Tag: Lower Westheimer

12/28/10 12:30pm

A First Glimpse of Uchi in Houston: Leasing Lower Westheimer Retail by the Piece

Lower Westheimer, Montrose, Proposed Developments, Restaurants, Retail

13 Comments

Here’s a first look at the not-so-distant future of Lower Westheimer, just a block east of Montrose, where sushi chef Tyson Cole and the owners of Austin’s Uchi and Uchiko restaurants plan to open a first Houston venture. The new Houston Uchi won’t be taking over the whole corner. The neighboring spaces will instead be available Ã la carte: The new owners are picturing as many as 3 separate businesses (one with a second floor and rooftop deck) leasing the 4,700-sq.-ft. building that used to house Caffe Den and PrivÃ© at 908 Westheimer. Also available, around the corner on Grant St.: a little 714-sq.-ft. structure with the address of 904B Westheimer. It’ll share restrooms with Uchi, which will be taking over the former Felix Mexican Restaurant space on the corner, at 904A. The left side of the Grant St. rendering above is the only view we’ve seen so far that shows any part of Uchi itself, but it contains a few clues about how Austin architect Michael Hsu (creator of the original Uchi on South Lamar as well as Houston’s Sushi Raku in Midtown) plans to transform a vintage Tex-Mex classic into something sushi-worthy. It looks like at least a few of those arched windows will stay:

77006, Leasing, Lower Westheimer, Montrose, Proposed Developments, Restaurants, Retail

Cinco Ranch

10/14/10 4:46pm

Seen on the Street: Restaurant Bites

Lower Westheimer, Public Art, Restaurants

3 Comments

A few pix from around town, in our occasional photo feature: First, a reader sends in this view of the curious paint job now in progress on the original Ruggles Grill on Lower Westheimer.

Next, we discover the just-opened new home of I-10 refugee Las Alamedas, on the simulated Main Street of Katy’s LaCenterra shopping center in Cinco Ranch:

77006, 77494, Cinco Ranch, Graffiti, Lower Westheimer, Painting, Restaurants

Lower Westheimer

09/17/10 1:56pm

Who Wants Numbers Now?

Montrose, Nightlife, Quicklink, Restaurants

21 Comments

WHO WANTS NUMBERS NOW? The Press‘s Katharine Shilcutt passes on the latest: “And in perhaps the strangest news this year, rumblings are coming from reliable sources that Numbers (314 Westheimer) — recently put up for lease — is being eyed by the Pappas family. Yes, that Pappas family. But wait — it gets weirder. The rumors also indicate that they plan to open either a chicken and rice or shrimp and rice joint in the spot where so many … unsavory … activities have taken place over the years. If the rumors prove to be true, would you eat at Numbers’ Chicken & Rice?” [Eating Our Words; previously on Swamplot]

77006, Bars and Clubs, Lower Westheimer, Montrose, Nightlife, Restaurants

09/14/10 1:38pm

Is Numbers’ Number Up? “Former Nightclub” Available for Lease

Lower Westheimer, Montrose, Nightlife

59 Comments

“Montrosians are freaking out,” writes SL, one of several readers lighting up Swamplot’s tip line with reports that the building housing Numbers has been listed for lease. A flyer making the rounds from Davis Commercial, identifying the property at 314 Westheimer as the “Former ‘Numbers’ Nightclub,” says the 9,000-sq.-ft. building, which comes with its very own 23,088-sq.-ft. “parking field,” is available at a rate of $18 per gross sq. ft. The flyer shows photos of the DJ booth and main dance floor, but doesn’t mention any allowance for buildout.

But uh . . . Numbers hasn’t announced it’s shutting down. Even the ever-polite Nancy Sarnoff is unable to parse the apparent paradox:

the operator of the 32-year-old iconic music venue says it’s not closing. And the property owner says Numbers isn’t being kicked out. . . .

Davis Commercial’s Mark Davis, the broker hired to market the space, says the owner would like to “retenant” the building if he can find the right operator.

SL notes: “They have a several upcoming shows and events still on the calendar so it might be a case of staying open til the very last minute.”

314 Westheimer Former “NUMBERS” Night Club (PDF) [Davis Commercial]
Iconic Montrose club building for lease [Prime Property]

Photo: Swamplot inbox

77006, Bars and Clubs, Leasing, Lower Westheimer, Montrose, Nightlife

Buying and Selling

06/21/10 3:14pm

Comment of the Day: The Uchi Houston Parking Plan

Comments, Commercial Real Estate, Lower Westheimer, Montrose, Openings and Closings, Parking, Quicklink, Restaurants

1 Comment

COMMENT OF THE DAY: THE UCHI HOUSTON PARKING PLAN “They have the whole 40,000 sf under contract, which includes the Prive building and the 12,000 sf lot across the street. The Prive building probably wont be leased to a bar or restaurant, thus freeing up more parking for the peak hours.” [Adam Brackman, commenting on Montrose Uchi To Be an Uchi; No Plans To Crush Felix]

