Signage | Swamplot

01/29/13 2:00pm

The New Highland Village Anthropologie Across the Street From the Old Highland Village Anthropologie

Redevelopment, Retail, Shopping Centers, Signage

There sure has been a lot of activity in the past few months here in Highland Village: the former Tootsie’s building is having a little taken off the top and being split in two for new J. Crew and Anthropologie stores coming this spring, though these recent photos of the building at 4045 Westheimer suggest that Anthropologie — or at least that mauve andÂ understated storefront — is further along. But then J. Crew has farther to go: Anthropologie’s moving only across the street from its 4066 Westheimer store (shown at right).

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77027, Highland Village Shopping Center, Redevelopment, Retail, Signage

East Downtown

01/28/13 1:15pm

A Tree Will Still Grow in East Downtown

by Allyn West

Homebuilding, Land Development, New Construction: Residential, Proposed Developments, Retail, Signage

13 Comments

“We’ve had a lot of angry calls about that tree,” says an Urban Living rep — calls presumably prompted by the sign posted recently here at 2917 Leeland in East Downtown. Renderings aren’t available, though Urban Living tells Swamplot that the designs for 3 Princeton City townhomes are working around the tree. They’ll also have an interesting neighbor:

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77003, East Downtown, Land Development, Proposed Developments, Retail, Signage

Attractions

01/24/13 10:00am

A Montrose Mary’s Memorial, Maybe

by Allyn West

Houston History, Montrose, Proposed Developments, Public Art, Restaurants, Signage

23 Comments

At a Neartown meeting two days ago, Kirk Baxter presented these two drawings for a Mary’s memorial, according to aÂ HAIF poster, celebrating the 30-year heyday of the Westheimer bar for Montrose’s gay community. Some 300 memorial services were held here over the years. Mary’s was closed in 2009; the building where it sat since the early ’70sÂ opened this weekend as the coffee shop Blacksmith.

The drawings show a kind of replica Mary’s installed near Waugh and Hyde Park; two of Mary’s original doors — donated to the project by Blacksmith owner Bobby Heugel — would sit underneath tiles reclaimed from the original roof.

Nothing about the memorial has been approved or decided yet, says the HAIF poster. During the meeting several other potential locations were brought up: a spot behind the original building the regulars called the Out Back, and across the street, facing the building, in front of Half Price Books.

A Memorial in Montrose for Mary’s [HAIF]
Previously on Swamplot: Blacksmith Now Serving Coffee In Former Montrose Leather Bar, Restored Maryâ€™s Mural on Westheimer Painted Over Again

Photos: HAIF user trymahjong

77006, Bars, Houston History, Lower Westheimer, Montrose, Proposed Developments, Public Art, Restaurants

Homebuying

01/23/13 2:30pm

‘Free Pizza with Purchase of House’

by Allyn West

Memorial, Real Estate Marketing, Signage

9 Comments

Brick-fired, you think? Swamplot tipster Ryan Lankford says that when he convinced his mom to add this tantalizing topping to her sign, the 2-story, 4,700-sq.-footer in Memorial that she’s standing in front of was shown 18 times and received 3 offers on its first day. Listed at $1.5 million, the house went option pending not 24 hours later.

19 Hibury Dr. [HAR]

Photo: Ryan Lankford

77024, Homebuying, Memorial West, Real Estate Marketing, Signage

Commercial Real Estate

01/23/13 10:00am

A Third of Former Shell Tech Center Eyed for Southside Place Homes

by Allyn West

Proposed Developments, Signage, Southside Place

6 Comments

Shell Oil moved out the last of its things from the 3-building Bellaire Technology Center in 2012, consolidating R&D operations about 15 miles west of Southside Place in a spruced-up campus near Texas 6 and Richmond. Now, it appears that theseÂ 3.2 acres (shown in the map) of the 9.7 that the Center vacated are being eyed for residential development.

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77025, Commercial Real Estate, Proposed Developments, Southside Place, Zoning

First Ward

01/18/13 10:00am

Turf Wars

by Allyn West

Historic Districts, Old Sixth Ward, Signage, Streetscapes

12 Comments

Hasn’t this city always struggled to set appropriate boundaries? That’s at least what this photo, snapped on Silver St. near Washington by a Swamplot reader, suggests.

Photo: matt Curtis, via Swamplot inbox

77007, First Ward, Historic Districts, Old-Sixth-Ward, Signage, Streetscapes

Art

01/08/13 12:44pm

The Mini Cooper Parked on Kirby That’s Getting All the Attention

by Allyn West

Retail, Signage, Upper Kirby

4 Comments

It might not be sporting an engine — and KHOU reported yesterday that the vertically parked car’s Fiberglas shell weighs in at just 350 lbs. — but at least the headlights work. Similar Mini Coopers have popped up before on billboards and storefronts, especially in Europe, but a rep from design and interiors store Internum told auto blog Jalopnik yesterday that the Mini on their Kirby wall is “the first example of a Mini-on-building ad in the U.S.” It’s also the first to have been given a special citation by the city.

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77098, Art, Retail, Signage, Upper Kirby

Buildings for Sale

01/07/13 4:30pm

Midtown’s Central Square Plaza Wants You To Know It’s Available

by Allyn West

For Sale by Owner, Midtown, Office Buildings, Signage

16 Comments

What’s this? Near the intersection of W. Gray and Milam, a for-sale sign has popped up on the Central Square Plaza buildings on a 1-acre lot in Midtown. We’re hoping to get more details soon. The fate of the 12- and 14-story offices and parking garage at 2100 Travis has been tied up in court for years; Swamplot reported last summer that owner Alfred J. Antonini won a skirmish in a ongoing battle against the city, which had in 2011 ordered him to make “a bunch of repairs” to the buildings, vacant now for a real long time.

