II, Kahn opened his own restaurant at 2408 Rice Blvd. According to his 1995 obituary, that location closed in the late 1970's, and his last restaurant was at 9123 Stella Link. Alfred Kahn's family owned delicatessens in Germany. He came to Texas via New York and landed in Houston. In 1948 he opened the Alfred's Delicatessen on Rice Blvd. From the start "Alfred's" as many knew it, was the standard in quality and service. In a city of steak houses and barbecue joints, Alfred’s deli was a novelty and a hit.
From: http://blog.chron.com/bayoucityhistory/2010/04/alfreds-of-houston/
http://www.kahnsdeli.com/about_us.html
http://houston.culturemap.com/mapdetail/kahns-deli/
[Today, Alfred's son Mike Kahn owns Kahn's Deli at 2429 Rice Blvd, across from the original Alfred's location. He opened in 1984.]
From: http://blog.chron.com/bayoucityhistory/2010/04/alfreds-of-houston/
http://www.kahnsdeli.com/about_us.html
http://houston.culturemap.com/mapdetail/kahns-deli/
[Today, Alfred's son Mike Kahn owns Kahn's Deli at 2429 Rice Blvd, across from the original Alfred's location. He opened in 1984.]
After a Long Search! Here is a Chuc-Wagun
Thanks to http://tulsatvmemories.com/gb021702.html#chuc we have a picture, even if not of the greatest quality, of a Chuc-Wagun in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
My memory of the one on Willowbend Blvd in the 50s and 60s and another one on Shaver Street in Pasadena in the late 60s is a green wagon roof. The customer walked to a window outside and ordered burgers (wheel burger, hub burger, spoke burger[?]) fries, drinks, etc. to be eaten at picnic tables under the wagon lean-to awning, or in the car, or at home. I loved those hamburgers and I believe that Chuc-Waguns were very popular all over Houston for at least fifteen or twenty years! [Yes, this is how the name was spelled.] Obviously, they were popular in other cities as well.
My friend Vicki's excellent memory has added much to this website. In this case, she remembers that her mother grew up as back-door neighbors to the Allbrittons and their first cafeteria at 4120 McKinney which is pictured above. According to http://www.houstondeco.org/1940s/albrittons.html, the name of that first cafeteria was Albritton's Eats and this building has not been altered, except cosmetically, since it was built in 1945.
Photo courtesy Lauren Meyers, 2006
Photo courtesy Lauren Meyers, 2006
_ Allbritton's
cafeteria, Waugh Drive, 1996.
The Allbrittons eventually had a number of cafeterias in Houston, their second location being pictured above (on Waugh Drive). They also had one on Bissonnet and one on Bellaire Blvd, the ones that my classmates would have been most likely to frequent. All were closed by July 1996, including the last one (on McKinney) which had been open for eighty-nine years
This photo of a Chronicle article about the closing of Allbritton's is from:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30502755@N06/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30502755@N06/
Ye Old College Inn located on South Main near the old Rice Institute playing field was a "hang-out" for athletes and the general Rice community of students from 1918 until the 1980s when it was demolished to make room for the St. Luke's Medical Tower. It was established by George Martin and was named in 1921. I ate here a number of times and enjoyed the history of it even back then. In 1946, Martin turned the restaurant over to Ernie Coker who added the Varsity Room to it in the early fifties. The Varsity Room served as a banquet hall for meetings, sports banquets, and dances. Photographs of Owl athletes hung on the walls of the Ye Old College Inn until the restaurant closed its doors. The photographs and other memorabilia were then handed over to the Rice Athletic Department.
In this 1947 pamphlet about things to do in Houston, Ye Old College Inn is recommended highly by Duncan Hines. Interestingly, they are known as the first place in Houston to offer cheese and bacon bits with a baked potato.
Sources used for Ye Old College Inn:
http://library.rice.edu/collections/WRC/finding-aids/manuscripts/0526#ref13
http://www.cardcow.com/24738/main-dining-room-ye-old-college-inn-houston-texas/
http://www.ricefootball.net/collegeinn.htm
http://www.cardcow.com/64067/ernest-cokers-ye-old-college-inn-6345-main-houston-texas/
http://woodsononline.wordpress.com/category/houston/
http://www.scribd.com/doc/53604213/You-re-in-Houston-Aug-1947
http://books.google.com/books?id=8S0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA165&lpg=PA165&dq=ye+olde+college+inn+houston&source=bl&ots=U5cOOit3I1&sig=lpq7rIp-WvyRDtIwFHknuJJBeyc&hl=en&ei=MV_FTu6fG4iKsgKF5bCLBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAjge#v=onepage&q&f=false
http://library.rice.edu/collections/WRC/finding-aids/manuscripts/0526#ref13
http://www.cardcow.com/24738/main-dining-room-ye-old-college-inn-houston-texas/
http://www.ricefootball.net/collegeinn.htm
http://www.cardcow.com/64067/ernest-cokers-ye-old-college-inn-6345-main-houston-texas/
http://woodsononline.wordpress.com/category/houston/
http://www.scribd.com/doc/53604213/You-re-in-Houston-Aug-1947
http://books.google.com/books?id=8S0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA165&lpg=PA165&dq=ye+olde+college+inn+houston&source=bl&ots=U5cOOit3I1&sig=lpq7rIp-WvyRDtIwFHknuJJBeyc&hl=en&ei=MV_FTu6fG4iKsgKF5bCLBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAjge#v=onepage&q&f=false
Speaking of Rice Institute
This is Lovett Hall, the first building on the Rice campus. The official name when it opened in 1912 was the William M. Rice Institute for the Advancement of Literature, Science and Art. It kept that name until it was renamed the William Marsh Rice University in 1960. Another event of the sixties was that in 1965 Rice started charging for tuition for the first time since it opened.
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice_University
From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice_University