Tag: Montrose

10/24/16 12:30pm

Riel Restaurant Trying To Get Real on Fairview in Former Te House of Tea

Montrose, Renovations, Restaurants, Retail, Vermont Commons

2 Comments

Riel Restaurant under construction at 1927 Fairview, Montrose, Houston, 77006

French-Canadian-Ukrainian-Texan fusion restaurant Riel is still being installed atÂ 1927 Fairview St., formerly home to Te House of Tea and Trudy’s Boutique Re Sale at the corner with Woodhead St. A reader snagged the shot above yesterday afternoon, showing the formerÂ mid-60’s retail strip dressed upÂ in green construction fencing and still sporting thatÂ above-it-all street number signage.Â Ex-Reef chefÂ Ryan Lachaine lastÂ saidÂ in September that the placeÂ should beÂ opening some timeÂ next month.

Chef Ryan Lachaineâ€™s Riel Will Blend Ukranian, French-Canadian And Texas FareÂ [Eater Houston]
Previously on Swamplot:Â What’s Brewing in the Former Te House of Tea in Hyde Park;Â McGowen Cleaners For Sale on Fairview Near Restaurant-Slated Former Te House of Tea;Â Te House of Tea on Fairview Closes Thursday, But You Can Still Buy a Piece of It This Weekend

Photo: Mosaic Clinic Dermatology

Fairview Preview

77006, Adaptive Reuse, Fairview, Montrose, Openings and Closings, Redevelopment, Restaurants, Retail, Vermont Commons

09/23/16 2:30pm

BJ’s Oldies Not Pulling Out of Westheimer at Park St., Just Shifting Around a Little

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BJ's Oldies Antiques, 1726 Westheimer Rd., Montrose, Houston, 77006

This morning a readerÂ spotted some cleaning out going on at the Westheimer Rd. storefront of BJ’s Oldies Antiques. The shop isn’t closing down, a rep tells Swamplot — just moving next door for a month or so (into the storefront spot formerly occupied by now-on-Taft-St. Cool Stuff)Â while some building repairs get finished up.Â The shop’sÂ current location —Â immediately east ofÂ Empire Cafe — is a metal rooster’s throw from whereÂ owner Becky Pieniadz ranÂ the business in the 1990s out of a section of the flea market at 1733 Westheimer (directly across the street from Empire). The shop moved down the street for a few years toÂ the building down the road at 1435 Westheimer (currently occupied by bedding store Biscuit) before downsizing backÂ to the 1700 block in 2013.

Photo: Carson LucarelliÂ

There and Back Again

77006, Antiques, Lower Westheimer, Montrose

09/22/16 10:30am

Lanier Middle School Ceremonially Changes Name to Lanier Middle School

Quicklink, Schools, Signage, Winlow Place

11 Comments

LANIER MIDDLE SCHOOL CEREMONIALLY CHANGES NAME TO LANIER MIDDLE SCHOOL Bob Lanier crest The Lanier-LanierÂ name changeÂ got the official seal of approvalÂ as of yesterday morningÂ by way ofÂ aÂ seal-updating and renaming ceremony at theÂ middle school’sÂ campus at Woodhead St. and Westheimer Rd. That previously threatened lawsuitÂ over the HISD’s plan to flush out Confederate sympathizersÂ from its campus name rosterÂ was in fact filed in late June by a group of parent-and-alumni-types; documentsÂ filed with the district clerk’s officeÂ show thatÂ a request by the plaintiffsÂ for a temporary injunction to stop the renamings from moving forwardÂ was denied by the judge on August 22nd. Lanier’s campus isÂ keeping all but its first name, swapping authorÂ Sydney for former Houston mayor Bob; the other 7 schools on the changeover list started the year with more dramatic shifts inÂ nomenclature. [HISD Blog; previously on Swamplot]Â Image of new Bob Lanier Middle School seal:Â HISD

