Category Archives: Elsewhere in Houston

When last we looked at the Robinson Warehouse, it was pretty much gone, with little more than one short wall and some debris remaining. I’d have thought by now that the little wall would quickly follow into oblivion, but not … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Great news. The city of Houston formally agreed Monday to purchase and preserve the West 11th Street Park, a 20-acre wooded enclave in northwest Houston coveted by developers, but the park may lose as much as a fourth of its … Continue reading → Continue reading →

This is very clever. Leaders of one of Houston’s oldest neighborhoods, developed long before cars, paved roads or utility poles became part of the urban landscape, are using 21st century technology in their struggle to preserve a dwindling number of … Continue reading → Continue reading →

You’ve probably noticed the temporary open spaces on Kirby between Alabama and Westheimer, where a number of buildings including the old Page Parkes building, the Fire and Ice restaurant that was once the Hard Rock Cafe, and Jalapeno’s Restaurant, have … Continue reading → Continue reading →

And more or less on the timeline I envisioned, there she goes: I’d driven by on Tuesday and seen that the top story on the remaining building section was gone, so I knew it’s be basically gone by the end … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Houston: Better than most in disaster preparedness. “I’d give us probably a solid B if I was grading us, and we’re working towards the ultimate A+,” [Harris County Judge Robert] Eckels said. So far, Harris County has achieved interoperability with … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Via Houstonist, the troubles with trash in Buffalo Bayou. Pieces of plastic bags cling to tree branches, soda cans slosh against the banks and plastic water bottles move swiftly downstream. The garbage haunts the $15 million Sabine-to-Bagby Promenade that was … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Today is December 31, and a piece of the Robinson Warehouse is still standing, but the end is clearly in sight. I’ll be surprised if there’s anything but debris to be picked up and carted off in a week’s time. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I knew I had officially entered Old Fogeyhood a couple of years ago when I realized I didn’t really care if I stayed up to usher in the New Year. As such, I was completely unaware of last year’s new … Continue reading → Continue reading →

It was a beautiful day after Christmas yesterday, and as you can see the work on the Robinson Warehouse is continuing. I don’t know how much time they deliberately took off, or how much they might have lost to inclement … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I usually start these posts with a long-view perspective of the whole demolition, but I thought this time I’d show a closer view, where you can see more of the basement. I got right up to the edge of the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Tory writes about Galveston’s image problems and the effects on its tourist industry. He branches off from there into a discussion on how to make it easier to be a tourist in Houston and take advantage of the stuff outside … Continue reading → Continue reading →

OK, who besides me saw today’s front page story about St. George Place and said something like “Huh, I had no idea that there was anything called ‘zoning’ anywhere in Houston”? The neighborhood is home to the first of Houston’s … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Various members of Houston’s theater scene will perform in a benefit concert for the employees of The Great Caruso, who were put out of work by the fire last weekend. The concert is at 7 p.m. Monday at Zilkha Hall, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

And the Robinson Warehouse beat goes on… Much more progress since Monday. I’ve got more pix than usual this time, so click on for more. Continue reading →

This is interesting. If you’re looking for a Kleenex on the Rice University campus in the near future, you’ll be out of luck. Students at the highly rated university in Houston have convinced campus officials to quit buying Kleenex products … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I drove past the Robinson Warehouse on Tuesday to see if the debris from the front facade demolition had been cleaned up. It had, mostly, but I couldn’t find any parking nearby – the little service road for Allen Parkway … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Folks who once performed at The Great Caruso mourn its loss. Although the building in the 10000 block of Westheimer is now little more than twisted metal and fire-blackened concrete, some members of the city’s theater community said the Great … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Like Houstonist, I’ve never been to The Great Caruso dinner theater. It’s right next to the hotel formerly known as the Adam’s Mark, at which I’ve played bridge many times, so even though I’d never patronized the place, it felt … Continue reading → Continue reading →

After taking these pictures last Monday, I was unable to get back to the Robinson Warehouse at all this week. As you’ll see, there’s been quite a bit of progress in the demolition since then. But before I get to … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I had noticed that there was no negative reaction to the Houston/Woodlands non-annexation deal in yesterday’s story. Today we get some. Two local lawmakers, though, said they expect to give the deal a close look before backing enabling legislation. “From … Continue reading → Continue reading →

You know that Kirby Drive Storm Sewer Relief Project that is slowly making its way north like an invading army? Via Houstonist, I see that it will have an aesthetic component to it as well. Prominent Texas-star inlays at eight … Continue reading → Continue reading →

So the Woodlands may not become part of Houston after all. Voters in The Woodlands could decide as early as next year whether to take the first steps toward self-government under a deal that also would remove the possibility of … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Once again Lights in the Heights is upon us. Houstonist has a summary, while the Chron has all you need to know. “This year we are doing it a little differently, running from 6-10 p.m.,” said Sharon Greiff, who co-chairs … Continue reading → Continue reading →

As you can see, the sliding floor has slid. With that, the action has moved around back, to the south end of the warehouse. Click on for more. Continue reading →

Via Saint Arnold Goes To Austin, this amusing description of Houston geography from USA Today: Located in downtown Houston, this highly regarded beermaker is named after the seventh-century French Catholic bishop who admonished his flock that suds were safer than … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The Robinson Warehouse demolition just keeps rolling along. Since Wednesday, the main feature here is the imminent destruction of that third floor area, which thanks to the removal of the second floor appears to be sliding forward into the pit … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Since I last blogged about the West 11th Street Park, they have taken an important step forward in their quest to preserve the place: The City of Houston has agreed to put up $4 million towards its purchase. The Houston … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Well, the weather permitted but my schedule didn’t, so the next chance I had to take a picture of the Robinson Warehouse demolition was yesterday. They’ve clearly made a lot of progress, and at first glance I thought my initial … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The Baytown Sun has an article on Houston’s smog problem, with more details from GHASP’s Sabrina Strawn about why the TCEQ’s response is so lame. Sabrina Stawn, executive director of the Galveston-Houston Association for Smog Prevention, bemoaned the SIP revisions. … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Didn’t manage to get to this yesterday: We’re not officially down to two finalists for the city WiFi contract, but we’re close enough to tell who’s leading. San Francisco-based EarthLink Municipal Networks, run by one of the nation’s largest high-speed … Continue reading → Continue reading →

From yesterday’s Chron: Houston still can’t get its air clean enough to satisfy federal requirements. The greater Houston area will remain too smoggy to comply with federal clean air standards by a 2010 deadline, Texas officials say. This almost certainly … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The Robinson Warehouse demolition is proceeding apace. I’ve decided to try and document its progress, since I drive past it so often. Beware of doing that on a weekend, however – all but one of the southbound lanes of Montrose … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The old Robinson Warehouse, at the corner of Montrose and Allen Parkway, is facing the wrecking ball. The Aga Khan Foundation purchased just over 11 acres at the corner of Montrose and Allen Parkway to build a Muslim Ismaili center. … Continue reading → Continue reading →