Sunday, June 30, 2013

The Home of Easy Credit (neon signage on facade of historic building)






Barringer Norton Co Tailors & Shirt Makers (historic signage)


Barringer  Norton Co sign on brick wall of two-floor
historic building adjoining the State National Building on Main Street
The Barringer Norton signage is visible on the North-facing wall
of smaller building  at 2nd floor level 
Archival newspaper ad of Barringer-Norton Co. Inc.
412 Main St. – Houston TX (built 1923; architect Alfred Finn)

Friday, June 28, 2013

Main at Preston




The New (old) Sam Houston Hotel after re-rebranding back to its original name (formerly Alden Hotel)

What until recently was Alden Hotel is now Sam Houston Hotel again, which is the original name that never disappeared from the side walls of the old red-brick building in the heart of Downtown Houston."The Sam" for short. And it's not just the hotel that's undergone a form of re-branding that also marks a return to the roots. 
The spruced-up modern look of the "new" Sam Houston Hotel (previously Alden)
There is a Sam Bar too, to toast the iconic founding father and take a sip in his honor.  


The Sam Bar with a couple of tables on the sidewalk

The red and black coloring scheme at the front entrance is nice, not to mention eye-catching, but the name sign on the corner is drab and neither inspiring (lot of buzz about Houston being inspired these days), nor evocative of times past. What would Sam think about the rectangular shingle with anything but historic lettering? 

Corner view of historic Sam Houston Hotel


Dome of Old Courthouse and architectural details on frieze (pics)







1910 Harris County Civil Courthouse after renovation (2013 pic)

Historic Church across Magnolia Hotel on Texas Ave







Londale Hotel


Londale Hotel across the street from Sam Houston Hotel


U.S. Customs House - historic federal building in Downtown Houston




Stowers Building - 820 Fannin Street at Walker


Stowers - Building name inscription at top of building 
Stowers Building slated for redevelopment - angled-up up of facade on Fannin Street
820 Fannin St Houston, TX 77002
View of Stowers Building from the East - Walker Street 
820 Fannin St Houston, TX 77002 Entrance with Canopy - Stowers Bldg
STOWERS BUILDING
Entrance - Street-level view 



Club Quarters (Texas State Hotel) Building on corner of Fannin and Rusk Street


Listed on the National Register of Historic Places

Table 7 Bistro with sidewalk seating
Club Quarters Valet Parking
720 Fannin Street. Houston, TX, 77002
Road construction work under way on Fannin at Rusk
in front of Club Quarters Hotel Building (June 2013)


The Magnolia on Texas Avenue






Sundance Cinemas at Bayou Place (Downtown movie theater)


Sundunce Cinema on Smith Street across Jones Plaza

Corner view of Movie Theatery at Bayou Place,
previously Angelika Film Center, now Sundance Cinemas

Downtown Houston Music Venues


Bayou Music Center at Bayou Place
Salsa and Latin Beats at the Downtown Acquarium


House of Blues
House of Blues - Caroline at Dallas (Houston Pavilions)
Jones Plaza and Jones Hall

Ballerina at Jesse Jones Hall - Houston Symphony Performance Venue