Long-time Houstonians might like this. On Boxing Day, for no particular reason, I decided to visit what is left of Westbury Square in southwest Houston. I posted some photos on Facebook, in case you're interested:
https://www.facebook.com/george.webb.319...618&type=1
Good stuff. Mind if I share it with the Westbury HS alum group (class of '78 here)?
These are great! So sad to see what has happened to that place. I loved shopping at the Pier 1 there when I was at Rice. My dad was working on his Phd at Rice when it opened. I remember window shopping with my parents, sniffing all the candles at the candle shop and picking out old-time stick candy at another store.
Location, location, location, I guess. That area took a big hit demographically in the mid-'80s crash.
If you have never seen this blog before it is very good from a 1963 graduate of Westbury. Very interesting to those who grew up in Houston in the 50's-70's and particular those of us who grew up in the general Westbury area.
http://www.tanasreminisce.com/index.html
(12-29-2014 01:58 PM)loki_the_bubba Wrote: [ -> ]Good stuff. Mind if I share it with the Westbury HS alum group (class of '78 here)?
Sure!
If you want the original photos (which are higher resolution than the Facebook versions), let me know and I can send them by email. (Reply by PM if you prefer)
(12-29-2014 02:53 PM)Tiki Owl Wrote: [ -> ]If you have never seen this blog before it is very good from a 1963 graduate of Westbury. Very interesting to those who grew up in Houston in the 50's-70's and particular those of us who grew up in the general Westbury area.
http://www.tanasreminisce.com/index.html
I'd heard of the Main Street monorail, but I'd not seen pics before! Thanks!
(12-29-2014 06:38 PM)Caelligh Wrote: [ -> ] (12-29-2014 02:53 PM)Tiki Owl Wrote: [ -> ]If you have never seen this blog before it is very good from a 1963 graduate of Westbury. Very interesting to those who grew up in Houston in the 50's-70's and particular those of us who grew up in the general Westbury area.
http://www.tanasreminisce.com/index.html
I'd heard of the Main Street monorail, but I'd not seen pics before! Thanks!
It created quite a bit of interest and riding it was a little magical.
(12-29-2014 01:09 PM)georgewebb Wrote: [ -> ]Long-time Houstonians might like this. On Boxing Day, for no particular reason, I decided to visit what is left of Westbury Square in southwest Houston. I posted some photos on Facebook, in case you're interested:
https://www.facebook.com/george.webb.319...618&type=1
I hadn't heard of this place before. It's sad that places like what Westbury Square seems to have been are trendy to emulate nowadays, yet the originals are too often being replaced with Home Depots and other generica.
A mall manager once told me that the life cycle of a mall is about 15 years. If the mall doesn't reinvent itself in that span, it likely dies.
When Westbury Square first opened there was a pretty good Italian restaurant called Mario's which my Dad really liked. Unfortunately they committed the sin many restaurants do and they expanded and the quality went down and so did the restaurant.
I'm sorry but those photos are really sad. Just remembering what used to be.
(12-29-2014 03:06 PM)georgewebb Wrote: [ -> ] (12-29-2014 01:58 PM)loki_the_bubba Wrote: [ -> ]Good stuff. Mind if I share it with the Westbury HS alum group (class of '78 here)?
Sure!
If you want the original photos (which are higher resolution than the Facebook versions), let me know and I can send them by email. (Reply by PM if you prefer)
Can you see all the nice things people are saying, or is it a closed group?
https://www.facebook.com/groups/westbury.early.alumni/
I shared this album with my friends on FB, one of whom commented that he lives very close by, and his HOA has been trying to pressure the owner to sell for years. He believes it is now up for sale, and the HOA polled residents as to what they would like to see in that commercial spot. The overwhelming response was an H.E.B.
I joined that Facebook group since I am Westbury Class of 1971. It is is a closed group but I think the same pictures are posted here anyway. It has been many years since Westbury Square has been destroyed so I have seen before in person.
