Swamplot Archives by Tag: 77003

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Older Names for Houston’s Naughty Bits

February 3, 2009 – 5:13 pm
   

The East Downtown Management District rolled out its new EaDo identity package last month, but John Nova Lomax prefers the older and rougher neighborhood names: “The 400 block of deep Milam was a sink of vice and sin called Catfish Reef. Lower Washington Avenue was a swanky district called Vinegar Hill. A good chunk of Fourth Ward, or FoWa for short, was given over to Houston’s Red Light District (ReLiDi) and was known as The Reservation, while the toughest corner in Fifth Ward (FiWa) was known as Pearl Harbor. Mid Lane near the non-yet-built Galleria was a Mad Men-like seen of whiskey-fuelled poolside soirees that earned it the name Sin Alley. Even the Richmond Strip seems evocative compared to these moronic, truncated, New York-wannabe handles.” [Hair Balls; previously in Swamplot]

5:13 pm | 10 Comments | Read more about Neighborhoods: East Downtown, Quicklink, Real Estate Marketing
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Wednesday, January 7, 2009

The Super Happy Fun Land Sock Monkey Rescue Plan

January 7, 2009 – 4:52 pm

Former Heights landmark Super Happy Fun Land may reopen in its new East Downtown EaDo location soon, writes Omar Afra in the Free Press. What’s happened since we last checked in?

To give you a brief synopsis, Houston’s favorite uber-eclectic outsider arthouse and music venue SHFL operated out of a house in the Heights for 5 years until the property owners squeezed them out. Well, the silver lining was that they found a new home in a gigantic warehouse just east of downtown that could facilitate larger shows, more art, and crazier antics. So we at Free Press Houston decided to have a giant shindig at the new venue to celebrate our 5th anniversary and the opening of the great new spot. The place was packed. Err, too packed. The fire marshals came and, lo and behold, SHFL did not have adequate occupancy permitting to permit such an event. They of course got ticketed out the watoozy and have since been jumping through all the municipal hurdles required to submit building plans, acquire permits, and such to open their doors legit. It looked rather bleak for a while as the city does not exactly get excited about doing what it takes to get outsider-art venues open. After having their plans denied several times and given the run around for nearly a year, the good folks at SHFL have got their chance. Their plans were recently approved and they are set for a final inspection in early January to get their occupancy permit. Problem is, they need help.

How can you help Super Happy Fun Land open again?

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4:52 pm | Add a Comment | Read more about Attractions, Development Strategy, Neighborhoods: East Downtown, Nightlife, Openings and Closings
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Tuesday, January 6, 2009

East Downtown’s New Abbreviation

January 6, 2009 – 10:03 am

Remember that naming contest for East Downtown? A reader writes in:

I got an email from the East Downtown Management District saying that a name has been chosen for the district and the new website will debut on January 19th the website is www.eadohouston.com so I’m thinking the new name is EaDo?

The East Downtown District registered that domain name in July. Plus, EaDo would jibe with this little comment left on Swamplot last month.

So what were the runners-up? Perhaps: Edo, E.D.O., E-Do, or Eat-O? Next up: More naming competitions, for West Houston, Lower Kirby, and North Norhill!

Photo: Jackson Myers

10:03 am | 6 Comments | Read more about Neighborhoods: Downtown, Neighborhoods: East Downtown, Neighborhoods: East End, Real Estate Marketing
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Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Where To Surf for Free Downtown: Houston Wi-Fi Map

August 20, 2008 – 2:37 pm


Houston’s Downtown wireless-access experiment is now up and running, with a network of 20 free hotspots, identified in the city’s interactive map above. The hotspots offer download speeds of up to 2Mbps and uploads of up to 1Mbps, which is in the ballpark of cable and DSL service. Brave iPhone tester (and Chronicle Tech columnist) Dwight Silverman reports coverage is pretty spotty between Wi-Fi hotspots:

I’d get a decent signal on my iPhone in one block, then turn a corner and get bupkis. But if I walked a few more feet, I could usually get enough of a connection that I could check e-mail.

Silverman also offers this tip:

If you want a good connection and you’re not near a hotspot, look for one of the dual-antenna access points mounted atop street lights. Get close it for a stronger signal.

Map: Houston WiFi

2:37 pm | 1 Comment | Read more about Neighborhoods: Downtown, Online Resources
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Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Alexan Lofts on the Market

July 23, 2008 – 1:06 pm
   

Trammell Crow Residential and Morgan Stanley are ready to sell the 224-unit Alexan Lofts, the Second Ward apartments just northeast of Downtown on the site of the failed El Mercado del Sol. Multi-year historic tax credits on the property expire in September. [Globe St.]

