Daily Demolition Report: The One Where Weingarten Realty Guts the Interior of the Alabama Theater

You’ve seen that movie too.

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Commercial Structures

Residences

Photo of interior of Alabama Bookstop (formerly Alabama Theater: Flickr user mlsnp

18 Comment

  • My understanding is that Weingarten Realty and Trader Joe’s is going to perserve the interior.

  • B@st@rds.

  • Funny how within my lifetime the name Weingarten has gone from being admired to a dirty word.

  • TJ’s was on board in this location while the interior was intact, pulls out, Weingarten destroys the interior, and then TJ’s is back in business. Strange…

  • Trader Joe’s at this location? Hmm. I agree that it’s a great match to the surrounding demographic and historic location, but what are they going to do for parking and traffic? Shepherd is a logjam as it is, and I avoid it like the plague. Plus that small shopping center does not have the parking for the onslaught of T.J. followers. Maybe once the initial rush dies down I will drop in to pick up some Two Buck Chuck.

  • Remember that there is a Weingarten – Fastow – Enron link, also. Just say’n.

  • I’m not sure how Trader Joe’s or any other tenant would use the space “as is”. They would have to have a level floor. Maybe that’s all that’s going on.

    It would be nice if they kept as much of the original as they possibly can.

  • Will they be having Two Buck Chuck here in Texas? Thought that was a CA exclusive.

  • I’ve seen it in other states, but referred to as 4 buck chuck.

  • Everyone seems to forget about the fairly large parking lot in back, not just the few spots facing Shepherd.

  • i hope that by 20yrs time the whole montrose area has continued to evolve and grow to the point where the entirety of shepherd needs to be bulldozed and rebuilt.

    i’m not too concerned about the interior of a destitue building at this point.

  • Hmm. I agree that it’s a great match to the surrounding demographic and historic location, but what are they going to do for parking and traffic?

    Ah, the plight of the urban suburbanites.

  • Parking?
    Take the bus, watsamattawitcha.

  • Yeah, yeah, I know…it’s their property, this is Houston, they can do what they want with it because we dont have zoning, etc.

    But, damn, this is depressing.

  • I’m with Joel on this one. I know there is a line somewhere between buildings worth saving over an owner’s property rights and those not worth it, and that we may differ on the location of that line, but really it’s hard to see why this property is so special.

  • @Lost-in-translation.. used to ride the train to work everyday after walking to the Hermann station.. All for public transit but three tiny kids have limited me to my vehicle, at least temporarily. Don’t read any whining into my tone, I was merely making a case that there is a critical mass by which I think Shepherd may become completely unusable in its current state.

    I did not know there was parking behind the property. I really do try to avoid that part of town.

    Used to buy (insert number here)-Buck-Chuck in the Midwest. Look forward to TJ’s if only because it isn’t another bank, storage facility, or sandwich chain.

  • Why is the Alabama special? Because it’s the friggin’ Alabama Theatre for cryin’ out loud.

    It’s where first-run movies were shown back in the old days.
    It’s where kids lined up to see Rocky Horror.
    It’s where you knew you were in a cool part of town when you grew up in the far flung suburbs of Houston.

    It’s one of the few art-deco kinds of buildings still standing in Houston.

    It’s the perfect location for a chain like Trader Joes.

    Really?

    Please do allow us our pathetic whining attachment to a landmark…Thanks.

    Regarding parking, why not a small parking garage in the lot behind? It would be more than enough parking. TJ’s has other locations with very little parking anyway.