Swamplot is stepping out for a few minutes — actually, for the rest of the week. We’ll be back bright and early Monday morning with a sleigh-load of real estate stocking-stuffers, though. Happy Holidays!
Photo: Swamplot inbox
Merry Thursday
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- 5627 Seclusion Dr. [HAR]
An excavator and friends were spotted on Westheimer this week having a go at the long-empty lot directly next to upscale Indian-fusion spot Indika. Also on the agenda were the freshly-empty and moderate-length-of-empty lots next door — all three spaces (520, 524, and 528 Westheimer) are currently held by Rok Bros Holdings.
The central lot, at 524 Westheimer, was demolished shortly after mid-2011; the more recently demolished house on the westernmost lot (528 Westheimer) held LV Massage and a psychic, after the 524 house crossed over into the great beyond. A request to merge the 3 lots was approved at a Houston Planning Commission meeting on July 10, 2014; the request refers to the space as Rok Bros Westheimer Plaza, and was filed in conjunction with Houston-based Momentum Engineering.
Swamplot reader sfalumberjack sends the twilight snapshot above, along with a few others of equipment on the site (bounded on the other side by The Cat Doctor):
Plaza Predictions for Avondale
- Heights Washateria To Be Restored into Retail Center Dubbed ‘The 420’ [HBJ]
- Gilley’s-Anchored Entertainment Center in La Porte Approved by City Planners [HBJ; previously on Swamplot]
- The Top 10 Most Expensive Homes Sold in Houston in 2015 [Houston Chronicle]
- Steak 48 To Open in 2-Story Space in River Oaks District This Spring [HBJ]
- Walmart’s Neighborhood Market Concept Opening in League City January 13 [Galveston County Daily News ($)]
- There’s a ‘Very Good Chance’ the Wunsche Bros. Café & Salon Will Be Sold Soon [Your Houston News]
- The Country Feel of Rivercrest in West Houston, Where Lots Are At Least 3 Acres and There Are No Sidewalks [Houston Chronicle]
- Toll Road Authority Removing Toll Booths from Ship Channel Bridge Weekend of January 9 [Houston Public Media]
Photo of Hotel Alessandra: Marc Longoria via Swamplot Flickr Pool
Headlines
Swamplot’s Daily Demolition Report lists buildings that received City of Houston demolition permits the previous weekday.
The early land of Houston’s twenty-ninth mayor, William R. Baker, gets another round of development, HISD continues its Davis High clean up, and a few other treats on today’s menu.
CONTINUE READING THIS STORY
- 5207 Braesheather Dr. [HAR]
DUBAI’S ENERGY PLAN WOULD PUT SOLAR PANELS ON EVERY ROOFTOP BUT WOULDN’T CUT CONSUMPTION Meanwhile, in Dubai: The United Arab Emirates, long a global symbol of extravagant wealth derived from the oil industry, is hoping to step into an equally dramatic role in the green energy scene — the recently-announced Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050 calls for 25 percent of Dubai’s energy to come from clean sources by 2030, ramping up to 75 percent by 2050. The plan calls for solar panels to be placed on all rooftops in the city, and for a 5,000 megawatt solar energy park, which will generate nearly 10 times as much electricity as the next-largest such park currently in existence, California’s Solar Star. The push comes alongside neighboring Saudi Arabia’s movement toward solar energy, rooted in efforts to reserve more oil for export and remain a dominant fossil fuel force. [CityLab, the Atlantic]
Do you have an untapped entrepreneurial side and flautas worth flaunting? This 3-bedroom, 2-bath 1930’s home comes equipped with its own taco stand, ready to serve your culinary ambitions. Located on 7,500 sq.ft. directly behind the Mexican Consulate, the 2,882 sq.-ft. building and attachment are yours for $420,000. (In related news, Happy Jalapeno is now closed.)