1:06 pm | 1 Comment | Read more about Apartments, Buying and Selling, Historic Preservation, Neighborhoods: Second Ward, Quicklink
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Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Where To Put Magnolia Glen

July 22, 2008 – 3:42 pm
   

If the city will cough up $4 million, developers will turn a former temporary UH dorm next to Fingers furniture on the north side of the Gulf Freeway into a 220-unit housing project for Houstonians who are currently homeless. Mayor White supports the Magnolia Glen project, but district councilman James Rodriguez and some residents of nearby Eastwood don’t like the location. “Former Councilman Gordon Quan, a member of the blue-ribbon commission, said . . . money helps determine where sites can be found. ‘People say, “Why don’t you put this in River Oaks or Memorial?” We couldn’t afford the land in River Oaks. But we are cognizant that these need to be spread around,’ he said.” [Houston Chronicle]

3:42 pm | 5 Comments | Read more about Apartments, Neighborhood Disputes, Neighborhoods: Eastwood, Proposed Developments, Quicklink, Renovations, Temporary Housing
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Wednesday, July 16, 2008

The Furniture Bank’s Upscale Neighbor

July 16, 2008 – 1:36 pm
   

The home-furniture-for-the-furnitureless nonprofit has opened a new store called the Bargain Bazaar — on the north side of I-45 near Scott, down the street from its new warehouse on Hussion Street — to sell “slightly used” furniture to the public. If all goes well, the Furniture Bank will buy the building someday. [Greater Houston Weekly]

1:36 pm | 1 Comment | Read more about Furniture, Neighborhoods: Senechal, Openings and Closings, Quicklink, Retail
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Man Living in Billboard: No Film at 9

July 16, 2008 – 10:41 am

Man in Billboard over 59, Downtown Houston

And now you know the kind of thing that gets left out of the evening news: Fox 26 TV reporter Isiah Carey spots a man “just hanging out” inside a billboard over 59 near the George R. Brown downtown, grabs a camera, and . . . reports it in his blog a week later.

What’s that say on the billboard?

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10:41 am | 2 Comments | Read more about Attractions, Hazards, Neighborhoods: Downtown, Neighborhoods: East Downtown
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Thursday, July 3, 2008

Aerosol Warfare Declares E.D.O. the Street Art District

July 3, 2008 – 2:16 pm


Maybe the East Downtown Management District should just Give Up on those other names.

2:16 pm | 2 Comments | Read more about Art, Neighborhoods: East Downtown, Public Art, Real Estate Marketing
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Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Crossing Downtown: The Latest Plans for East-West Rail

May 7, 2008 – 12:28 pm

Diagram Showing Proposed Alignment of Southeast and East End Light Rail Lines, Downtown Houston

Christof Spieler returns from a Metro meeting with some new detail on the proposed Downtown routes for the Southeast and East End light-rail lines.

Spieler politely calls the latest plan a compromise. (”I doubt anyone is really happy with it,” he writes.) It has Metro siting the two lines — which will run on the same tracks for most of the crosstown trek — along the south side of Capitol (heading west) and the south side of Rusk (heading east). But unlike the trains that run down Main St. today, the new vehicles won’t have any right-of-way advantages over cars:

Like buses do now, the trains will share the curb lanes with cars, both turns and through traffic. . . . And the signals will be operated as they are on Capitol and Rusk today: trains will find the lights are sometimes green and sometimes red, and they will stop or go accordingly. There is no doubt that this will slow trains down and throw off schedules: for example, a line of stopped cars in the left lane on one block would force the train to hold in the previous block until the cars moved. It might also be a safety issue, but that’s not as clear.

The new lines will intersect with the Main St. line at a new Downtown Crossing station, which will likely require passengers to do plenty of street-crossing themselves:

there are 4 platforms — north- and southbound Main Street and east- and westbound East End/ Southeast — that can share one station name, making the system easy to understand. But the east-west platforms are a block away from Main Street, so some transfers will still involve a three block walk, with 3 pedestrian lights, from the center of one platform to the center of another.

After the jump: The end of the line!

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12:28 pm | 3 Comments | Read more about Neighborhoods: Downtown, Neighborhoods: East Downtown, Proposed Developments, Streets, Transportation
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Wednesday, March 19, 2008

East Downtown District Wants a New Name

March 19, 2008 – 2:33 pm

Name the District Contest Graphic, East Downtown District

The East Downtown Management District has hired a Houston design firm to come up with a new name for the triangular area between I-45, Highway 59, and the railroad tracks that separate it from the Greater East End to the east. Apparently, “East Downtown” isn’t good enough. So the design firm, Good Project, has set up a contest. You get to name it!

The winning name will be chosen by the district’s board of directors and announced in a press release on the Name the District website sometime after the competition closes on May 15th. The district board expects the winning entry to become the official name of the district and be used on signage throughout the neighborhood.

Good Project was involved in naming both Sonoma and the Highland Tower, but this is the company’s first stab at naming an entire neighborhood.

So what do you get if you win the contest? Glory? Yes. Fame? No. A representative of Good Project tells Swamplot that there are no plans to give credit to any person who submits a winning entry:

. . . we are already getting multiples of many of the same names and if consensus ends up being the voice that names the neighborhood then it would be impossible to call out just one individual. Most people are content with being included in the process, this is an opportunity that is rarely afforded to the citizens of any city.

That’s right! Naming is a job usually reserved for specialists.

So how can you help? If you’ve got a great name for the East Downtown district, send an email with your suggestion to entry@namethedistrict.com. If you’ve got a great name but want some recognition for your efforts, add a comment below this message on Swamplot after you send your email to the contest — so everyone can see what name you suggested and when.

