And now, yet another Montrose convenience-store fantasy.
- Sharad Patel’s Dance des Fanatiques de Bazarette [YouTube, via B.S. Houston Art Blog]
- The May Artist SPEAKeasy [Spacetaker]
- Best Convenience Store: Pak’s [Houston Press]
Video: Sharad Patel
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Tag: 77006
COMMENT OF THE DAY: ON THE CORNER OF WEST MAIN AND ROSELAND “903 W. Main is a lovely Prairie style home in First Montrose Commons. The owner of it and the neighboring home 909 W. Main, an even grander Craftsman, will demolish both homes for replacement with eight townhouses (likely four story, given the density). But he’s saving the trees, so apparently the civic association is ok with the plans! First Montrose Commons is currently working on an application to become a city historic district. And these two homes contribute to that historic fabric.” [no history remains, commenting on Daily Demolition Report: Rambam]
Who says the architecture business in Houston is slow?
- Busy Bees [BRAVE/PRAXIS]
Reader rdan weighs in on Swamplot’s recent discussion about the boundaries of Montrose:
In order to address the confusion/questions over Montrose neighborhood designations, I dug up the attached map that was put together a few years ago by the Neartown Association, the umbrella organization for the roughly 20 neighborhoods and civic associations that constitute the area known as “The Montrose”. Some of the civic associations, such as Mandell Place, Winlow Place, and Cherryhurst, represent the original legal subdivisions that were established in the 20’s. Others, such as WAMM (Westheimer Alabama Montrose Mulberry Civic Association), were established more recently to help property owners re-establish deed restrictions that had lapsed over the years.
In doing a little research on HCAD, it appears to me that the areas represented by WAMM,
Audubon Place, a portion of Avondale (south of Westheimer?), and all or part of the UST campus covers what was the original Montrose subdivision.
- Comment of the Day: Name My Neighborhood [Swamplot]
- Comment of the Day: Where Montrose Begins and Ends [Swamplot]
Image: Neartown Association, via Swamplot inbox
COMMENT OF THE DAY: WHERE MONTROSE BEGINS AND ENDS “. . . the referenced area has been known as ‘Montrose’ since the 1960s, at least. There are numerous ‘pockets’ not in original Montrose that have historically been called part of the area for decades. Generally, east of Shepherd, west of the US 59 spur (and Brazos), N. of 59, and S. of W. Dallas connotes ‘the Montrose’ or the Montrose-area, even if it does not denote it. I, too, once tried to parse the issue, (Winlow), but eventually, one gets tired of people saying ‘Oh, yeah, you mean Montrose!’. I love Montrose, and I don’t need neighborhood signs or old, original designations to muddy the waters. Believe me, if it seems ‘Montrosian’, then you’re in the ’trose (start with at least a smattering of 1930’s bungalows). Nothing quite like it the southern U.S architecurally, ethnically, socially and socio-economically. Montrose is our big, sloppy, lovable integrated, tolerant heart. If you want to say ‘I’m in the ____ part of the Montrose’, fine. Besides, Montrose always finds YOU, if you’re around it.” [devans, commenting on Comment of the Day: Name My Neighborhood]
HOUSTON VALET Valet parking makes sense in Downtown and Midtown where spaces are scarce, declares Katharine Shilcutt. But for restaurants with plenty of parking nearby, what’s the point? “Crave Sushi is an excellent case in point of a restaurant whose diners simply got fed up with forced valet parking and threatened to stop patronizing them. The owners had originally instituted valet as a means of thwarting Midtown clubgoers who were parking in their lot and then ambling off to Pub Fiction, leaving their Miata in Crave’s lot until 2 a.m. As honorable as their intentions were, however, guests at Crave didn’t appreciate having to pay extra for their meal (especially when Crave was still allowing the clubgoers to park in their lot, but for an additional $15). This week, however, the owners finally rescinded their forced valet following vociferous complaints. Instead, they’ve hired a parking lot manager who ensures that only Crave customers park in the lot. Not ones to eschew extra income, however, they still allow other Midtown patrons to park there for $10.” [Eating Our Words]
An update on recent comings and goings:
- Now Open: “A small group of cocktail freaks,” including former Beavers bartender Bobby Heugel, have at last opened the doors of Anvil Bar & Refuge on the Westheimer Curve. The location was originally a Bridgestone-Firestone tire shop, but was known more recently as the home of the Daiquiri Factory and Sliders.
- Closed: In advance of that new 25,000-sq.-ft. Spec’s opening up in the former Linens ’N Things in Weslayan Plaza, owner Christopher Massie decided to shut down Cepage Noir, his considerably smaller wine shop on Times Blvd. in the Rice Village.
More twists and turns:
Thank you for your concern, but the “The Pie is alive and strong,” reports Late Night Pie owner Mike Bell. Earlier this week, Katharine Shilcutt reported in the Houston Press‘s Eating Our Words blog that the pizza joint at 302 Tuam, in the eastern stretches of Montrose, had closed.
And indeed it had. But the Pie shall rise again — next week — Bell tells Swamplot:
Its been a rough couple weeks being closed but we are reopening on monday. The only major change is that we are adding a full liquor license and new selections of draft and bottle beer. Our wine list will also be new and improved. . . . Wait till everybody sees our new [custom] front door made by the nationally known artist Mik Miano. It’s awesome and will be installed this weekend for everybody to enjoy.
