Swamplot Archives by Category: Neighborhoods: Houston Heights

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Thursday, September 17, 2009

Heights Home Fires Still Burning

September 17, 2009 – 3:24 pm
   

Early this morning: the 10th and 11th in a series of set blazes in the Heights, all targeting vacant homes. The latest were on 9th St. and 12th St.: “Before today, all the other fires had occurred along Ashland between 10th and 11th streets. Today’s fires were within three blocks of the previous blazes. District Chief Arthur Broussard said both fires appeared suspicious, and the second one appeared to start near an exterior staircase. Firefighters put it out within 15 minutes. ‘It’s pretty brazen, pretty brazen,’ he said of the second fire starting such a short distance from where firefighters and police were still on the scene of the first one.” [Houston Chronicle]

3:24 pm | 11 Comments | Read more about Crime, Hazards, Neighborhoods: Houston Heights, Quicklink
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This Week in Old Movie Theater Rehab

September 17, 2009 – 11:00 am

Yes, the Alabama Bookstop carved out of the former Alabama Theater on South Shepherd closed down for good earlier this week. But a few miles to the north, another new business has opened in a reformed movie house. Tonight’s open house at the Heights Theater celebrates its latest incarnation: as a 7,000-sq.-ft. event space.

A quick tour of how the interior looked a year ago, before the latest round of renovations:

Continue Reading This Story >

11:00 am | 16 Comments | Read more about Adaptive Reuse, Neighborhoods: Houston Heights, Openings and Closings
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Friday, September 11, 2009

Studewood Gets Its Spaghetti Western

September 11, 2009 – 2:44 pm
   

Former chef Robert Gadsby had named his new Heights restaurant after his hometown, in England. But that was so late-last-year. Here’s the latest: “Partners Bryan Caswell and Bill Floyd announced Friday afternoon they signed papers to take over the Heights restaurant Bedford and will turn it into a modern Italian restaurant. Think Texas toast meets Tuscan steak, Caswell said. ‘We’re trying to draw the similarities between the rustic-oriented qualities of the Tuscan region with the rustic qualities of the Texas region,’ Caswell said.” Caswell and Floyd own Reef and Little Big’s. [Cook's Tour; previously on Swamplot]

2:44 pm | 11 Comments | Read more about Neighborhoods: Houston Heights, Openings and Closings, Quicklink, Restaurants
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Karen Derr Promises Not To Tear Down City Hall, Either

September 11, 2009 – 12:40 pm

A reader from the Heights sends in photos documenting only the latest scene in Houston’s long and theatrical history of commingled real estate and political ambition. If you like, say, the pricing on the homes Karen Derr’s former company sells — like this one at 946 Arlington St. — you’ll certainly want to see Derr join city council!

But what’s with that part in red letters? Maybe just to let voters know she’s a little less favorably disposed toward freeform demolition than, say, former candidate/broker Michael Berry was. Writes our reader and snapshooter:

I am guessing that Karen Derr’s office rec’d so many calls as to the future of this house- one the few remaining 19th century homes in the Heights, that she had the “Remodel” sign made and stuck atop her broker sign. . . . Karen used to be on the board of the Houston Heights Association and she is locally active and running for office, so she does not want to piss off too much of her long time neighbors.

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12:40 pm | 10 Comments | Read more about Demolitions, Homes for Sale, Neighborhoods: Houston Heights, Renovations, Signage
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Friday, September 4, 2009

Openings and Closings: Restaurant Revamp Edition

September 4, 2009 – 11:24 am

What’s new to eat?

  • Opening Soon: Lola, a diner-ish spot serving “American comfort foods” — in the restored and refashioned former Eckerd Drug across from the Heights Post Office on Yale and 11th. This’ll be the third Heights restaurant venture from Ken Bridge, who also runs Dragon Bowl and Pink’s Pizza.
  • Opened This Week: From famed New York, Las Vegas, and Dallas chef John Tesar, Tesar’s Modern Steak and Seafood, directly across from the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands. You’ll certainly want to eat everything on your plate when you visit: “Tesar’s entire menu will be one hundred percent sustainable created with a zero-waste food ethics in mind,” declares the restaurant website. Whole fish will be a specialty. Outside: a burger bar.
  • Closed: The Texadelphia in the fast-food-friendly strip center on Memorial Dr. and Asbury, across from Otto’s — reportedly on account of the parking lot being too darn clogged. No worries: You can still get your cheesesteak fix at 3 other Houston locations, and it’s now a bit easier to find a spot in front of the Kolache Factory.