If your entry is chosen by the District Formerly Known as East Downtown and we’ve got evidence in our comments that you posted it below before anyone else, we’ll make sure you receive credit on Swamplot for your contribution!

2:33 pm | 6 Comments | Read more about Neighborhood Associations, Neighborhoods: East Downtown, Real Estate Marketing
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Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Living the High Life at Live Oak Lofts

January 16, 2008 – 5:52 pm

Live Oak Lofts, Houston

Residents of the Live Oak Lofts, you have been warned! Whoever among you has been smoking weed and stinking up the whole joint, you must cease immediately — the Live Oak Lofts Homeowners Association is on the case!

Don’t want to get all up in your business and all, but now that this has happened, the Association will not fail to contact the proper authorities if anything incriminating is further sniffed — or if you are caught doing anything illegal whatsoever!

After the jump, the scathing marijuana memo distributed to all residents of the Live Oak Lofts!

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5:52 pm | Read more about Air Quality, Crime, Hazards, Lofts, Neighborhood Disputes, Neighborhoods: Warehouse District
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Thursday, January 10, 2008

The East Downtown Sports and Convention Complex

January 10, 2008 – 4:24 pm

Reliant Parking

Chronicle reporters say they know where the new Dynamo Stadium is going . . . and it’s on land the city itself will buy:

Earlier this week, city officials signed letters of intent to buy parcels of land just east of U.S. 59 and the downtown business district . . . City officials declined to identify the location, but a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed reports that the parcels are in a six-block area between Texas and Walker avenues and Hutchins and Dowling streets, just southeast of Minute Maid Park near the northbound side of U.S. 59.

This all sounds vaguely familiar, doesn’t it? Within a few acres, there’ll be stadiums for three big-league sports teams, a convention center, a hotel, and a freeway overpass. Once the Dynamo stadium gets built, if this new growing complex really wants to be able to compete with Reliant Park, all they’ll have to do is wrap the whole neighborhood with a wide ribbon of surface parking lots!

Photo of Reliant Park parking lots: Flickr user scalpelorsword

4:24 pm | Read more about Attractions, Neighborhoods: Downtown, Neighborhoods: Reliant Park
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Monday, December 31, 2007

Telephone Road Walking Tour: Not How They Sang It Was

December 31, 2007 – 11:01 am

Smile Lounge, 4348 Telephone Rd., Houston

Telephone Road south of I-45 has changed forever, declares John Nova Lomax:

Gone is the Mexican Catholic blue-collar neighborhood to the north around Queen of Peace church, its place taken by a string of hot sheet motels, clip joints, massage parlors and other such venues of vice. This is what’s left of the Telephone Road Mark May, Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell, Culturcide and others have written songs about.

But it’s all impossibly sadder. The Telephone Road that Earle and Crowell sang about in the rollicking songs of that name is long gone. Crowell’s version is set in the ’50s and early ’60s, and Earle’s in the early ’70s. Today’s Telephone Road far better fits Earle’s “The Other Side of Town.”

There’s more street-level reporting in Lomax and David Beebe’s latest narrated and well-lubricated walking tour, which starts Downtown and heads east along Leeland, through a neighborhood called Edmondson Addition:

Boarded-up hovels line some streets, awaiting inevitable transformation into the (mostly shoddy) condos that are springing up like dandelions here. Other streets reminded us of some of Galveston’s less opulent older districts – one and two-story wood frame houses standing on bricks, interspersed with brick warehouses and workshops.

The story includes Lomax’s encounters with Golfcrest’s underground shopping-cart economy and his retelling of a Telephone Rd. crack-and-hookers tale too uh . . . racy to fit into a song lyric.

After the jump, a very different portrait of Telephone Rd. from an earlier era.

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11:01 am | Read more about Flooding, Houston History, Neighborhoods: Edmondson Addition, Neighborhoods: Golfcrest, Neighborhoods: Telephone Rd
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Thursday, December 6, 2007

Stanford Lofts: Your Parking Lot Is Safe from the Dynamo

December 6, 2007 – 10:54 am

Balcony of Stanford Lofts Unit 409

A resident of the Stanford Lofts just east of Downtown writes in to make sure everyone knows, after all, that the building’s view of Minute Maid Park is not going to be obstructed by . . . a view of a new soccer stadium for the Houston Dynamo directly across the street.

No, no official deal’s been announced. But this tidbit from a Chronicle story has allowed condo owners to breathe a sigh of relief:

The Dynamo first set sights on land owned by the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority just east of Minute Maid Park and U.S. 59, but have since decided against the property, which the Astros lease for stadium parking.

“We know for a fact (the property) is no longer being considered,” said Sports Authority head Kenny Friedman, who added that the Sports Authority is not actively involved in the negotiations.

The team might be looking to purchase private land near the same general area as the county-owned property, although Luck declined to confirm or deny it, saying only that a downtown venue is still planned.

So where will the Dynamo stadium go? Keep reading below the fold:

Continue Reading This Story >

10:54 am | Read more about Condos, Lofts, Neighborhoods: Downtown, Parking, Proposed Developments
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