Previously on Swamplot: City Loses Skirmish in Battle To Repair Central Square

Photo: Swamplot inbox (sign); LoopNet

77002, Buildings for Sale, Lawsuits, Midtown, Office Buildings, Signage, Vacant Buildings

Art

01/07/13 12:00pm

Parked High on the Wall of Kirby Building, Mini Cooper Still Gets Ticket

by Allyn West

Retail, Signage, Upper Kirby

35 Comments

A red tag from the City of Houston, a reader reports, has beenÂ posted on the window at Internum, the design and interiors store at 3303 Kirby where this Mini Cooper’s been mounted since December 18. “Remove car from building front,” the City of Houston violation reads, “barricade sidewalks at front — do this immediately.” The violation is dated December 27, but as of this morning the car’s still hanging in there.

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77098, Art, Retail, Signage, Upper Kirby

Houston History

11/26/12 11:48am

Landmark Lower Westheimer Felix Mexican Restaurant Sign Comes Apart in Ebay Auction

by Swamplot

Houston Landmarks, Lower Westheimer, Montrose, Signage

22 Comments

No bids yet on the sleepy sombero man in front of the hacked cactus removed from the sign in front of the former Felix Mexican Restaurant at the corner of Westheimer and Grant last year. And no bids on the other formerly east- and west-facing portions of the popular sign, which the space’s new owner, Uchi, put up for auction separately on eBay early this morning. The starting bid for each disassembled segment is a hefty $1,500, but Uchi doesn’t appear to be in this game for fish money. Proceeds are promised to the LULAC National Scholarship Fund; the former restaurant’s namesake, Tex-Mex pioneer Felix Tijerina, served as LULAC’s national president for 4 terms. The “Orders To Go” flyer from the original sign hasn’t shown up in any online auction yet.

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77006, Auctions, Houston Landmarks, Lower Westheimer, Montrose, Restaurants, Signage

Oak Forest

10/31/12 1:55pm

Oak Forest’s 350-Ft.-Tall Hoax Tower

by Swamplot

Proposed Developments, Quicklink, Signage

10 Comments

OAK FOREST’S 350-FT.-TALL HOAX TOWER Two signs posted last week on a half-block west of Ella at 1250 Du Barry Ln. that appear to serve notice of a 350-ft. tower coming to the site — and include reference to a permit number — are some kind of trick, Charlotte Aguilar assures us. Planning Dept. spokesperson Suzy Hartgrove tells her the permit number may be connected to a 5-year-old project; the listed city phone number is obsolete. She says she doesn’t “know why anyone would do that.” [The Leader] Photo: Charlotte Aguilar

77018, Oak-Forest, Planning & Development Department, Proposed Developments, Signage

Institutional Buildings

08/31/12 12:00pm

At New UH Biz Building, Glowing Sign of Insperity Is Just Around the Corner

by Swamplot

New Construction, Signage, University of Houston

6 Comments

The sign isn’t up yet, but this new classroom building at the University of Houston’s business school is being named after a human-resources company. Insperity gave the school $8 million, apparently enough to warrant the company’s name appearing in 1-1/2-ft.-tall neon-backlit letters at the top of Insperity Center. According to a UH document, the sign should be clearly visible to visitors on the west side of campus.

The 140,000-sq.-ft. building, previously referred to as the “classroom and business building,” just opened west of the Bauer College of Business’s Melcher Hall. Construction began in 2009.

UH, Insperity Announce Unveiling of University of Houston Insperity Center [UH ]

Photo: HAIF user fatesdisastr

77004, Institutional Buildings, New Construction, Signage, UH

Houston Landmarks

06/12/12 11:12am

Alabama Letters Return to South Shepherd

by Swamplot

Retail, Signage, Upper Kirby

6 Comments

The letters on the totem sign for the former Alabama Theater at the corner of S. Shepherd and West Alabama went back up yesterday. The letters were taken down late last month; they’ve since been painted and had the neon lights hiding behind them replaced. The gutted theater will soon be showing a Trader Joe’s, but the sign still spells “Alabama.”

Previously on Swamplot: Weingarten: Weâ€™re Saving the Alabama Letters, Taking Down the Letters on the Alabama Theater Sign
Alabama Theater coverage [Swamplot]

Photos: Amanda Andriola (top), Weingarten Realty (bottom)

77098, Alabama Theater, Houston Landmarks, Retail, Signage, Upper Kirby

Houston Landmarks

05/25/12 2:04pm

Weingarten: We’re Saving the Alabama Letters

by Swamplot

Quicklink, Renovations, Shopping Centers, Signage, Upper Kirby

8 Comments

WEINGARTEN: WE’RE SAVING THE ALABAMA LETTERS Weingarten Realty is preparing reporters for a photo op in front of the Alabama Theater at 2922 S. Shepherd Dr. now being outfitted for a Trader Joe’s. The letters spelling “Alabama” that the company had removed earlier this week from the original tall totem sign in front of the 1939 Art Deco theater that the company recently gutted and leveled will soon be returned intact and unscrambled, a spokesperson promises. The letters are being painted and the neon lighting hidden inside them is being replaced. Expected homecoming date for the letters: sometime between June 13th and June 16th. [Previously on Swamplot] Photo: Jay Rascoe