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The back-alley Post Oak strip center corner previously occupied by a franchise of not-quite-ice-cream purveyor Tasti D-Lite appears now to be operating under the banner of New Orleans-based Merchant Cafe, whose signature noun list was spotted over the weekend by a reader in the shopping center. The new cafe is catty-corner to Berryhill Baja Grill, and flanked by Five Guys Burgers and Fries and The UPS Store. The city planning department  started issuing permits for a remodel of the space by September of last year, though some appear to have been given the OK as recently as October.Â
The vicinity’s softserve niche is currently filled by a branch of pay-by-the-pile California frozen yogurt shop Pinkberry, facing San Felipe right across Post Oak Blvd. Tasti D-Lite, meanwhile, appears to have largely pulled out of Houston altogether over the last few years, with a lone holdout franchise remaining in Katy.
- Previously on Swamplot:Â A Brief but Incomplete Guide to Houston’s Frozen Yogurt Landscape
Photo: jatorres
NY to NOLA
COTD: IS A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION WORSE THAN NONE AT ALL? 
“A little late for that. There are so many new homes and townhomes and vacant lots in the area that there is almost no historic character left. It’s a prime area for redevelopment anyway — might as well let the developers finish the job and do it right so it’s not just a hodgepodge.” [Christian, commenting on City Wants To Create Historic District To Protect What’s Left of Freedmen’s Town Historic District] Photo of Freedmen’s Town Historic District sign: Freedmen’s Town Preservation Coalition
A few readers were curious about the detached backyard room densely strewn with drawings of clowns and other cartoonish figures that made an appearance as Swamplot’s Home Listing Photo of the Day late last month. If you were waiting for more info on the property to make an offer, you’re too late — the place is already listed as under contract, along with the interior furnishings. Here’s a few more shots of the leftover memorabilia in the space, formerly known as Tootsie’s Birthday Hut:
Hanging Around Out Back
Last Tuesday we started introducing the categories for the 2016 Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate — that means this Tuesday is the last day to send in nominations for the year’s first 
2 awards — Favorite Houston Design Cliché and Best Demolition. You’ve got until midnight tomorrow to submit your top choices for those 2; after that, their 1-week submission windows will snap shut.
And 2 more categories will close each day after that, as the official ballots begin to roll out (stay tuned for more info on the voting process). Some of the categories that opened mid-week — that’s Best Industrial Incident, the Houston High Water Award, the “Where Are They Now? Award, and the Swamplot Award for Special Achievement in Parking — could still use your creative keyboardery to help pack their ranks with the city’s most award-worthy contenders. And of course, nominations for the coveted 2016 Neighborhood of the Year and Greatest Moment in Houston Real Estate categories will close last — be sure to send your top picks for those by midnight on Friday.Â
Making a nomination is easy — just visit any of this year’s category description pages and leave your suggestions as a comment (along with a quick explanation of why you picked it). Feel free to further elaborate on a nominee someone else has already suggested, as that’ll help it wind up on the final ballot.  Alternatively, you can email your choices to us by way of the tip line. Got any lingering questions? Check here for the official nomination guidelines.
- Now Open: Nominations for Swamplot’s 2016 Neighborhood of the Year Award; A Sixth Category Now Open for Nominations: The Houston High Water Award; Fifth Category: The Swamplot Award for Special Achievement in Parking; And Now, This Year’s Fourth Swamplot Awards Category: Best Industrial Incident; Introducing The Third Swamplot Awards Category: The “Where Are They Now?†Award; The Second Swamplot Awards Category Is Now Open for Your Nominations: Best Demolition of 2016; The First Category in the Swamplot Awards, Now Open For Your Nominations: Favorite Houston Design Cliché
- How To Make a Nomination for the 2016 Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate
- Swamplot Award Nominations 2016
The 2016 Swampies
Now rising at 1202 Shepherd Dr., atop the former sites of the Sarco Enterprise used car lot and its various adjacent industrial-retail odds and ends: a 4-story self-storage building from Provident Realty. The Dallas-based developer (which is also behind the redo of the former Texaco building Downtown and its potential future companion highrise) bought the land in October of last year from an entity called Shepnett Holdings, which also owns the land across Nett St. at 1112 Shepherd  — on that site, the former graffiti-slathered home of relocated art and framing shop Alva Graphics is being converted into the burger restaurant initially planned for the ex-Ruggles Grill lot on Westheimer.
The Provident storage facility will be conveniently located about 4 minutes by car from the Uncle Bob’s Life Storage building that just opened along Washington Ave across from the former Wabash Feed & Garden store. A storage-atuned reader in the neighborhood sends a few more angles on the new building’s in-progress skeleton — the building extends from Nett St. toward the southern of Allen St.’s 2 parallel roadways, laid along either side of the Southern Pacific railroad line:
Boxes of Brunner
JUSTIN YU TO CLOSE OXHEART, SPEND SOME TIME IN THE HEIGHTS 
Next in the line of succession for the corner spot at 1302 Nance St. currently occupied by Oxheart: . . . well, something else. So says James-Beard-ed chef and owner Justin Yu, who announced today that the restaurant will close on its 5th birthday in mid-March — to reopen with a new name, a redone interior, and former Oxheart sous chef Jason White at the helm in the kitchen. Eric Sandler notes that Yu will eventually be splitting his hours between the yet-unnamed redo of the Nance space, wine and whiskey bar Public Services in the Cotton Exchange building on Travis, and whatever he’s doing with Bobby Heugel over on Yale St., in the former home of Dry Creek Cafe. [CultureMap; previously on Swamplot] Photo of 1302 Nance St.: Ken L.
We’ve come to the eighth and final category for this year’s Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate. So far this week we’ve opened up nominations for Favorite Houston Design Cliché, Best Demolition, the “Where Are They Now?†Award, Best Industrial Incident, Special Achievement in Parking,  The Houston High Water Award, and — just this morning — Neighborhood of the Year.
Here’s the last one — and perhaps the most sweeping of them all: What was 2016’s Greatest Moment in Houston Real Estate?
Covering the real estate moments that make, change, and define the city is the whole point of Swamplot. So tell us: What real estate happenings from the past year stand out above the others? Was it something Swamplot wrote about? Or did we miss something that you think takes the real estate cake? Your nominated moments need not have taken place within city limits — but they should include sufficient Houston-ish qualities to be deserving of the award.
For this same category last time, the top spot went to the unexpected salvation and restoration of the Weingarten Mansion. The 2013 winner was Urban Living’s failed lawsuit against its own former customer, and in 2012, the award went to voter approval of funding for the Bayou Greenways Initiative.
We’ll need your help to pinpoint this year’s most award-worthy moment. Add your comments to this post or send us an email describing the moments you’d like to nominate — and don’t forget to tell us why. If you need to jog your memory, browse back through the site. And if you have any questions about how to make a nomination, you’ll likely find the answers here.
Now nominate away! As with each of the other categories, you’ve got a week to send in your top picks — so make sure you get your entries in by midnight on Friday, December 9, when the window to submit your choices will close for good.
- Now Open: Nominations for Swamplot’s 2016 Neighborhood of the Year Award; A Sixth Category Now Open for Nominations: The Houston High Water Award; Fifth Category: The Swamplot Award for Special Achievement in Parking; And Now, This Year’s Fourth Swamplot Awards Category: Best Industrial Incident; Introducing The Third Swamplot Awards Category: The “Where Are They Now?†Award; The Second Swamplot Awards Category Is Now Open for Your Nominations: Best Demolition of 2016; The First Category in the Swamplot Awards, Now Open For Your Nominations: Favorite Houston Design Cliché
- How To Make a Nomination for the 2016 Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate
- Swamplot Award Nominations 2016
The 2016 Swampies
CITY WANTS TO CREATE HISTORIC DISTRICT TO PROTECT WHAT’S LEFT OF FREEDMEN’S TOWN HISTORIC DISTRICT 
Following last month’s sudden brick relocation incident, Mayor Turner has announced a plan to make a plan to create a “cultural district in Freedmen’s Town — one that would preserve historic churches, schools, and homes,” as Andrew Schneider describes it this week. A section of the Fourth Ward roughly bounded by W. Gray, W. Dallas, Genessee, and Arthur streets has been listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1985 as the Freedmen’s Town Historic District — but that national designation didn’t provide much local protection to the area’s architecture, and many of the buildings listed in the district’s nomination form to the register have since been demolished. Archi-historian Stephen Fox told Claudia Feldman back in February that a city of Houston historic district designation, however, would be different; Fox noted that “it might require gerrymandering to pick up the proper concentration of historic buildings. But it could be done.” [Houston Public Media and Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot] Photo of Freedmen’s Town Historic District sign: Freedmen’s Town Preservation Coalition
We’re almost done introducing the categories in this year’s Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate. So far, we’ve opened nominations for Favorite Houston Design Cliché, Best Demolition, the “Where Are They Now?” Award, Best Industrial Incident, Special Achievement in Parking, and  The Houston High Water Award. If you haven’t done so already, there’s still time to put in your own suggestions for each of these.
This next category can get pretty competitive: Neighborhood of the Year. Past winners have come from all over the greater Houston area — the last honoree was Downtown, while the 2009 winner was . . . well . . . Galveston. (Robindell snagged the second place spot, last time.)
What qualifies a neighborhood to pick up that coveted “of the Year” designation? That’s for you to decide. When you make a nomination, be sure to say why your pick is especially award-worthy. You can submit your nominations — along with convincing explanations as to why your nominee should win — in the comments below, or in an email, by midnight on Friday, December 9. (If you’re just joining us, please consult the official rules for nominating.) Now tell us, who are this year’s contenders for Neighborhood of the Year?