77098, HISD, Montrose, Names, Winlow Place

09/19/16 11:30am

Price Grows Again on LBJ’s Montrose Crash Pad, Newly Planted with Fake Grass

Westmoreland, Westmoreland Historic District

5 Comments

435 Hawthorne St., Westmoreland Historic District, Montrose, Houston, 77006

The once-white house at 435 HawthorneÂ —Â whereÂ a young LBJ stayed rent-free with his Uncle George in his early 1930’s pre-politickin’ teacher daysÂ —Â is up for grabsÂ again.Â The 2-story 3-bedroom at the corner with Garrott St. (half a blockÂ east of Taft) is back on the market as of just underÂ 2 weeks ago for just underÂ $750,000.Â The Westmoreland Historic District home was sold back in 2012 for $266,000Â and change, and most recently went forÂ about $535,000 in 2013 (post flip-ready redo).

What’sÂ newÂ this time around? You can look for yourselfÂ at some of the new finishes in the click-and-drag 360-degree photo tour set up by the current sellers, including some rotate-in-place views inside what’s advertised as a use-it-or-rent-it garage apartment suite out back. The new sales site also notes that the back yardÂ has been redone with an easy-to-please spread of artificial lawn:

Westmoreland Historic District Modern Updates

77006, Historic Homes, Home Listings, Homes for Sale, Montrose, Westmoreland, Westmoreland Historic District

Commercial Real Estate

09/06/16 3:30pm

East Montrose Texas Junk Company Booted 2 Hours West

East Montrose

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Texas Junk Company at 215 Welch St., East Montrose, Houston, 77006

Texas Junk Company at 215 Welch St., East Montrose, Houston, 77006 The last of theÂ footwear kicking around at the Texas Junk Company’s curiosity-filledÂ warehouse at 215 Welch St. could be packed up and shipped out as soon as September 30.Â Per owner Bob Novotney’s telling on social media, the company was told last week to be out of the space by the end of the next month, though he’s hopingÂ to get that deadline pushed back to April; Novotney has already started moving goods to a new space planned at 121 N. Main St. in Moulton, TX (halfway between Shiner and Flatonia). The 1930s buildingÂ that’s been hosting Texas Junk sits immediately north of the field of townhomes rising on the former site ofÂ Ecclesia’s since-reincarnatedÂ church-plus-coffee-shop.

Is This the End for Texas Junk Company?Â [Houstonia]
Previously on Swamplot: On Taft St. Near Welch, Where a Utility Pole Canâ€™t Get Out of the Way Fast Enough

Photos: Texas Junk Company

Boots Scooting Out of Town

77006, Commercial Properties, East Montrose, Leasing, Montrose, Townhomes

08/24/16 10:30am

Montrose La Tapatia Returns from Month-Long Smoke Break

Montrose, Museum District, Richwood Place

2 Comments

La Tapatia, 1749 Richmond Ave., Montrose, Houston, 77098

The Richmond Ave branch of La Tapatia at the corner of Woodhead St. is back in operationÂ this week after the late summer toasting of its 1969 building, a few readers report. Up top is a shot of the July 22 response from the Houston Fire Department (whose Station 16 is located a convenient half-block away across Richmond at the corner with Dunlavy St.). That’sÂ Fairmont Museum DistrictÂ looking on worriedly from the background; theÂ poop-scrutinizingÂ Richwood Place apartment complex’s older half would have hadÂ a clear view of the action from theÂ western turret.Â

Photos: Marcie Newton (top), James Glassman (sign)

Where There’s Queso, There Was Fire

77098, Fires, Montrose, Openings and Closings, Restaurants, Richwood Place

Comments

08/22/16 5:15pm

Comment of the Day: Returning To Restore Montrose and Midtown’s Rightful Territories

Quicklink

8 Comments

COMMENT OF THE DAY: RETURNING TO RESTORE MONTROSE AND MIDTOWN’S RIGHTFUL TERRITORIES “I spent some time away from my beloved Houston. When I returned I found that ‘the Fourth Ward’ had been replaced with ‘NearTown’, and no one quite knew where Montrose was, let alone River Oaks. Please allow me to elucidate: the Fourth Ward ends at Taft; Montrose is precisely between Shepard and Taft, and Dallas and Richmond.Â ‘NearTown’ is a word invented by a half-drunk Realtor. It is that place on Allen Pkwy.Â directly underneath the I-45 overpass.Â ‘Midtown’ is the intersection of Main Street and Buffalo Bayou from which all house numbers in Houston radiate.” [Pat Bryan, commenting onÂ Raising Caneâ€™s Now Raising the Midtown Banner in Vermont Commons] Photo of Raising Caneâ€™s at 1902 Westheimer Rd.: Swamplot inbox

