Last pics of the soon-to-be-gone Houston Chronicle Headquarters Building in Downtown Houston

Frontal view: Facade of Houston Chronicle Building with reflection
of the JPMorgan Chase Tower on the other side of Texas Street 

LONGTIME HOUSTON CHRONICLE HEADQUARTERS

BUILDING ON TEXAS STREET 

AWAITING THE ARRIVAL OF THE DEMO CREW 

Looking West on Texas Avenue: the doomed Houston Chronicle Bldg
with Lone Star Flag on lamp post waiving good-bye 

Houston Chronicle signage atop its main facade; 
with flagging Chase Tower flags in front 

The time has come for Houston's Top News building to topple 

The demolition site perimeter is already marked with orange barriers 

Signs of the approaching bitter-sweet orange show 

Historical interpretative poster on lamp post in front of  the Chronicle HQ's
 main entrance on Texas Avenue will soon be rendered history too 

Incipient demolition zone on the corner of Travis and Prairie 

View  on borrowed time from sidewalk at Jones Hall - Chase Tower on the right.

Vacant and Abandoned Houses as Art Objects - Walls as Canvas

Alabama Street East of intersection with Almeda Rd. (2015)
9/1/2015 UPDATE: This building, owned by HCC, was demolished in August 215 

Eyeful Art "Love you" mural on back wall of strip center on Midtown Superblock
that has since been demolished to make way for redevelopment

"Preservons la Creation" mural in Midtown (2014) 

Former Mango restaurant - East side on Taft,
corner of Westheimer (2014)

Myrtle B Fonteno Building - abandoned structure with urban wall art - Tuam Street facade

Muralized decommissioned building awaiting demolition
Tuam Street between Main and Fannin in Midtown 

Inspired spray can art

A different take on creation - The Old Man with Spraycan 

Hi-resolution photo of mural below

Houston Inspired Mural in Downtown Houston near Market Square Park 

Midtown Muralism - Urban Exterior Wall Art at doomed building on corner of Fannin and Elgin

Mural on wall of former Social Security Administration 

Office Building on corner of Elgin and Smith Street in Midtown

by Michael Savoie

Theme mural of Houston Zoo Gorilla Exhibit Opening 

Midtown District Emblem on Elgin .

Damian's Italian Restaurant nearby 

 Mural-covered wall of auto parts store 

on Crawford at Anita

across from Baldwin Park 

3000 Crawford St, Houston, TX 77004

West of Baldwin Park 

"Historic" Franklin Street Post Office Building at the end of its useful life (May 2015 photos)

 Built in 1962, the structure is now

considered "historic" and ready for demolition - the Houston way.

The property in prime location is to be sold for

re-development. 

Early Town of Houston Mural on doomed Houston Club Building - Cameron/JPMorgan Chase Park is already history

The Mural of Early Houston Themes on Houston Club Building is still in place as of February 2014, but Plaza/Park with the artistic enhancements has already fallen victim to construction activity 

as the site is being redeveloped for a big new high-rise project.

Park location at corner of Milam and Capital

The Building's address is 811 Rusk St Houston Texas 77002

 No more: Cameron/JPMorgan Chase Park with artistic rendering

 of Old City Hall on adjoining wall

Recreational spot near Chase Tower with seating, water fountains, and art

Vacant and Abandoned Downtown Houston Buildings, some doomed, some awaiting re-development and re-purposing

Old Office Tower at Fannin and Texas (facing demolition)

Texas Tower on Fannin at Texas Ave [demolished in 2014]

 

Vacant Savoy Hotel (slated for renovation in 2013)
1616 Main Street, Houston, TX 77002

Former Day's Inn Hotel (left) and Savoy Hotel (on the right)

Abandoned Sunset Coffee Building - Allen's Landing - Town of Houston

Historic Town of Houston Mural at Cameron-JPMorgan Chase Park

Mural with Old Town Houston themes by Suzanne E. Sellers

Cameron-JPMorgan Chase Park

Foley's Building and Garage prior to demolition (2013 photo)

The Houston Club Building - its days are numbered

Houston Club Building name removed from marble panels at Rusk Street entrance (June 2, 2013 photo)
SKANSKA sign identifies current owner of property who is planning to erect office tower on the site after demolition

Heavy construction equipment parked on South side of The Houston Club Building (6/2/2013)
Click hyperlink to see more pics of Houston Club Building

Café Adobe fades into history at 32 - Long live Tex-Mex!

Adios Café Adobe

Another fiesta is over. Café Adobe at Westheimer and Shepherd is now closed. Like the Montrose Fiesta store a few blocks to the East, the property will see redevelopment as multi-story residential project following demolition. The way things go in Houston.

The architecture of the double-decker patio venue was rather unique; not to mention the coloring scheme and illumination at night. It even offered rain-or-shine patio brunching or dining in a courtyard with a water fountain in the middle and glass roof aloft; winding staircase to the cantina on the second floor. Worthy of land-mark status, and no doubt the object of many fond and cheery memories for at least two generations of innerloopers.

Moving truck at back entrance to Adobe Cafe

It’s not the only Mexican restaurant fading into Margarita-infused memories of good times had. Aztecas on the corner of Richmond and Greenbriar has folded too, following the earlier demise of Maggie Ritas, whose effort  to spice things up at Ninfa’s on Richmond at Kirby were all too lamentably to no avail. Iconic patio restaurant Bocados on West Alabama near The Menil just went out with a bang too; in a fitting gesture on Cinco de Mayo. Taco Milagro on the corner of Westheimer and Kirby is next. It’s days are numbered.

Aztecas Restaurant on corner of Richmond and Greenbriar closed

Maggie Rita's was short-lived in former Ninfa's location on Kirby Drive

Bocados on West Alabama (before closing)

Patio at Taco Milagro on Westheimer at Kirby

Not that the neighborhood is on the way downhill. Much rather, it looks like rising land values and rents are squeezing the moderately-priced Tex-Mexes out of the market. There are big construction projects under way all around.

So what’s still there on the Mex and Tex-Mex culinary front?  A Lupe Tortillas on the SW Freeway feeder between Greenbriar and Kirby; Little Pappasitos on Richmond next Indian Restaurant Khyber; Ruchis on the SW corner of Shepherd and West Alabama; La Tapatia and Selma Maria on Richmond. And then there is Chuy’s near where Taco Milagro is calling it quits; although its display of Elvis-paraphernalia and other such stuff put its Tex-Mex credential somewhat in doubt. And then there are a couple of burrito joints: Mission Burritos on West Alabama and FreeBirds on Greenbriar across from the Post Office. 

Seems like there is room in the market for a new Tex-Mex startup; to cater to those loath to navigate down Lower Westheimer to the El Real to crunch chips loaded with salsa in a former movie theater, not to mention driving all the way to EaDo to honor the memory of Mama Ninfa’s in her original establishment, which now features a large patio with outdoor bar, or the new El Tiempo Cantina next to it, which was opened earlier this year by a descendant of the iconic Mexican matron that got Houstonians of all ancestries – Hispanic or otherwise -- hooked on fajitas.