- A Sixth Category Now Open for Nominations: The Houston High Water Award
- Fifth Category: The Swamplot Award for Special Achievement in Parking
- And Now, This Year’s Fourth Swamplot Awards Category: Best Industrial Incident
- Introducing The Third Swamplot Awards Category: The “Where Are They Now?” Award
- The Second Swamplot Awards Category Is Now Open for Your Nominations: Best Demolition of 2016
- The First Category in the Swamplot Awards, Now Open For Your Nominations: Favorite Houston Design Cliché
- How To Make a Nomination for the 2016 Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate
- Swamplot Award Nominations 2016
The 2016 Swampies
The old Wabash Feed & Garden building on Washington Ave. may still be sorting out its current relationship status, and missing the company of Los Dos Amigos  and Premo’s Grocery (knocked down across the street last year) — but at least it’s no longer the only property on the corner with an out of date sign (as pictured in the shot above from a reader). The new Uncle Bob’s Self Storage across the street, which replaced Premo’s and Los Dos Amigos, is already waiting on a branding swap-out — the storage company acquired Life Storage in July and decided to take the new name, simplifying its box-of-boxes logo in the process. The 6-story storage midrise is set toward the corner with Malone St. where Premo’s stood, while Los Dos Amigos got the parking-lot treatment:
All Boxed Up
This morning we opened up another category for the Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate. That brings the tally up to 5 so far — Favorite Houston Design Cliché, Best Demolition, the “Where Are They Now?” Award, Best Industrial Incident, and Special Achievement in Parking. Here’s the last new category for today: the High Water Award.
This award is meant to honor contributions to flooding and flood drama in the Bayou City — or gee, maybe there’s some even more compelling form of high water here we should take note of? What deserves the spotlight for its role in the Houston flooding story? It could be an event, a place, a symbol, a lawsuit, a myth, or a something-else-entirely; we’re looking for nominees that capture a key element or instance of the city’s relationship with excessive water. Whatever you choose, just be sure to explain yourself when you send in your picks.
To float your nominees for this award, leave a comment below with your suggestions (and your rationale). You can email it to us, too, but all nominations for this category are due by midnight next Thursday, December 8. (More on how to nominate can be found by clicking here.)
- Fifth Category: The Swamplot Award for Special Achievement in Parking
- And Now, This Year’s Fourth Swamplot Awards Category: Best Industrial Incident
- Introducing The Third Swamplot Awards Category: The “Where Are They Now?” Award
- The Second Swamplot Awards Category Is Now Open for Your Nominations: Best Demolition of 2016
- The First Category in the Swamplot Awards, Now Open For Your Nominations: Favorite Houston Design Cliché
- How To Make a Nomination for the 2016 Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate
- Swamplot Award Nominations 2016
The 2016 Swampies
The doors opened last week at that 4-story 100,000-sq.-ft. storage facility that has replaced the boarded-up Shell Food Mart just west of the corner of Richmond  and Woodhead — itself a makeover of the 24-hour Richwood Market, known back in the day as Freaky Foods (affectionately or not). The 4-story building started going up next to King Cole Liquor some time after the nearby trees got cleared out about a year ago (with the city’s OK, Annise Parker said at the time).
Big Tex has since widened the sidewalks and added some new baby trees in a series of landscaped rectangles along Richmond; the company’s press release also says there’s gonna be an Art Wall.
- Big Tex Storage Montrose Opens in Houston [PRWeb]
- Previously on Swamplot:Â Mayor Parker Clears Up Richmond Ave Shell Station Self Storage Tree Removal Mystery;Â The Old Freaky Foods on Richmond Ave Is Boarded Up and Looking Forlorn
Photos: Big Tex Storage via Urbannizer (panoramic of Big Tex at 1810 Richmond Ave.), Swamplot inbox (2014 shot of 1810 Richmond Ave.)
Boxes on Richmond
That tiny replica of the San Jacinto Monument near San Jacinto and Holman streets is surrounded these days by the landscaping of Houston Community College’s San Jacinto Memorial Green, the green-space-turned-parking-lot-turned-back-to-green-space next to the adjacent building that once housed San Jacinto High School. A reader sends an early-evening out-the-window shot of the park, which is scheduled to formally open on Saturday.
That shot faces Holman St., with Caroline St. visible to the northeast and lined up with the green space’s lit walkway; most of the lawn seen to the left of that path was paved parking lotbetween the 1980s and 2014. The photo is taken from the former San Jac high school structure itself (now employed as part of HCC’s Central Campus, and referred to as the San Jacinto Memorial Building by the time of its 2012 addition to the National Register of Historic Places):
Remembering Asphalt Gone By