Comments, Fourth Ward, Midtown, Montrose, Names

08/19/16 4:15pm

Raising Cane’s Now Raising the Midtown Banner in Vermont Commons

Vermont Commons

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Raising Cane's, 1902 Westheimer Rd., Vermont Commons, Houston, TX 77098

Catty-corner toÂ the middle schoolÂ both formerly and henceforth to be knownÂ as Lanier, another spatÂ of place-name confusion is brewing: A reader notesÂ that the Raising Cane’sÂ (whose Vermont Commons branch sits on the corner of Hazard St. and Westheimer Rd.Â on the lot previously vacated by Martha Turner Properties)Â has been pledgingÂ its affections to Midtown. But is the message one of tribute or defection? “Do they think they’re in Midtown?” wonders the tipster. “Is there something else I’m not getting?”

Previously on Swamplot: Raising Cane’s Is Almost Ready To Grab the Corner of Hazard and Westheimer with Its Chicken Fingers;Â Raising Caneâ€™s Putting Its Chicken Fingers on Westheimer Again, This Time at Hazard; Corner of Hazard: The Fall of Martha Turner Properties

Photo of Raising Cane’s at 1902 Westheimer Rd.: Swamplot inbox

Midtown Creep

77006, Fast Food, Midtown, Montrose, Names, Restaurants, Vermont Commons

08/08/16 1:30pm

Honey Art Cafe Moving Into Former Shepherd Check Cashing Store, Looking for Some Cash

Montrose, Shepherd Curve

3 Comments

Honey Art Cafe space, 3516 S. Shepherd Dr., Montrose, Houston, 77098

Some yellow and white stripes have appeared recently at the northwest corner of Shepherd Dr. and Richmond Ave., just north of the similarly colored Subway signage. The upside-down Vs mark the spot where Honey Art Cafe is setting up shop in the former home of Ace Cash Express, next to Cigar Emporium in the retail strip bookended by Mattress Overstock and Accents By Phillipe. Longtime readers may be interested to note that the storefrontÂ is beingÂ painted up and built out by art duo Lulu Lin — which includes the same LuluÂ whose doodles and digital paintingsÂ often jazz up Swamplot’s Comments of the Day.

The pair is pulling their Houston Art Lessons business out of its River Oaks Shopping Center home toÂ expand both the size and scope of operations under the new name; on top of regularÂ classes, plans for the new spaceÂ include galleryÂ shows, artsy food and drinks, and meetups for creative types. The cafe is also looking for a leg upÂ from the local InternetÂ — the duo’sÂ Kickstarter campaign, which is offering sweets, art, and classes in tradeÂ for some help with buildout costs,Â is running from now through early September.

Sweetening Up S. Shepherd

77098, Montrose, Restaurants, Retail, Shepherd Curve

07/26/16 10:45am

Upscale Party Warehouse LIFE HTX by Lanier MS Now Labeled, Open To Your Interior Decorating Ideas

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LIFE HTX, 2512 Woodhead St., Montrose, Houston, 77019

An evening update on that wood-adorned metal structure at 2512 Woodhead St., behind The Upper Hand salon: all of the slats are in place along withÂ the LIFE HTX signage, andÂ the company appears to have hosted itsÂ first event in late May. The venue’s website says that the 4,000-sq.-ft. space can hold up to 250 people, though you’ll have to start hiring extra security guards if you tip pastÂ 100. The setup also allows renters to project the giant images of their choice onto the interior walls (or just hang things on them instead).