More food fun:

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11:24 am | Add a Comment | Read more about Neighborhoods: CityCentre, Neighborhoods: Galleria, Neighborhoods: Houston Heights, Neighborhoods: Memorial, Neighborhoods: The Woodlands, Neighborhoods: Upper Kirby, Openings and Closings, Restaurants
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Wednesday, September 2, 2009

The Path of Commuter Rail

September 2, 2009 – 5:05 pm
   

Which area freight rail routes might share their tracks with commuter rail lines? Probably not the Union Pacific line along U.S. 90A to Sugar Land. “But two other freight lines have less traffic, and Union Pacific is working with government planners to free them up for commuter trains. One runs out the U.S. 290 corridor and one runs along Texas 3 to Galveston. TxDOT is considering granting $2 million in stimulus funds for two engineering studies on those routes. ‘My goal is to have trains running in three years,’ said Harris County Judge Ed Emmett. The engineering studies will design routes that bring suburban commuters to the 610 Loop, but no farther. The freight traffic inside the Loop is still too busy, and although there is an abandoned rail line, it runs right through the Heights — a politically vocal neighborhood. ‘That’s not something I want to take on,’ said Emmett. The compromise is to build some commuter lines now, connect them to light rail or bus lines, and figure out later how to get them inside the Loop, to downtown.” [Houston Chronicle]

5:05 pm | 14 Comments | Read more about Neighborhoods: Houston Heights, Neighborhoods: Sugar Land, Proposed Developments, Quicklink, Transportation
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Wednesday, August 26, 2009

More Signs of That Shepherd Restaurant Scene Coming to Life

August 26, 2009 – 12:06 pm
   

Rising soon from the former home of a tombstone business on Shepherd, across Blossom St. from the Kicks indoor-soccer facility: BRC Gastro Pub. Watch out also for Burgerzilla, reported to be working its way to the corner of 11th and Studewood, in the Heights. [Cleverley's Blog]

12:06 pm | 7 Comments | Read more about Adaptive Reuse, Neighborhoods: Brunner, Neighborhoods: Houston Heights, Openings and Closings, Proposed Developments, Quicklink, Restaurants
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Thursday, August 20, 2009

The Lease of Your Worries: What’s Happening to the Shiloh Club?

August 20, 2009 – 11:28 am

And now, an entirely unverified rumor concerning Heights watering hole the Shiloh Club, at 1321 Studewood. A tipster writes in:

Stopped in for a cold one yesterday and the word is the lease to Joe (the owner since the late 80’s?) is not being renewed.

Heard- two daytime locals are taking over the lease on September 1. No word what will become of the current bar.

Observed- Friday nights about 10:30 the bar is inundated with young hipsters grabbing cheap drinks on their way out to go clubbing.

Thanks for noticing!

Photo of Shiloh Club, 1321 Studewood St.: Heights Blog

11:28 am | 16 Comments | Read more about Leasing, Neighborhoods: Houston Heights, Nightlife
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Friday, August 7, 2009

Comment of the Day: North Shepherd Automotive District Expansion Program

August 7, 2009 – 3:00 pm
   

“Forget Ross and Kroger….I’m excited about the new Auto Parts store that just put up a contruction sign up on 11th and Dorothy (across from Dragon Bowl). How exciting to have a third auto parts store within the 1/10th mile!!!” [biggerintexas, commenting on Opening Day: H-E-B Buffalo Market Stampede Begins]

3:00 pm | 6 Comments | Read more about Comments, Neighborhoods: Houston Heights, New Construction, Openings and Closings, Quicklink, Retail
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Friday, June 12, 2009

Heights Bungalow for Sale, Land Not Included

June 12, 2009 – 11:25 am

The Heights Life draws attention to the 1,781-sq.-ft. 1915-vintage bungalow at 1620 Cortlandt St.:

When the property next door went on the market for lot value, a Heights family of five couldn’t resist the potential of a nice big yard for their own well-lived in bungalow. They bought the land, which happens to come with an adorable Craftsman home that currently sits on it.

So . . . it’s for sale. How much?

Because they essentially bough the land and the house is uninhabitable, they aren’t certain of the value. They are willing to consider different offers and work something out that benefits everyone. A very rough estimate would be $50-75k, based on some input they received from Historic Houston.

Photo of 1620 Cortlandt St.: The Heights Life

11:25 am | 7 Comments | Read more about Homes for Sale, Neighborhoods: Houston Heights
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Monday, June 8, 2009

Snoballs at MAM’s: the Heights of Ice

June 8, 2009 – 2:08 pm

Bloodhound steward and low-cost-wedding expert Sara E. Cotner discovers that the snoballs at the new MAM’s House of Ice in the Fiesta parking lot at 14th and Studewood reside in the upper echelons of the highly stratified frozen-water market:

The New Orleans-sytle snowball shop has been up and running since Friday, May 29, although it has been “a year in the making.” The co-owner that I chatted with is from England but has lived in The Heights for the past 2.5 years. He quit his job as an architect and decided to “jump on a whim” and “have a go at it” by opening a “cottagey, cutesy, cutesy” snoball shop on a piece of parking lot leased from Fiesta. One of the other owners is in the process of quitting her job as a receptionist, and the third owner works in banking as an accountant.