- Late Nite Pie Takes a Dirt Nap [Eating Our Words]
- The Late Late Night Pie [Swamplot]
Photos: Mike Bell
THE LATE LATE NIGHT PIE [Update, 3/20: Late Night Pie’s owner says the restaurant is reopening Monday.] Midtown fugitive Late Night Pie is no more, Katharine Shilcutt discovers: “The popular pizza joint moved to Tuam a year ago, after their original ice house/converted garage location a few blocks away on Elgin was purchased by a nightclub owner. The plans to open a nightclub fell through, and the building has now been converted into a pub/restaurant, Saint Dane’s. No information about the closure has been posted to Late Nite Pie’s website and calls to the restaurant have gone completely unanswered . . . The word on the street is that the owners ceased paying their rent, which certainly doesn’t come as a surprise in the current economic climate. Combine the restaurant’s expansion into a much larger space in a pricey area with the dwindling numbers of diners, and you have a recipe for failure.” [Eating Our Words]
A reader sends a couple photos of “what will soon no longer be a nice understated commercial building” at 315 W. Alabama, just south of the Westmoreland Historic District west of Midtown:
I watched the remodel work inside going on for a while and was a little shocked to see the brick facade receiving prep work to be refaced in stucco. You can see the nice bit of decorative garland in the process of being knocked off by the end of today.
The Brennan’s Restaurant building at 3300 Smith St. in Midtown — designed in 1930 by Houston architect John Staub — was originally the home of Houston’s Junior League. A fire during Hurricane Ike left it a brick shell. But now the owners say they’ll rebuild.
Alex Brennan-Martin — and the Brennan’s website — have said as much a number of times before. But today he announced it at a press conference with the mayor. An unspecified “80 percent” of the building will be restored. The new Brennan’s is expected to open in October, its old courtyard oak replaced with a free-range model imported from Hermann Park.
Also snuck into the press conference: the 2 new restaurants Brennan-Martin be opening with partners in the aptly named CityCentre, the Town & Country Mall replacement parked at the crotch of I-10 and the Beltway. Café Rosé and Bistro Alex should open inside the new Hotel Sorella there in July.
- Brennan’s of Houston to Re-emerge This Fall One Year After Hurricane Ike [Houston Downtown Alliance, via Swamplot inbox]
- Brennan’s to Reopen; 125 Jobs and One New Tree to be Added to Midtown [Eating Our Words]
- Brennan’s of Houston plans to reopen in October [Houston Chronicle]
- Brennan’s of Houston
Photo of Brennan’s after Hurricane Ike: Flickr users hannu & hannele
Midtown’s lone island of light-rail-lining nightlife will likely be expanding one block north, Jay Lee reports:
The folks who brought you The Continental Club, Sig’s Lagoon, Tacos-A-Go-Go and Shoeshine Charley’s Big Top Lounge are at it again. This time right next door @ 3600 Main.
The new owners of the long-vacant one-story building have discovered some Deco-ish detail underneath the more recent stucco.
If you squint just right and imagine it with some paint to bring out the original design you can just make out what a wonderful space this is going to be. There’s already plans for a coffee shop and a pizza/burger joint and if Pete [Gordon, manager of the Continental Club] has his way, a new club called “Wallpaperâ€â€¦
Ready to see some fun pix from around town? Here’s the guardhouse for the loading dock at the Igloo plant in Katy, as captured a while back by blogger Donna B.
A few more:
Attorney and possible mayoral candidate Ben Hall may have cost himself a few votes from the style police for his very public flirtation with purchasing State Rep. Hubert Vo’s languishing Rivercrest Megamansion last month. (Hall’s wife apparently vetoed it because it was “too big.”) But Hall’s working on a comeback, scoring glowing words from Fox26 reporter Isiah Carey after a visit yesterday to Hall’s law office — in a 1922 mansion at 530 Lovett Blvd. in Montrose:
It is by far one of the coolest legal offices I’ve seen in quite some time. It’s an old mansion that seems to be the centerpiece for the entire street. It is huge. Inside of the building is also super cool. You can tell the legal eagle took pride in decorating his offices. If worst comes to worst Hall could say this is his home and still run for Mayor of Houston.
- How Ya Living! [The Insite]
- A bizarre start for the mayor’s race [Houston Chronicle]
- Previously in Swamplot: Hall Says No Go to Vo Pad, From Vo’s Folly to Hall’s Hall: The Outsize Rivercrest Mansion for a Man Who Would Be Mayor?, More Vo Real Estate for Sale: Memorial Mansion with Multiples
Photo of 530 Lovett Blvd.: Isiah Carey
THE RICHMOND LIGHTS SHALL NOT BE MOVED Deputy director Emily Todd lists the “guiding principles” behind the Menil’s planned expansion for the Chronicle‘s Douglas Britt: “Just going down the list: environmentally sustainable design principles; no alteration to the original museum buildings or the Cy Twombly (Gallery); the Dan Flavin/Richmond Hall installation cannot be relocated. … The relationship between the Menil buildings to the Rothko (Chapel) and the Byanztine Chapel have to be taken into account – something that is so beautiful. The … scale, ambience and residential quality of the neighborhood is of paramount importance, which I think is sweet. Any new buildings in the immediate vicinity of the president buildings will be of the scale of the Cy Twombly Gallery. Significant trees will be preserved, and building on an outdoor environment that encourages visitors and especially families, which you see if you come over here on the weekends.” [Arts in Houston; previously in Swamplot]