Headlines
03/15/13 8:30am

Headlines: Butterfly Drought; Houston’s Best Parks

by
9 Comments

Photo of Downtown Transit Center: Russell Hancock via Swamplot Flickr Pool

Openings and Closings
03/14/13 3:45pm

Roger Clemens’s Son To Open a Rice Military Sports Bar Named in Honor of Roger Clemens

by
11 Comments

The son of Sugar Land Skeeters ace and former Astros hurler Roger Clemens is renovating a tapas bar into a house of “sports and spirits” that’ll be called Katch 22. That’s Katch with a K — for strikeout, if you’re scoring at home. Renovations are already underway at the former Convivio space here at 700 Durham in Rice Military. Kody Kory Clemens, reports Eater Houston’s Eric Sandler, will be Katch 22’s executive chef; he studied at Le Cordon Bleu and met co-proprietor Luke Mandola while working at Ragin’ Cajun. Sandler adds that though there will be 11 screens here showing ball games, the owners stress that Katch 22 is not a sports bar. Either way, it’s expected to open in May.

Photo: Allyn West

, , , , ,
Brookesmith
03/14/13 1:00pm

A New Blue ’Do in Brookesmith

by
32 Comments

Redo work on a 1920 cottage with a watching-the-world-pass porch spun off a mini-me houselet in back (above) and an airy, matching carport. The property, located a few blocks west of I-45 — between the Near Northside and the Heights — listed last Friday with an asking price of $399,000. The property had last changed hands in November 2012, for $119,500. But that was in its pink period (at right); it had first listed last March, for $150,000.

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

, , , ,
Attractions
03/14/13 12:15pm

Grand Texas Theme Park: The Return of Lasso

by
12 Comments

The cartoon horse speaks! Alas, Grand Texas Theme Park’s well-heeled mascot isn’t saying where you’ll join him. But at least the theme park’s website is now open, claiming that developer Monty Galland “has determined three different desired sites: Two are in Montgomery County, while the other is in Fort Bend County.” And there are now several new renderings of the park’s proposed “territories” with detailed descriptions of the Texas-themed activities and amenities to come.

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

, , , , , ,
Headlines
03/14/13 8:30am

Headlines: Popular Harris County; Houston’s Hipster Factor

by
11 Comments

Photo of homes behind Washington Ave.: elnina via Swamplot Flickr Pool

Homes for Sale
03/13/13 5:00pm

A Small One on Smallwood Southeast of Eastwood

by
10 Comments

Two years ago, a previous version of this 3-bedroom, 2-bath house dating back to 1940 was sold for $45,675. Near Lawndale and S. 75th St. in Mason Park, it’s within walking distance of a hike and bike on Brays Bayou — as well as a Family Dollar, a food truck that sells pupusas, and several payday and title loan stores. This new version of 1212 Smallwood went on the market earlier this year at $171,500.

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

, , , ,
Environmental
03/13/13 2:00pm

Garbage Program Still ‘Absolutely Doable,’ says Mayor Parker

by
18 Comments

GARBAGE PROGRAM STILL ‘ABSOLUTELY DOABLE,’ SAYS MAYOR PARKER So Houston’s “One Bin for All” idea didn’t win the $5 million grand prize in Mayor Bloomberg’s philanthrophic challenge — but it did tie for second. And that means $1 million will be coming Houston’s way, along with $50,000 extra for being so darn lovable and winning the “fan favorite” vote online. And what’s the city going to do with all this dough? The Houston Chronicle’s Carol Christian reports that the consolation prizes might be just enough to get the program off the ground: Though the idea to combine garbage, recycling, and yard waste into one big bin for mechanized sorting later has been around for awhile, Mayor Parker says, “This award will allow us the seed money to begin the process . . . We have thoroughly researched the technology. It’s absolutely doable.” Construction on a new sorting facility could begin as early as 2014, reports Christian. [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot] Photo of recycling bin in the Heights: Charles Kuffner

, , , , , ,
Green Design and Development
03/13/13 1:00pm

Green Painter Grows, Opens Second Location in the Heights

by
2 Comments

Shoppers on 19th St. will soon be able to pop in between stops for vintage cowboy boots and vinyl LPS for a few gallons of non-toxic paint, now that a second location of the Green Painter is opening Saturday. When the original store debuted in 2011 beside New Living in the Rice Village, the owners were claiming it was the country’s first non-toxic retail paint store. The new Heights location at 321 W. 19th St., shown here, will be in the 2,600-sq.-ft. suite that used to house Jubilee. You can’t miss it: Just look for the lamppost that’s been painted green.

Photos: Allyn West

, , , ,
Briarmeadow
03/13/13 12:00pm

Now Screening: Briarmeadow Contemporary Redo

by
5 Comments

This Briarmeadow contemporary with broken-pediment facade bleached its previously ruddy exterior as part of an all-over renovation sometime after last December. That’s when it was bought by its current seller — for $247,000. It’s back on the market now, lighter in color but heftier in price, listed for $449,900. The home’s dog-leg driveway across the front lawn still feeds into a side-entry garage, now showing a newly uncovered cinema-screen expanse of wall to the street. Replacement landscaping at the base of that blankness will screen more of it, eventually. Despite the speedy roof-to-garden change-outs outside and flooring-to-cabinetry swap-outs inside, the listing explicitly declares that the transformed 1977 property is “NOT A FLIP.”

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY

, , , , ,
Gulfgate
03/13/13 11:15am

Frank’s Grill To Move to New Telephone Rd. Strip Center

by
7 Comments

Just outside the Loop on Telephone Rd., Frank’s Grill — or Rank’s Rill, as Hurricane Ike rendered the standalone greasy spoon’s sign — will be closing and moving south about a tenth of a mile into the larger suite shown here in the recently completed strip center on Telephone and Fairway. The strip center replaced a car dealership and a body shop. There’s no date set for Frank’s move, but an employee tells Swamplot that it should be happening in about two months.

Photos: Allyn West

, , , , ,
« Previous Page Next Page »