During their year of research, they uncovered a hierarchy of ice. Apparently, snow cones are on the bottom, shaved ice is the next highest level, and snoballs are at the very top, since they are like “eating snow.”

Photos: Sara E. Cotner (top) and MAM’s House of Ice

2:08 pm | 22 Comments | Read more about Neighborhoods: Houston Heights, Openings and Closings, Restaurants
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Thursday, June 4, 2009

Seen on the Street: How Hot Is It Out There, Really?

June 4, 2009 – 12:58 pm

Too hot for the squirrels, apparently.

This latest edition of Seen on the Street sticks close to the pavement. First up: Artist David Cook snaps this hot photo of . . . no, that’s not an egg frying on Kirby. Just a street button with . . . culinary aspirations?

What’s more to see around town when you keep your head down?

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12:58 pm | 6 Comments | Read more about Art, Critters, Neighborhoods: Houston Heights, Neighborhoods: Museum District, Neighborhoods: Upper Kirby, Public Art, Streetscapes
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Monday, May 11, 2009

The Woods Back Off: Freeland Bungalow Free To Be Sold Again

May 11, 2009 – 7:07 pm

And it’s . . . off! The building designer who had planned to demolish a 1920 bungalow in the newly designated Freeland Historic District and build two 4-story townhomes in its place has now backed out of the deal completely. In a letter to neighborhood residents, Jack Preston Wood and his wife, Samantha Wood, say they’ve canceled their purchase contract for 536 Granberry, in the soppy southern reaches of the Heights.

What made them change their minds? Maybe . . . the gentle encouragement of their would-be neighbors?

We received mean spirited mail, emails, blogs, and visits to our business website all because we were planning on tearing down a house in very poor condition and replacing it with a new compatible home.

The Woods say that after the city historical commission rejected their demolition and construction plans in mid-March, they abandoned the double-townhouse idea and decided instead to replace the bungalow with a new 2800-sq.-ft. 1-1/2-story bungalow. But the neighbors kept at it:

Even though we had sent a response that we were not going to build our original plans and we were working on new plans the neighborhood still held a protest and plastered Freeland with signs. As we watched the news clip on the protest we began to realize that any new home, no matter how compatible, would not be accepted because the Freeland mantra was to remain an “intact” neighborhood. . . .

About three weeks into the six weeks, we realized that we had become the “Poster Child” to deter and slowdown development in the area.

Lots more fun in the full text of the Woods’ letter, reprinted — along with a neighbor’s response — below:

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7:07 pm | 44 Comments | Read more about Demolitions, Freeland Historic District, Historic Preservation, Home Design, Neighborhoods: Houston Heights, Proposed Developments, Real Estate Marketing, Townhomes
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Thursday, April 23, 2009

The City Runaround and a City Council Run: Where Does It Say That the Heights Is Dry?

April 23, 2009 – 12:26 pm

The proprietor of the Heights’ Beer Island writes in, breathlessly and at length, to report on difficulties he’s encountered getting a beer-and-wine license for the Trail Mix Café, a second establishment he’s trying to establish just a few blocks west:

I am opening a new cafe on White Oak Drive by the new trail and was given a permit from City of Houston for the approval of address to be able to serve beer and wine. After i picked up legal document from permitting office i went to receive stamp from state comptrollers office, than went to city of secretary, received stamp, went to county secretary, clerk placed notification in paper, pd fee, picked up application after 2 weeks had gone by, than took to TABC and they reviewed application, was given window notification sign, I placed in window, 3 weeks go by, checked w/ TABC to make sure no problem, no one called me but thank goodness I called, found out a hold on license, went to TABC to meet w/2 representatives from TABC, they informed me that City of Houston had reversed their approval on location . . .

. . . because the café was in a “dry area.”

So . . . the owner of the new establishment at 3202 White Oak, next door to the Montrose Skate Shop, wants to know: Where, exactly, does it say that the Heights is dry?

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12:26 pm | 99 Comments | Read more about Development Regulations, Neighborhoods: Houston Heights
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Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Comment of the Day: Upper Midtown

April 21, 2009 – 2:59 pm
   

“Talking of rimshotting onto the popularity of neighboring areas did anyone else notice that the Alexan Height[s] apartments became the Midtown Heights after changing hands despite the fact that they are at I-10 and Oxford. Exactly how big is Midtown these days?” [Jimbo, commenting on Watch for Cottage Cheese Dropping from Heights]

2:59 pm | 32 Comments | Read more about Apartments, Comments, Neighborhoods: Houston Heights, Neighborhoods: Midtown, Quicklink, Real Estate Marketing
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