St. John’s School has purchased 13 acres of land, expanding its 29-acre campus in River Oaks. Headmaster Mark Desjardins tells the Houston Chronicle that the school on Westheimer won’t be developing the new acreage right away and hasn’t decided what will become of the businesses already there at the intersection of W. Alabama and Buffalo Speedway. Those include a fortune teller, the River Oaks Plant House, known for its oversized topiary-like Chia pets (dancing at left), and Blanco’s Bar & Grill, sitting there in a dusty parking lot as though it’s on a far-flung farm road and not right across the street from the 23-story Lamar Tower. (It’s hiding behind the Blanco’s sign in the photo above.)
- Exclusive private school buys River Oaks-area land [Houston Chronicle ($)]
It was actually about +/- 5 acres. Swamplot should get their facts straight. A little amateurish.
Considering the school is just going to hold the land for quite awhile, I suspect Blanco’s is actually safer than it was before the sale. The rumblings regarding big players knocking it down had been growing.
As for whether the school would close Blanco’s, I suspect that many of the alumni/parents, who have been or are patrons, will ensure that Blanco’s isn’t going anywhere.
St. John’s is circulating a memo stating that they bought 13 acres from the Taubs. Not 5. And the cat is out of the bag on the purchase price as well.
The school did send a memo to all school faculty, parents etc. that they did purchase THIRTEEN ACRES, increasing the existing 22 acres (or so) by a third. Ludakris, don’t know where you heard 5 acres.
@Luda
Cuanto Cuesta?
um….i agree in my post i say 13 acres….it was “Madison” in the first post calling it 5 acres. I saw the same email you did.
@Matt …waiting for a true confirmation, i dont want to quote a number that has not been confirmed. But what i am hearing from a couple of different sources…!!!!!
Madison is wrong. Very amateurish.
Could we get a map on this?
@Madison, don’t know where you heard five. Thirteen here as well. http://blog.chron.com/primeproperty/2013/01/st-johns-picks-up-prime-site/
@ Madison- Maybe you don’t have your facts straight, very amateurish.
how much did they pay for it?
Sorry Ludakris! In my haste to post I mis-read. BTW, SJS, a school, owning (the land)Blanco’s is on–someplace that serves alcoholic beverages, is kinda interesting.
SJS’s vision is admirable, but it sends the wrong message. While I come from Kinkaid stock, dear friends have assured me this expansion will not increase class sizes or open the doors to the masses.
One of these days the Taubs are going to run out of land to sell. Thank God for Uncle Ben.
“SJS’s vision is admirable, but it sends the wrong message. While I come from Kinkaid stock, dear friends have assured me this expansion will not increase class sizes or open the doors to the masses.”
Douche comment of the day!
St John’s is one of the best private schools in the nation. That said, I am sad that the city is going to lose some very taxable acreage. That lot could have been something much, much, much better.
@doofus I agree. I was disappointed to hear this news. About a month ago there was a rumor going around that Hines was going to develop the property into a mixed use project.
So many questions. So much bickering. Go talk to the fortune teller on the property. She will clear all of this up. She is all knowing!
Blancos is closing its doors in November.
Great chunk of land for a great school! Watch more private schools expand in this city as people continue to pull their kids out of HISD. If only HISD could be as efficient and responsible with our tax money as private schools do we would be in great shape!
Good work St. John’s ! I rather see a school when I drive by there everyday than a UGLY MIXED USE PIECE OF STUCCO GARBAGE like all the ugliness on Westhiemer and mid lane.