COMMENT OF THE DAY: DOES THE NAME STICK? 
“I believe the name of the neighborhood is actually Uptown. The Galleria is a mall.” [Jonathan Hansen, commenting on Houston’s Most Recognizable Neighborhood: The Official 2013 Ballot] Illustration: Lulu
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But the question of why every city clings to a bastardization of the downtown-midtown-uptown system that originated around Manhattan’s north-south orientation remains largely unanswered.
I believe it’s the other way around, for the last 20 years I’ve only heard it being referred to as Galleria Area and Uptown was actually the Uptown Park shopping center on Post Oak.
For better or worse, the area around the Galleria (mall) is often called the “Galleria area”. Side effect of having such a large landmark.
To Native Houstonians it will always be the Galleria Area–Uptown is just for insecure NYC wannabe’s–the developers have tried in vain to get us all to call it “Uptown”, but still nobody I know calls the Galleria Area, Uptown.
Well, then why does the Costco on Weslayan & Richmond refer to itself as the Galleria Costco? That never made any sense to me…
The Galleria itself is rather protective of its name – it’s been known to sue other businesses or properties that use “Galleria” without a modifying phrase attached such as “near the” or “by the”. This desire to retain a measure of exclusivity on the name is why Hines and other property owners in the area came up with Uptown for the district back in the 1980s, I believe.
It is called the Galleria Costco because they can get away with it, and to justify that all those restaurants on Richmond around it get all their lunch time business from people who work around the Galleria
It’s “the Galleria area”. I will never refer to it as “Uptown”. I don’t know what means. It’s like somebody just slapped a name on it and we all have to abide.
Born and raised in Houston and have always considered it the Galleria Area. Uptown won’t stick as much as Midtown does because there was nothing there when Midtown was being gentrified. The Galleria has been there a long time and has been a center of activity so trying to change the name of the area won’t work IMO. Even my friends who are transplants call it the Galleria Area.
As someone who lives within the boundaries of the area, I refer to it as Uptown because I do not live in the mall and the disyllabic “Uptown” is easier to say than the mouthful, “Galleria area.” Also, since I don’t live in the mall, it would be incorrect to say that I live in the Galleria.
The Uptown Management District is the semi-governmental entity that administers the TIRZ, so Uptown seems the most appropriate term.
I also like the parallelism of using the monikers Downtown, Uptown, Midtown, and Neartown.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uptown_Houston
On a map from the northern hemisphere, ‘up’ almost always refers to north, the direction, ‘down’ would usually refer to south–north of or south of something. This has nothing to do with Houston’s names. The area south and west of the corner of Post Oak and 610 is the defacto Galleria Area. It will be called that for many years regardless of how protective that mall is of its name. The name Uptown in this case is purely class-based. I think the orignial name of this area when the Galleria was new was City Post Oak, which I prefer to that silly and pretentious ‘Uptown’, which is west of downtown and west of Midtown (huh?) too. Don’t get me started on that –lower your voice–Upper Kirby. Pricy neighborhood indeed but how silly is that name.
Jason Hanson, knock yourself out with that. I’m sure about half of the people you say “Uptown” to will stare back at you blankly. The other half will say “you mean the Galleria area”?
Jonathan must not be from Houston.
Definitely was known as Post Oak to native Houstonians before the Galleria was built. Still hear businesses refer to their “Post Oak” locations even if they are on Westheimer, San “Fillippy”, or Sage. If they referred to a Galleria or Uptown location, people would think they are actually located in the mall or uptown park.
If someone said to me they lived in Uptown I would assume they had an apartment over Champps Americana. If you told me you lived in the Galleria, I would picture a condo or apartment within the gigantic traffic snarl that is “The Galleria”. If you want to refer to the mall itself, you would say – I am going to the “Galleria Mall.”
I’m from the Houston area – I’m just a stickler for what I consider appropriate nomenclature.
The Galleria is a mall. To say “the Galleria mall” is an exercise in redundancy.
As I said before, the Uptown Management District is the semi-governmental entity that administers the funds for the area covered by the TIRZ, therefore – while the “Galleria area” is correct – Uptown seems most appropriate and easier to say than “the Galleria area.”
“Developers broke ground today on what will be a 30-story office tower in Houston’s Uptown neighborhood.”
http://blog.chron.com/primeproperty/2013/10/bhp-billiton-tower-breaks-ground/#16631101=0
The Galleria is uniquely Houston. Any city can call an area Uptown.
The Galleria is uniquely Houston? Except for the 20 other malls in the States called Gallerias? And the Galleria Vittorrio in Italy that our Galleria is based on?
Although not quite as execrable as “EaDo”, “Uptown” is still contrived and precious. It is, was, and always will be the Galleria area.
If I remember correctly, there was no Uptown Management District, “the semi-governmental entity that administers the funds for the area covered by the TIRZ” when that entire area was initially developed.
We just went to the Galleria, or to Joske’s by the Galleria, or to Sakowitz’s by the Galleria (you see, back then, there were also other locations for these stores). Everyone knew what you meant. Of course, now there is more pretense and put on, and apparently more money to pay PR men to make up pretentious names.
I’ll always call it the Galleria area, just like 610/Fannin is the Astrodome. Tell some old timer you’re going to Reliant and they don’t know where that is but say you’re going to the Astrodome and the light goes on!
I always prefered, Post Oak to the Galleria Area, but in my lifetime its always been refered to the Galleria Area–Uptown is absurd, nobody I know calls it that —
@mkultra25
You are right – Eado is execrable!
According to http://www.houstontx.gov/superneighborhoods/, I live in super neighborhood 21 Uptown. There is no formal Galleria neighborhood. Of course HAR has the city carved up differently. How many people knew Close-in Memorial was in Uptown?