A DAY FOR HOUSTON TO CELEBRATE DEMOLITION 
A mere 189 homes and businesses will be knocked down beginning Saturday, designated by Mayor Parker as the city’s third annual Demo Day. That number is down a bit from last year, when the city marked the occasion by beginning the destruction of more than 400 structures deemed blighted (it took a while). Members of the Houston Contractors Association will be donating their bulldozing services for the citywide event. Most of the structures appeared on Swamplot’s Daily Demolition Reports this week; the city’s official list is here (PDF). The mayor will be on hand at 4007 Ebbtide St., just behind Madison High School, to make sure that home gets the smashing it deserves. Photo from last year’s event: Houston Contractor’s Association
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that pic looks like a “rosie the riveter” poster
Holy crap! Only 189 structures. The city had over 2000 structures on the list but our ass-backward Texas Supreme Court ruled,yet again,for delinquent property owners. Giving them more time to stall the demolition of their abandoned/rundown/neglected property. The Texas Legislature needs to grow a big pair and revise property laws: one year after notification to improve or demolish the property. If not,the city gets to tear it down and attach a lien for the demo costs.
Yay!!! More of Houston’s history needlessly destroyed. Let’s celebrate.
@Patrick–your comment needs a ‘Like’ button.
The photo reminds me of that famous one showing Teddy Roosevelt operating a Bucyrus in the Panama Canal dig.
I finally got the shit hole down the street listed as a “dangerous building” after calling and complaining to the city numerous times over the past year. The first few times, they only gave the landowner violations for weeds, trash and debris (I always check the yellow signs put up by the police inspectors). This time, the “DB” tag finally materialized. I hope it gets put up toward the top of the list.
It would be so much better if the millionaire owner who lives in Pearland (the property is in the inner city) could be put in jail or fined for the property, but our system is heavily lopsided in favor of landowner rights, to the detriment of the rights of the neighbors who have to live nearby. I think most of the strict landowner protections on the books in Texas were originally intended to protect rural landowners (farmers, ranchers, and wealthy oilmen) from intrusion, but the rules are no longer relevant or effective for the common good in urban settings.