St. Germain on Main at Capital

Historic building on corner of Main Street and Capitol

with lofts and retail/restaurant space at street level.

Formerly Kress Store Building

The Capitol Restaurant closed in 2013 and the space is posted for lease
(January 2014)

The Capitol at St. Germain was a restaurant and bar at the historic Kress Building in Downtown Houston on the corner of Capitol Street and Main that closed in 2013. It is up for releasing in early 2014. The Flying Saucer is still operating there, with entrance and small patio/sidewalk seating on Main. The street-level space of the 8-story structure once housed the S. H. Kress & Co. Store. Today the building features lofts ranging in size from 600 to 2000 square feet in additional to retail space at street level. It is architecturally significant because of its terracotta facade, which is said to be unique in Houston. There are namesakes of the Kress Building in San Antonio and Fort Worth.

Terra-cotta facade building in Downtown Houston - Capitol at Main

The magnificent facade of the Kress Building will soon 

by obscured by the new Hines Tower that

will soon emerge on the corner of Main and Texas

(July 2014 pics)

OLDER PHOTO BELOW:

Kress Building - North side facade

Sweeney Clock (1908) in small park at the Theater District

Sweeney Clock (1908)

This old post clock with Roman numerals can be admired in a small square/green space between the North end of the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts and Bayou Place (formerly Albert Thomas Convention Hall).The metal column holding this historic clock sits on a base built with red bricks that were reclaimed when the pavement of Navigation Boulevard was torn up and the road resurfaced. The Sweeney clock had lingered in storage and was eventually saved from being disposed of as junk and installed at the current location in 1968. It got its name from the Jewelry Store on the Corner of Main and Prairie where it one stood. 

Across the street from it (which is currently having light rail tracks installed) is another historic site: the former location of a court house and jail with an old oak still flourishing that reportedly served as a "hanging tree" for execution of prisoners. There are few other traces of history remaining in this location, leaving aside the historical markers. The Western part of Bayou Place behind the sprawling tree (partially visible in the photo below) now serves as office space. 

Historical Marker at Sweeney Clock Triangle (Rusk and Capitol at Bagby)

Sweeney Post Clock at the Hobby Center (Jan 2013 pic) 

Capitol Street Bridge over Buffalo Bayou

Capitol Street Bridge over Buffalo Bayou - Looking East

SoftLayer's Houston presence on the banks of Buffalo Bayou in the Theater District

SOFTLAYER signage (The Planet prior to 2010 merger with Dallas-based SoftLayer)
on wall of former Albert Convention Center facing West

Bayou Place Offices - Directory of Tenants including Softlayer and Merrill Corporation

SoftLayer cloud data storage and management company facility on the left at Bayou Place Office Complex -
View across Buffalo Bayou

Bayou Place Office Leasing - 315 Congress St Downtown Houston location

Corporations with on-site presence: Merrill Corporation, SoftLayer, 

Bayou Place Offices (vacancy sign), Chase Tower, BofA Center (reddish), 

Bob Casey federal courthouse (bottom right)

Bayou Place (south-facing facade) with Lyric Center Office Tower and Wortham Theatre Center in the background

Sunny's Bar

Sunny's 902 Capitol St Houston, TX 77002

Historic Incarnate Word Academy Building (1905) Nicholas Clayton building

1905 Incarnate Word Academy Building next to Annunciation Catholic Church

Incarnate Word Academy
Nicholas Clayton Building

609 Crawford St

Houston, TX 77002

Incarnate Word Academy (Catholic Girl's Preparatory School)
with Inn at the Ballpark Hotel (now renamed) and Great SW Buildings behind it

From Ziggys to Brown Bag - Succession on corner of Capitol and Main Street Corridor (updated with new photo)

Ziggys and Brown Bag Deli signage on Main St. corner

Brown Bag Deli finds new Downtown home at former location of Ziggys Downtown on corner of Main Street and Capitol. 

Corner view of Downtown Brown Bag location on Main (early 2014 photo)

Brown Bag had to close its shop at the Houston Club Building, which is scheduled to be taken down by new owner Skanska, to make way for a new development on the block South of the JPMorgan Chase Tower.

Street closure for road work on Capitol at Main

As of February, the streets in the area are torn up in connection with the rail extension project

Closed Brown Bag Deli location at Houston Club Building with heavy equipment in front

Cameron JPMorgan Chase Park with Mural depicting historic cityscape

Cameron Chase Park with mural depicting Historic Downtown Houston Architecture

Seating area at water wall and paintings on wall
Mural on wall of Houston Club Building in background

Cameron/JPMorgan Chase Park - Private Park (or rather plaza)
at Houston Club Building at Milam Street

Brown Bag Deli's Moves

Feb 25, 2013 UPDATE: Brown Bag Deli has relocated to Main Street - the spot previously occupied by Ziggy's Downtown across from the Flying Saucer. Heavy equipment is already in place at Houston Club Building, which is scheduled to be demolished.

The impending demolition of the Houston Club Building also means the end of the brown bag lunches at the Deli there. 

Brown Bag Deli shop at doomed Houston Club Building - Capitol Street (Sep 2012 photo)

But it's not the only brown-bag lunch spot in town. A second brown bag deli joined the one on Westheimer and Shepherd not too far away: In the Upper Kirby district in the shopping center North of Richmond Ave in which Office Depot is the anchor tenant. The retail space was previously occupied by a Spicy Pickle sub and sandwich shop.

Brown Bag Deli shop in Upper Kirby

 

Location in NE corner of Kirby Drive and Richmond

Brown Bag store location on Westheimer East of intersection with Shepherd Drive

Brown Bag Deli signage on store location at The Houston Club Building (Panoramio pic)