77006, Buying and Selling, Comments, Commercial Real Estate, Lower Westheimer, Openings and Closings, Parking, Restaurants

Buying and Selling

06/17/10 8:53am

Montrose Uchi To Be an Uchi; No Plans To Crush Felix

Lower Westheimer, Montrose, Openings and Closings, Proposed Developments, Restaurants

20 Comments

Austin sushi dude Tyson Cole is planning to name the new restaurant he’s eyeing for the longtime location of Felix Mexican Restaurant at Westheimer and Grant “Uchi” — just like his Austin original. The new owners “do not intend” to tear down the building (if they did, current development regulations might make it difficult to rebuild so close to the street). Cole’s publicist confirms to Swamplot that Austin restaurant designer Michael Hsu “will be involved” in the project, but notes that the sale of the building hasn’t been finalized. The restaurant wouldn’t open until late 2011.

77006, Buying and Selling, Lower Westheimer, Montrose, Openings and Closings, Proposed Developments, Restaurants

Demolitions

06/15/10 2:56pm

Lost Felix, Discovered Sushi: Austin’s Uchi Coming to Montrose

Lower Westheimer, Montrose, Openings and Closings, Proposed Developments, Restaurants

23 Comments

In other Montrose Tex-Mex news, MyTable reports that the building on the corner of Westheimer and Grant that for 60 years housed Felix Mexican Restaurant is likely toast. Famous white-guy sushi chef Tyson Cole and the owners of his standout Austin restaurant, Uchi, have bought the building and are planning a new restaurant in that location. The structure will “probably be torn down,” MyTable reports. Both Uchi on South Lamar and Cole’s about-to-open restaurant on North Lamar, called Uchiko, were designed by Austin’s Michael Hsu Design Office. Hsu’s best-known work in Houston: Sushi Raku in Midtown.

Late Update: Not so fast with the Felix building obits, please.

Heard on the Street [My Table SideDish]
Tyson Cole [Uchi]
Brett Anderson on Sushi’s Great White Hope [Oxford American]
Uchiko on the horizon [Austin360]
Previously on Swamplot: Goodbye, Felix, A Look at the New Midtown Restaurant in the Mix

Photo: Debra Jane Seltzer

77006, Demolitions, Lower Westheimer, Montrose, Openings and Closings, Proposed Developments, Restaurants

Comments

05/03/10 3:50pm

Comment of the Day: The Tower Theatre, Back To the Future

Leasing, Lower Westheimer, Montrose, Quicklink

3 Comments

COMMENT OF THE DAY: THE TOWER THEATRE, BACK TO THE FUTURE “But if we donâ€™t get the sign from 1955 to 1985 before the lightning storm, Annise Parker will never be born!” [Evan7257, commenting on The Tower Theatre Puts No Name in Lights] Photo: Swampot inbox

77006, Comments, Leasing, Lower Westheimer, Mayor Parker, Montrose, Movie-Theaters

05/03/10 10:45am

Look Out Bello: What Could Possibly Take the Place of La Strada?

Lower Westheimer, Openings and Closings, Restaurants

7 Comments

The new wrapper on what used to be a For Lease sign in front of the former La Strada restaurant building at the corner of Westheimer and Taft mentions lunch and dinner, but not brunch. The name of the new tenant: Caffe Bello.

Previously on Swamplot: Arrivederci, La Strada

Photo: Swamplot inbox

77006, Leasing, Lower Westheimer, Openings and Closings, Restaurants

05/03/10 10:01am

The Tower Theatre Puts No Name in Lights

Lower Westheimer, Montrose, Renovations

4 Comments

A reader reports on the newest bright spot on Lower Westheimer:

My photo isn’t terribly good, but it will at least give you an idea of what they’re up to with the new marquee.Â Half of the upper neon is working and the marquee is completely operational.Â Even without everything functioning, it already puts the River Oaks to shame. It’s still not going to be as outrageous as the original setup with the taller spire and even more neon, but it’s a step in the right direction.