The way I think of Westbury Square starts at the original side of it (east now used by Home Depot. Starting at the Bellfort end was a restaurant I remember featured carved roast beef and cheddar cheese blocks. Further along was a party supply place I think was called the Gay Dot. Then there was the candle place. Next a men's store called Cromwell which mostly sold coat and tie type clothes. At the corner was a bookstore that sold mostly serious books and not that much of popular books. Across the walkway was Rumpleheimer's which sold hamburgers and other things but more expensive and better than the fast food chains. After going to the west side of the center was Cargo Houston with imported furniture and other stuff. Later, Tuesday Morning took over that space. Near there was a pre-school named the Little Red Schoolhouse. Along the west walkway was a place selling Dutch items including chocolates. Near the archway on the Bellfort was where Wilderness Equipment (a camping equipment store) started in 1971. Past the archway in a large building was a pizza place. There were apartments on the second stories of building along the west walkway. There was not much to see on the Bellfort side since that was where the service entrance was for the businesses. I wish I remembered more about the businesses in between those but they changed often and they were independents since there were no chain stores in the Square. Most of the items sold in the Square not things needed everyday.
I had walked around the square many times since it was an interesting place to look around and it was a teenager cruising ground on weekend nights when I was in high school. The strip centers in the area were not part of Westbury Square proper.
(12-30-2014 11:13 AM)loki_the_bubba Wrote: [ -> ] (12-29-2014 03:06 PM)georgewebb Wrote: [ -> ] (12-29-2014 01:58 PM)loki_the_bubba Wrote: [ -> ]Good stuff. Mind if I share it with the Westbury HS alum group (class of '78 here)?
Sure!
If you want the original photos (which are higher resolution than the Facebook versions), let me know and I can send them by email. (Reply by PM if you prefer)
Can you see all the nice things people are saying, or is it a closed group?
https://www.facebook.com/groups/westbury.early.alumni/
(12-31-2014 07:15 PM)75src Wrote: [ -> ]I joined that Facebook group since I am Westbury Class of 1971. It is is a closed group but I think the same pictures are posted here anyway. It has been many years since Westbury Square has been destroyed so I have seen before in person.
The way I think of Westbury Square starts at the original side of it (east now used by Home Depot. Starting at the Bellfort end was a restaurant I remember featured carved roast beef and cheddar cheese blocks. Further along was a party supply place I think was called the Gay Dot. Then there was the candle place. Next a men's store called Cromwell which mostly sold coat and tie type clothes. At the corner was a bookstore that sold mostly serious books and not that much of popular books. Across the walkway was Rumpleheimer's which sold hamburgers and other things but more expensive and better than the fast food chains. After going to the west side of the center was Cargo Houston with imported furniture and other stuff. Later, Tuesday Morning took over that space. Near there was a pre-school named the Little Red Schoolhouse. Along the west walkway was a place selling Dutch items including chocolates. Near the archway on the Bellfort was where Wilderness Equipment (a camping equipment store) started in 1971. Past the archway in a large building was a pizza place. There were apartments on the second stories of building along the west walkway. There was not much to see on the Bellfort side since that was where the service entrance was for the businesses. I wish I remembered more about the businesses in between those but they changed often and they were independents since there were no chain stores in the Square. Most of the items sold in the Square not things needed everyday.
I had walked around the square many times since it was an interesting place to look around and it was a teenager cruising ground on weekend nights when I was in high school. The strip centers in the area were not part of Westbury Square proper.
(12-30-2014 11:13 AM)loki_the_bubba Wrote: [ -> ] (12-29-2014 03:06 PM)georgewebb Wrote: [ -> ] (12-29-2014 01:58 PM)loki_the_bubba Wrote: [ -> ]Good stuff. Mind if I share it with the Westbury HS alum group (class of '78 here)?
Sure!
If you want the original photos (which are higher resolution than the Facebook versions), let me know and I can send them by email. (Reply by PM if you prefer)
Can you see all the nice things people are saying, or is it a closed group?
https://www.facebook.com/groups/westbury.early.alumni/
https://www.google.com/search?q=westbury...d=0CCcQsAQ
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westbury_Square
https://www.facebook.com/westburysquare
(12-31-2014 07:15 PM)75src Wrote: [ -> ]Cargo Houston with imported furniture and other stuff.
I worked at Cargo Houston for a while in '67. IIRC, the owner/manager was a Rice grad.