Very Hot on the Market
COMMENT OF THE DAY: A WARM UNWELCOME TO HOUSTON TRAVELERS 
“Glad to see these improvements — I hope that one day the airport system will invest some money in making the terminal more appealing to those who arrive in Houston. Baggage claim sucks, and the exit into a dark, humid, and sometimes-overwhelmingly-filled-with-fumes parking garage is even worse. I have never flown into another airport anywhere that has created a less welcoming environment than Hobby, especially in a major US city.” [sjh, commenting on Checking In at Newly Upgraded (and Once-Again International) Hobby Airport] Illustration: Lulu
Vegan-friendly dance landmark Te House of Tea, at the corner of Fairview and Woodhead, will officially close its doors tomorrow at 7 PM — then briefly reopen them for an after-Christmas sale of equipment and interior furnishings the following Saturday. According to the restaurant’s December 1st closing announcement, owner Connie Lacobie attempted to sell the nearly 10-year-old business citing health issues, but a buyer couldn’t be found before the landlord made other plans for the space. Te opened in March 2006 with a lion dance for good luck (above); the final weekly swing-blues-fusion dance was held this past Saturday, and Monday was the last Open Mic. Photos: Te House of Tea
Down to the Dregs
Today we welcome Washington Ave juice bar Juicy in the Sky . . . with Vitamins as Swamplot’s Sponsor of the Day.
Juicy in the Sky serves up gourmet juice combos, smoothies, lemonades, and non-dairy shakes, as well as prepared vegetarian and vegan fare. From the breezy “Zephyr†(apple, celery, lemon, ginger, mint)  to the bracing “Katmandu†(kale, apple, turmeric, cucumber, yam, lime) to the tangy “Esmerelda” (Spinach, Kale, Parsley, Cilantro, Apple, Carrot, Ginger, Turmeric, Lime), Juicy in the Sky’s complex signature juices combine fruits and veggies, spices and herbs for a blend that’s sweet, savory, and tart.
Smoothies and juice combos are made with all natural, fresh-frozen whole fruits; fresh fruit and veggies are juiced right before your eyes. 100% cacao, nut butters, bee pollen, veggie protein, maca root, chia, hemp hearts, flaxmeal, hemp, flax, and coconut oil are available as add-ins.
Check out the offerings from the Juicy in the Sky storefront, open 7 days a week at 4720 Washington Ave. (at Shepherd), Suite B-1 — right next door to Max’s Wine Dive.
Got a juicy idea you’d like to share with Swamplot readers? Try our Sponsor of the Day program. You can find out more about it by inquiring here.
Sponsor of the Day
Something is missing: Reader Jamie Guidry snapped this shot of overcast Downtown this morning, noting that “a big chunk of 1010 Lamar” appears to be absent. The breached facade is shown here from the south, from the circular GreenStreet pedestrian bridge over Fannin. (A permit was issued on December 9th for the remodel of an upper-story suite of the office building, but a representative from permittee R.L. Hart Construction confirms that it has nothing to do with the hole.)
1010 Lamar was one of the properties snapped up in 2007 by Texas office space tycoon Zaya Younan, along with the former Sakowitz department store building (currently a parking garage) across the street at 1111 Main.
DIY Window Office
- Jones & Carter Moving Headquarters to 6330 W. Loop S. in Bellaire, Will Sublease WorleyParsons Space [HBJ]
- Recapping Houston’s Largest Industrial Leases of 2015 [HBJ]
- What 2016 Will Look Like for Transit in the Sun Belt [The Urban Edge]
- How the Panama Canal Expansion Will Bolster Industrial Houston [Forbes]
- Houston Named Fifth Best Food City in America [Washington Post]
- Friday Could Be One of the Top 10 Warmest Christmas Days on Houston Record [abc13]
Photo of Midtown Park: thranth via Swamplot Flickr Pool
Headlines
Swamplot’s Daily Demolition Report lists buildings that received City of Houston demolition permits the previous weekday.
Crime Stoppers is starting over, plus an assortment of other erasures to examine.
CONTINUE READING THIS STORY
- 3900 Aspen Dr. [HAR]