Previously on Swamplot: Drive-By and Walk-By Reports on the Tower Theatreâ€™s New Headliner, Whatâ€™s Playing at the Tower Theatre?, and Going Attractions: Hollywood Video Gives Up on the Tower Theatre

Photo: Swamplot inbox

77006, Leasing, Lower Westheimer, Montrose, Movie-Theaters, Outdoor Lighting, Renovations

Briargrove

12/07/09 9:05am

Openings and Closings: Lost Outpost of the Space Cowboys

CityCentre, Dearborn Place, Deer Park, Johnson Space Center, Lower Westheimer, Montrose, Nightlife, Openings and Closings, Restaurants, Retail, Sugar Land, Town and Country Village, Webster, West University

No Comments

A quick roundup:

Closing in January: NASA hangout the Outpost Tavern, an army barracks building turned spacesuit-and-bikini-festooned party site, down NASA Rd. 1 from the Johnson Space Center at 18113 Kings Lynn St. Memorialized in the appropriately named Clint Eastwood “one last time for the has-been astronauts” flick Space Cowboys, the bar and burger joint had to be partially rebuilt in early 2005 after a short in a neon sign caused a small fire. Second-generation owner Stephanie Foster reports the property has been sold to new owners who “plan to build something new on the site, perhaps a service station or shopping center.” Fans of the Outpost Tavern’s many good ol’ days will drown their sorrows on-site in a 3-day-long goodbye-party bash, January 8-10.
Closed, Just a Month After Opening: The new 7,000-sq.-ft. prototype Bailey Banks & Biddle store in CityCentre. The new owners of the former Zales mall mainstay declared bankruptcy in August, but went ahead with the store’s planned move from its old location across the street at Town & Country Village anyway. Other local Triple Bs didn’t get the grand-opening treatment before going dark: “The Galleria and Willowbrook Mall locations are in liquidation, while The Woodlands Mall store and the new CityCentre location are expected to go dark on Dec. 24 following liquidation sales, according to store employees.”
Open Only for One Last Big Sale: Brian Stringer Antiques, strung along West Alabama just east of Shepherd in a few separate buildings for the last 40 or so years. Stringer and his wife will retire to their turreted 14th century chateau — a former fortified hospital built by monks for victims of a mysterious skin disease — in the French countryside between Bordeaux and Gers. But lucky us, they’ll stick around Houston long enough to sell the majority of their stock of European antiques, reproductions, and fabrics at 40 percent off, Joni Webb reports: “The French house is so charming â€“ you really feel like youâ€™re in the South of France, except for Houstonâ€™s traffic out the front window!” When you’re done shopping there, Webb commands:

be sure to also stop in at Ginger Barberâ€™s Sitting Room which is next door. Further up the street is Tara Shaw and Heather Bowen Antiques. Continue up W. Alabama to Antiques and Interiors on Dunlavy, Boxwood and The Country Gentleman, then hit up Foxglove and Alcon Lighting.

If you havenâ€™t passed out from exhaustion yet, turn around and head back to Brian Stringerâ€™s and go the other way on W. Alabama. Stop at Jane Mooreâ€™s, then at Ferndale, go to Brown, Bill Gardner, Made in France, and Objects Lost and Found. Back on W. Alabama, continue on to Thompson and Hansen, The Gray Door, Chateau Domingue, Indulge on Saint Street, and 2620 on Joanel.

More openings and closings:

Attractions

11/17/09 2:46pm

The Block Party’s Over

Lower Westheimer, Streets

18 Comments

Organizer (and Free Press Houston editor) Omar Afra calls it:

This will be the last Westheimer Block Party. However, the next one will be the return of the Westheimer Street Festival. It may take 2 months or it may take 2 years but this festival has outgrown our singular capacity. There can only be a return of the Westheimer Street Festival. The streets must be shut down, the city must get behind the event, and I can no longer personally foot the bill. Our staff can no longer handle the capacity of the growing festival and squeezing all of these people into the same block is becoming hazardous. The streets must be shut down. We have an on camera commitment from Annise Parker, that if elected, she will support street closure if we can find financing for necessary portopotties, police, and clean up. She even shook my hand on it. But we need the community involved. So whoever is elected, we are asking for a big community turnout at the first city council open session the new mayor presides over. We need 500+ people to swamp city hall and show city officials that there is indeed a large constituency that supports arts and music. We will let you know when this transpires but we NEED your support. We love this community so much and want to see WestFest grow but it cannot in it’s current form. We will be forming a non-profit to meet this challenge which will be made up of only Jedi’s who have an unyielding love for arts and music. It is time to take BIG steps and we will do whatever it takes to shut down the streets. . . .

The Last Westheimer Block Party [Free Press Houston]

Photo of Behind Buildings performing at last weekend’s Westheimer Block Party: Ramon Medina [license]

77006, Attractions, Lower Westheimer, Streetlife, Streets

Lower Westheimer

09/14/09 12:10pm

Sweet and Fruity Afterlife of the Montrose Taco Cabana

Montrose, Openings and Closings, Restaurants, Retail

13 Comments

A reader snaps this photo of the former pink Taco Cabana drive-thru at the corner of Montrose and Westheimer, “now painted white w red stripes at the bottom” — and asks if we know what’s going in there. Fortunately, another reader has the answer:

77006, Fast Food, Lower Westheimer, Montrose, Openings and Closings, Restaurants, Retail

Avondale

08/31/09 2:18pm

Brushed Away: Lower Westheimer Lot Clearance