- 4128 Woodfox St. [HAR]
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WHERE THE ALDIS ARE GOING, SO FAR 
Only about a month after announcing plans to pepper the Houston market with 30 Aldi discount supermarkets over the next 3 years — with a third of them up and running by next spring, the Trader Joe’s cousin has already bought 2 properties to go with the already announced location just outside Oak Park Trails in Katy: 2.8 acres at Fairmont Parkway and Watters Road in Pasadena, and 2.5 acres at Hwy. 6 and West Bellfort in Sugar Land. [Real Estate Bisnow; previously on Swamplot] Photo of Aldi in Ohio: Deerfield Construction
CAMERA STORES CRYING WOLF 
Didn’t the country’s biggest retail camera chain already declare bankruptcy and close a bunch of its Wolf Camera and Ritz Camera stores in Houston? Yeah, but that was back in 2009; now the successor company is going down that path again, a couple years after bouncing out of bankruptcy protection. In a news release, the company’s restructuring officer makes it all sound like part of a pretty picture: “To achieve our strategic vision of a super-store chain offering unique value-added services . . . it became necessary to implement this vision through a Chapter 11 filing.” Ritz Camera & Image, which has its headquarters in Maryland, is “evaluating which of its 265 stores to close, including at least three stores in the Houston area.” [Houston Business Journal; previously on Swamplot]] Photo of Rice Village store: Wolf Camera
- Two Galleria Hotels To Be Rebranded as Part of Sonesta Chain [Culturemap]
- International Bancshares Takes Possession of Randall Davis’s Pink Diamond Beach Condos Near Seawall [Galveston County Daily News]
- Gulf Fwy. Star Toyota Fined $78K for Cutting Down 3 Live Oak Trees in Way of Proposed Parking Lot [Galveston County Daily News]
- Richmond Construction Heads West of Kirby; Drainage Work To Continue for Several Weeks [West University Examiner]
- Port of Galveston Board OKs Money for Conceptual Study of a Third Cruise-Ship Terminal and New Pelican Island Facility [Galveston County Daily News]
- FEMA Grant To Help Complete Jersey Meadows Detention Basin on Former Golf Course [Cypress Creek Mirror]
- Alligator Kills Family’s Dog in Seabrook Lake [KHOU]
- Galveston Sets Record with First Recorded 100-Degree June Day [Houston Chronicle]
- Power Demand Sets June Record in Texas [Fuel Fix]
Photo of Richmond Ave. construction west of Kirby: West University Examiner
COMMENT OF THE DAY: A DEDICATED FAN’S SPRING BURGER REPORT 
“Carl’s Jr is about to open another factory of deliciousness in Spring, TX, corner of hwy 249 and Louetta Rd. built from the ground up, it started about two months ago, and just last week they hung the signs, no word on when it opens. I’ve submitted pictures to Swamplot, they might publish them soon.” [Sweetmocha, commenting on Burger Chains Ready Attack on Houston: Carl’s Jr., Smashburger, Five Guys] Photo: Sweetmocha
“It was very eerie to see the stern deck of the ship so close to the water,” writes Swamplot reader J.W. Lodge IV, who visited the leaking Battleship Texas by boat yesterday, and who notes that a news story from Friday linked to in this morning’s Headlines post — which claimed that the dual-world-war veteran parked by the San Jacinto Monument had been repaired and reopened — seemed a bit off. “As far as I can tell they’ve got a long way to go with the pumps,” he reports. The ship was reopened for tours on Saturday, but beginning that evening more problems developed. As of this morning, about 1,500 gallons of ship-channel water were pouring in each minute, from 2 separate areas of new leaks in the vessel’s rear port side. Also developing in the water around the ship: an oil sheen.
- USS Texas springs more leaks; 1,500 gallons per minute leaking [Houston Chronicle]
Photo from Sunday: J.W. Lodge IV
This expanded-since-1938 home in West U has a 2-story front facade, but 3 stories of living space. Its last redo was in 2000. Listed in mid-June at $1,091,000, the home is located west of Buffalo Speedway in a section of the small city where lots run 50 ft. by 150 ft. Unlike many newer properties, this 5-bedroom home has no brick or stucco and doesn’t fill the lot. Behind the house there’s a deck with an outdoor kitchen and a bit of a yard — or is that a garden?
EAST END ALCOHOL REPORT A reader from the Country Club Place-Idylwood area checks in with rumors, some news, and questions: “A neighbor who does not do computers had a co-worker tell him that there is to be a ‘Latino topless bar’ open soon near Idylwood. For the life of me, I cannot see where he’s talking about. Of course, the definition of ‘near Idylwood’ is the variable. How can I find out where it will be and if this is true? Are alcohol permits available online? The old Helena Motel property on Wayside at 45 is being developed slowly and right now, a Chick fil A is being built next to the relatively new Taco Cabana. I can’t really see an adult entertainment place going in near that location although that block with the corner is prime for a strip shopping center. Demolition of the old Oshman’s property for Walmart is progressing quickly. Last I heard there was still some question as to whether or not this Walmart would sell beer & wine. The back side of the property is too close to the AAMA School on Maxwell. I imagine a lot of people will be unhappy if they can’t do one stop shopping there. Can you offer some suggestions as to where to begin my sleuthing on the topless bar?” [Swamplot inbox]
Swamplot’s Daily Demolition Report lists buildings that received City of Houston demolition permits the previous weekday.
And Tilden loses again.
- Houston Receives $15M Federal Grant To Connect Bike Trails With Transit Stops [KUHF]
- League City’s Rebuilt City Hall Debuts with Drive-Thru Teller Window [Galveston County Daily News]
- Galveston To Consider Third Cruise-Ship Terminal [Galveston County Daily News]
- Logan Brown Leaves Grubb & Ellis To Form Own Real Estate Firm [Houston Business Journal]
- Henri Bendel Opens in Galleria [Culturemap]
- Slideshow: Winners of Houston Apartment Association’s Property Awards [Houston Business Journal]
- Battleship Texas Repairs Leak, Reopens [KUHF]
- League City Lifts Water Emergency After Main Water Line Leak Fixed [Galveston County Daily News]
- Invasive Piranha-Like Fish Species Found in Houston Bayous [Click2Houston]
- Galveston’s Lessons from Ike Lead to Changes in Emergency Preparedness for Hurricane Season [abc13]
- Houston Pride Festival and Parade Draws 150,000 [Memorial Examiner]
- Houston Police Charge Man in Menil Picasso Vandalism [Houston Chronicle]
- Sculptures of Space-Race Astronauts Gagarin, Glenn To Be Installed in Front of S. Wayside Gragg Bldg., Original NASA Headquarters [Culturemap]
- Early History of Air Conditioning in Houston [Houston Chronicle]
Photo of Lawndale Art Center mural: Candace Garcia
NEW HILTON AMERICAS SIDEWALK CAFE SEATING WILL FEATURE ELECTRIFYING VIEWS 
Spencer’s for Steaks and Chops inside the Hilton Americas Hotel downtown will soon feature sidewalk seating and an outdoor lounge area — but not on the hotel’s busy side facing Discovery Green.The improvements are going instead on the west side of the structure, facing Crawford St. (shown above under construction) — and Centerpoint Energy’s showcase full-block electrical transformer farm next door. Crawford St., which is blocked by the Toyota Center one block to the south, will be reduced to 2 traffic lanes, while the sidewalk is widened by 25 ft. Plans for the sidewalk scene by landscape firm Clark Condon Associates show the lounge area surrounded by a low wall closer to Dallas St., a dining area further south, and a double row of sycamore trees that should help shield sidewalk sitters from any sparks across the street. Separately, sidewalks are also being widened along 3 blocks of Dallas St. between Houston Pavilions and the George R. Brown Convention Center. The Spencer’s eating area should be complete by October; drawings of the design are currently on display in the restaurant. Photo: Swamplot inbox
A JUST-OPENED SOURCE FOR HOUSTON BUILDING DATA 
A 3-month-old website that aims to collect and broadcast detailed information about existing buildings — including photos, square footage counts, ownership and management contacts, projects and renovations, and LEED certification levels — opened its catalog of Austin, Dallas, and Houston commercial and mixed-use structures this week. HonestBuildings.com claims to have detailed online profiles already available on a total of 95,000 buildings in those 3 Texas cities, and on a total of 475,000 nationwide. Many of the Houston listings contain only cursory info so far, but the company is hoping local building managers will provide details to fill out the extensive list of data categories. The New York and Seattle-based startup appears to focus on issues of energy efficiency, allowing companies that provide related services to showcase and target their work — and users to compare building data.
- 10211 Beekman Place Dr. [HAR]