The space is across Woodhead from the Eagle Express Cleaners, the AZ Food Mart, andÂ Bravo Key & Lock, at the Shamrock gas station:

Marked Up in Montrose

77019, Event Spaces, Montrose, Venues

07/25/16 10:45am

Georges Bistro Back Open Again on Westheimer, This Time Without Georges

3 Comments

3rd incarnation of Georges Bistro, 219 Westheimer Rd., Lower Westheimer, Montrose, Houston

3rd incarnation of Georges Bistro, 219 Westheimer Rd., Lower Westheimer, Montrose, Houston Here’s the freshest shot out there of the house-turned-restaurant at 219 Westheimer Rd. between Mason and Helena streets, now open once again as Georges Bistro (but no longer under the management ofÂ Georges and Monique Guy, who previously opened and later reopened the spot with Georges-centric names.) After some months of shopping the place around, theÂ Guys closed the French cafe near the end of March to move back to France. The restaurant has since reopened with a hybrid Mediterranean menu, live music, and an upstairs hookah lounge.

Previously on Swamplot: Off-Menu Special at Georges Bistro on Westheimer: The Whole Shebang; Feasting on the Leftovers at Feast; Bad Places To Start a Restaurant in Houston: A List; Feast: Going Whole Hog on Lower Westheimer

Photos of Georges Bistro at 219 Westheimer Rd.: Swamplot inbox

Bon Voyage and Bienvenue

77006, Montrose, Openings and Closings, Restaurants

07/22/16 5:15pm

Former Montrose Berryhill Baja Grill Space To Reopen with New Peninsular Allegiances

Montrose, Restaurants

No Comments

Yucatan Taco Stand, 3407 Montrose Blvd, Houston, TX 77006

The strip-center position formerly held by Berryhill Baja Grill at the corner of Montrose Blvd. and Hawthorne St. is getting new signage this afternoon, a reader notes. The spot appears to be shifting from West Coast to Gulf Coast culinary traditions under the impending occupation of Yucatan Taco Stand. The chain, whose name (almost) maintains all the rhythm and rhyme of the last taco-wielding tenant, was started in Fort Worth by the late founder of Fuzzy’s Tacos, and already has a spot open in the Woodlands.

Here’sÂ a wider view of the scene, showing the restaurant in place next to Nails by TM and back-to-back with the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China:

Going Yucateca

77006, Montrose, Restaurants, Strip Centers

07/18/16 2:45pm

The Menil Drawing Institute’s Paper-to-Solid Transition

Menil, Menil Collection

5 Comments

Reader and mixed-media picture-makerÂ Bob Russell sends along an update to his previous shots of the site of theÂ Menil Drawing Institute, now preliminarily sketched into place in broad steel strokes. The framework shown at the topÂ appears to be outlining that western interior courtyard that showed up in Johnston Marklee’s previous renderings of the building, whichÂ is going upÂ where the now-level back third of the Richmont Square apartment complexÂ once stood.

The Menil says construction should wrap up some time next year. Here’s a few more angles on all the angles already in place:

Refining the Line Work

77006, Menil Collection, Menil Drawing Institute, Montrose, New Construction

07/18/16 1:15pm

Snooze Now Distributing Hair of the Dog from Former Interfaith Ministries Building on Montrose Blvd.

WAMM

3 Comments

3217 Montrose Blvd., WAMM, Houston, 77006

3217 Montrose Blvd., WAMM, Houston, 77006 Colorado breakfast restaurant and cocktail purveyor Snooze says its Houston grand opening is set for this Thursday at 6:30 AM in the redeveloped office building at 3217 Montrose Blvd. (which hosted Interfaith Ministries before the organizationÂ converted aÂ Midtown bank in 2013). TheÂ locationÂ is already quietly serving some ofÂ Montrose’s early risers (or late ragers) from itsÂ spot next to resale-by-mail used-clothing chain Crossroads.

The ground-floor space in the 2-story building is the first Houston outpost of Snooze, which has a few Austin spots already up and running. Corinthian Real Estate bought the property in 2014 after a bit of redevelopment work by Braun (as shown above) and moved into an upstairs office. Here’s what the space looked like before the pin-striped canopies and painted murals came down: