The West Houston Archives
Discover the history of West Houston from its many roads
STATE HIGHWAY 6/ ADDICKS-SATSUMA RD.
State Highway 6 (abbreviated as SH-6 or known locally at Highway 6) is a major corridor that traverses the West side of the Greater Houston area. It officially begins at the northern border of Texas, and makes its way south to the LaMarque area where it merges with Old Galveston Highway. The highway comes through Houston via the 290 corridor, turning south at FM 1960 and heading towards Addicks. Many Houstonians consider FM 1960 and SH-6 to be the same road, because they connect seamlessly at the US-290 intersection, but they are actually two separate roads. Everything northeast of 290 is FM 1960, and everything south of 290 is designated State Highway 6.
Most of SH-6 that we travel on today between 290 and Sugarland was built in the mid through late 1960's, when the Highway was re-established. Prior to that, the SH-6 corridor consisted of two smaller roads, Addicks-Satsuma, and Addicks-Howell. Addicks-Howell ran south of I-10 (then US Highway 90), and Addicks-Satsuma ran north of US Highway 90 into the Addicks Reservoir & Bear Creek area, coming to an end at FM 529. The road was originally paved with crushed oyster shell, and was later paved as a two-lane asphalt roadway during the mid 20th century. Before the construction of Addicks Reservoir in the 1940's, Addicks-Satsuma was like any other two lane country road in the area. There were some homes and farms dotting the roadsides, but not much else.
After the reservoir was created, Addicks-Satsuma became prone to flooding, and was no longer a viable route for SH-6 in its present condition. During the re-establishment of the highway, this was corrected by creating an elevated viaduct through the Addicks Reservoir to US Highway 90 (present day I-10).
What do I mean by re-establishment? Basically, re-establishment is referring to when a rural road is upgraded, widened, and sometimes re-routed from the original road in order to redefine itself as a major roadway. In the mid 20th century, a lot of so-called "highways" were nothing more than older rural roads that had been designated as an official route between two given points. In this case, Addicks Satsuma and Addicks-Howell were once considered part of the SH-6 route, but were still older, inadequate roadways that needed improvement. The re-established SH-6 was a much more direct alignment, avoiding some of the hooks and offsets in the old roads. This is why we have some portions of the old roads still in existence today.
On my Abandoned & Realigned roads page, you will see a chapter that details South Mayde Creek bridge, which is one of the traces left behind of the original Addicks-Satsuma Rd. Today the bridge is nothing more than a pair of segments that sit on the west side of SH-6, about 10 feet below the present highway, but it was once part of the original alignment until the mid 1960's. It was a bend in the road that was not included in the new plan.
Another sign can be found at the intersection of Patterson Road. The parking lot for the cemetery and nearby walking trail is actually pavement from the original Addicks-Satsuma alignment. This was another small bend in the original road that was not included in the new plan. The biggest sign of all is the big leg of Addicks-Satsuma that still exists today, running behind all the businesses in Bear Creek and up to FM 529. That entire road is a surviving portion of the original road that was bypassed by the new highway plan, which ran directly north to Hempstead Rd. (now 290) instead of making a bunch of hooks and turns. This too is featured in my Abandoned & Realigned Roads page for Addicks-Satsuma.
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COPPERFIELD
Above photo: Facing north along State Highway 6 (SH-6) in Copperfield, with Carrabba's Italian on the bottom right corner, Oct. 2013.
Above photo: One of the few surviving original entrance signs for Copperfield's first three sections, located at Ridge Park Dr. (May 2012)
In 1981, Copperfield was still brand spanking new. All the neighborhood streets were bright white concrete, all the trees were tiny saplings being held in place with guide wires, and there was not much in the way of commercial development along Highway 6 at the time. Most of the functioning businesses were south of FM 529 in the slightly older Bear Creek neighborhoods like Glencairn. There were a few early businesses in the area, but they didn't really start appearing until around 1984.
Highway 6 had been widened from two lanes to four by 1981, but it was still black asphalt, with wide shoulders on both sides of the road. There were not many traffic signals in the corridor at the time. Between US 290 and FM 529, there were only a few, and most of them were green light-yield signals. Traffic had not become the nightmare it is today, and vehicle accidents in the area were few and far between.
We will visit the Highway 6 corridor through the Copperfield area, starting at US 290, and working our way south to FM 529, and then further south into the Bear Creek area, all the way to the Katy Freeway intersection.
SOME AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS FROM OCTOBER 2013
Oct 2013 036.jpg : Facing north along State Highway 6 where it meets the Northwest Freeway
Oct 2013 037.jpg : Facing south along State Highway 6 from FM 529, with Target shopping center on right.
Oct 2013 038.jpg : Highway 6 running through Copperfield (Labay Jr. High on upper left)
Oct 2013 039.jpg : Middlegate section of Copperfield, facing east over Horsepen Creek and Highway 6.
Oct 2013 041.jpg : Copperfield Kroger shopping center and Easton Commons, West Rd. & Highway 6 (before the exterior remodeling).
Oct 2013 044.jpg : Aerial view of West Rd. & Jackrabbit Rd. near Hanover townhomes.
Oct 2013 045.jpg : Copperfield Kroger shopping center, facing north (note Veneto Italian and Mike's Ultimate Bar)
Oct 2013 048.jpg : Copperfield McDonald's and Fuddruckers restaurants on Highway 6.
Oct 2013 049.jpg : Facing north along the Copperfield segment of Highway 6 (Longenbaugh Dr. at bottom of photo)
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US 290 TO WEST RD.
(Above photo: The US 290 interchange with SH-6/FM 1960, May 2016.)
State Highway 6 begins on the northern end at US 290, running primarily south through the Copperfield and Bear Creek areas of West Houston. One of the first features along the road is an overpass, constructed in 1998 to bypass the troublesome railroad crossing at the intersection of Hempstead Rd. Until the overpass was constructed, Hempstead Rd. was an ordinary traffic signal stop, like any other intersection in the area, complete with a railroad crossing that proved no problem during the 1980's. But as the population increased in the area, this intersection became a major congestion problem for those wishing to access 290, or cross beneath it onto FM 1960. The solution was an overpass bridge, which would not only overshoot the railroad crossing, but also eliminate the busy intersection at Hempstead Rd.
Album 01 Pic 01.jpg : The SH-6 overpass at Hempstead Rd., facing northeast towards US 290, Aug. 2007. This was long before the intersection was renovated.
Album 01 Pic 04.jpg : IHOP Restaurant on southwest corner of SH-6 and US 290. (March 2009).
Apr 2013a 085.jpg : IHOP Restaurant (April 2013)
Apr 2013a 084.jpg : Chipotle Mexican Grill on southwest corner of SH-6 and US 290 (April 2013)
Album 01 Pic 32.jpg : Hacienda Las Rosas, a Tex-Mex restaurant that later re-opened as Mamacita's in 2012.
Album 01 Pic 28.jpg : Another view of Hacienda Las Rosas from the rear. (July 2011)
Album 01 Pic 31.jpg : Chuy's Mexican Restaurant, next to the former Hacienda Las Rosas. (July 2011)
Album 01 Pic 30.jpg : A photo looking towards 290 from the balcony of the Best Western Inn on Hempstead Rd., (July 2011).
Sep 2014a 001.jpg : This is the new location for Harris County Smokehouse, on the opposite side of SH-6 from the old location (Sept. 2014).
Jul 2013a 003.jpg : Charred ruins of the Comfort Suites, which burned down in July 2013 before construction finished. The hotel was later rebuilt and opened in late 2014.
Jul 2013a 004.jpg : Another photo of the hotel fire aftermath, July 2013.
Jul 2013a 005.jpg : Another photo of the hotel fire aftermath, July 2013.
Jul 2013a 006.jpg : Another photo of the hotel fire aftermath, July 2013.
Jul 2013a 007.jpg : The hotel fire was so intense that it charred one side of this palm tree at the Best Western next door.
Jun 2014a 090.JPG : The Comfort Suites under construction for the second time, June 2014.
Apr 2013a 083.jpg : A shot of the 290 freeway overpass at SH-6 in April 2013 before construction modifications began on the U-turn lanes.
Album 01 Pic 05.jpg : Northwest corner of SH-6 and US 290 in 2009. The LaQuinta Inn opened during the 1980's, paired with a Kettle Restaurant that lasted until the late 1990's.
Album 01 Pic 06.jpg : Harris County Smokehouse, formerly a "Kettle" 24-hour diner. (March 2009). The restaurant relocated across SH-6 in early 2015, and this original building was demolished in November 2015.
Feb 2012 087.jpg : This building at the northwest corner of SH-6 and Hempstead Rd., which is now a public storage facility, originally started as a Grandy's Restaurant, which served southern style fried chicken. Grandy's closed in the mid 1990's. The white building in the back of the photo was originally Academy Sporting Goods.
Album 01 Pic 09.jpg : The storage building directly behind the former Grandy's was once a hardware store known as Builder's Square during the 1980's.
Feb 2012 086.jpg : Henry Hudson's Pub, which used to be a Pizza Inn, shown here in Feb of 2012.
Dec 2014a 054.JPG : SH-6, facing north towards 290 from the Jackrabbit Rd. intersection, Dec. 2014.
Album 01 Pic 10.jpg : A rare night photo of the SH-6 overpass at 290, taken in late 2006 from the 290 overpass, looking southeast towards IHOP & Texas Roadhouse.
HH2 004.jpg : A view of the SH-6 overpass from Hempstead Rd., Feb. 2011. Before 1998, this overpass did not exist, and this was the first traffic signal on SH-6 south of 290.
Feb 2012 091.jpg : West End Roofing, at the corner of SH-6 and Hempstead Rd., has been operating here since around 1981, and even has an offshoot of railroad track running through the property, although the tracks no longer appear to be in use. (Feb. 2012)
Album 01 Pic 12.jpg : Looking south along SH-6 from the overpass at Hempstead Rd. (Mar. 2009)
Album 01 Pic 13.jpg : Intown Extended Stay Suites, just south of the Hempstead overpass. (Mar. 2009)
Album 01 Pic 14.jpg : Shell station (formerly Texaco), northeast corner of SH-6 and Huffmeister Rd. (Mar. 2009)
Album 01 Pic 37.JPG : Kolache Factory, northeast corner of SH-6 and Pebble Lake Dr., Sep. 2010. This corner space started out as a convenience store known as "Stop 'N In Food Store".
Album 01 Pic 16.jpg : Mike's Ultimate Sports Bar, northeast corner of SH-6 and Pebble Lake Dr., Sep. 2008. Mike's was one of the first bars opened in the Copperfield area, and it remained in business until June 2015.
Nov 2015a 013.JPG : A photo of Mike's Ultimate after it closed, Nov. 2015.
Nov 2015a 014.JPG : Peeking inside the windows of Mike's, now stripped of all its interior including the central bar.
Nov 2015a 015.JPG : Peeking inside.
Nov 2015a 016.JPG : Peeking inside.
COVENTRY SQUARE
Directly behind Mike's Ultimate Sports Bar is an older apartment community known as Coventry Square, which was established along Easton Commons Dr. around 1980. The theme was colonial, and the apartments even featured a landmark clock tower, which stood on the grass median of Easton Commons Drive, approximately four-stories high. The tower featured four bullhorn speakers that would emit a loud "bell toll" sound every hour, which could be heard for about a mile in any direction. Unfortunately, as the apartments aged, the speakers failed and were never repaired. The clock tower was destroyed in November 2005 when a thunderstorm toppled it onto the road below.
Because the associated apartments had been handed down time and again to various management companies, the clock tower, which sat outside the property gates, wasn't on the priority radar for their budget. The decision was made at some point not to reconstruct the fallen tower. Today, the only thing colonial about the Coventry Square apartments is the name on the sign.
Nov 2005 002.jpg : The Coventry Square clock tower on the night it fell in November 2005.
Nov 2005 004.jpg : The clock tower on the morning after the fall.
Nov 2005 006.jpg : The clock tower on the morning after the fall, apartments in background.
Nov 2005 007.jpg : A closer look at the clock face (plexiglass), and the bullhorn speakers.
Nov 2015a 012.JPG : The same view along Easton Commons Dr. as "Nov2005 004", taken in November 2015, ten years later.
Scan0009_0009.jpg : A Feb. 1984 aerial photo of Copperfield facing west, with West Road on the left, and Forest Trails on the right. SH-6 runs left to right across the center of the photo. The Coventry Square apartments and clock tower are barely visible on the far right of the photo.
The northeast corner of SH-6 and West Rd. was first constructed in late 1984 and early 1985. The shopping center featured a Kroger grocery store, Eckerd Drug, Loews Movie Theaters, Amalia's Mexican Restaurant, a liquor store, and a video rental outlet known as Showtime Video. The original red brick exterior theme was remodeled in 2014.
Album 01 Pic 17.jpg : This corner space was the location of Amalia's Mexican Restaurant, which opened in 1985 and closed during the mid 2000's. It later opened as Bonsai Fusion Japanese Steakhouse, shown here in Sep. 2008.
Feb 2012 093.jpg : Veneto Italian Restaurant, which was originally Willie's Dockside Cafe. (Feb. 2012). Veneto closed their doors permanently on Nov. 19, 2014.
Some Indoor Photos of Veneto during their final week of operation, Nov. 2014
Mar 2015a 002.jpg : Veneto, in March 2015 prior to being renovated. The entire building exterior was stripped off, keeping only the skeleton to be reused in the next venture, a Smash Burger.
Mar 2015a 003.jpg : Veneto, being dismantled (March 2015).
Mar 2015a 004.jpg : Veneto, being dismantled (March 2015).
Jul 2015a 001.jpg : The Veneto building being reconstructed to form a larger structure, (July 2015).
Feb 2012 094.jpg: Yank Sing II, a Chinese buffet restaurant that closed around 2009. (Feb. 2012)
Album 01 Pic 19.jpg : This corner space was the location of Showtime Video rental, which operated until the early 1990's. Afterwards, it became a Mens Wearhouse clothing outlet, and now sits unused in this Sep. 2008 photo.
Album 01 Pic 26.JPG : Houston Discount Liquor, and Kroger, opened in 1985. (Sep. 2010)
Album 01 Pic 20.jpg : This March 2009 photo shows Kroger, and next door is Courtyard Salons, which began in 1985 as Eckerd Drug. Eckerd operated throughout the late 1990's and closed in the early 2000's.
Album 01 Pic 22.JPG : Originally, this Studio Movie Grill began in 1985 as Loews Theaters. The first movie I saw here was "Flight of the Navigator" in 1986. The Studio Movie Grill remodeled in early 2014.
Album 01 Pic 18.jpg : This space was once T.J.'s Hamburgers around 1988, but has had several other occupants since then. This 2008 photo shows it as "Thai Time", and as of 2011 it became La Placita Mexican Restaurant.
Album 01 Pic 27.JPG : Copperfield Whataburger, northeast corner of SH-6 and West Rd. (Sep. 2010) This Whataburger is a newer establishment, built around 2001.
Album 01 Pic 23.jpg : Looking south along SH-6 at West Rd., (Aug. 2007). Highway 6 was being repaved at this time. The center medians were not added until early 2015.
Album 02 Pic 99.JPG : The northwest corner of SH-6 and West Rd., featuring a Super K Food Mart (formerly Stop N Go), Your Best Cleaners, Top Donuts, and The Rooster Chinese Restaurant. The Rooster is one of the original restaurants from the early days of Copperfield that managed to hang on for thirty years. The venture was later sold. The shopping center itself was built around 1983. (Photo Oct. 2010)
May 2016a 005.jpg : Aerial photo of SH-6 at Huffmeister, May 2016.
INTERESTING FACT:
The architecture of the shopping centers on both the northwest and southwest corners of SH-6 and West Rd. are identical. It includes white brickwork, with green banding where the business names are displayed, and a tinted plexiglass awning covering the walkway between the stores. This is the original 1980's design, and if you travel south along Highway 6 to Longenbaugh Dr., you will find a similar shopping center and a free-standing bank with identical architecture (where M&M Food Market is).
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WEST RD. TO LONGENBAUGH DR.
(Above photo: Intersection of SH-6 and West Rd., May 2016. Centered in the photo is the Middlegate section of Copperfield)
This particular segment of SH-6 is the original heart of Copperfield, home to the first three sections of the community, known as Middlegate, Southdown, and Northmead. Later during the 1980's, more sections soon followed, such as Easton Commons, which began development in 1984. This is the only area of the SH-6 corridor in which I have photos dating back to the early 1980's, which came from my family's personal album.
OLD AERIAL PHOTOS OF COPPERFIELD
Scan0009_0009.jpg : An aerial photograph from Feb. 1984 showing the SH-6 corridor (moving left to right in the center of the photo). The road on the left is West Rd., and the road on the right is Forest Trails Dr., with the Middlegate section centered in the photo.
Scan0010_0010.jpg : This aerial photograph from Feb. 1984 shows Middlegate, with Labay Jr. High School under construction on the upper right of the photo near Horsepen Creek. The original Copperfield Racquet & Health Club, which burned to the ground shortly after this photo was taken, can be seen on the opposite side of Horsepen Creek along SH-6.
Scan0011_0011.jpg : Another photograph of Middlegate with Labay Jr. High under construction near Horsepen Creek. Easton Commons had just begun development on the far side of SH-6.
Scan0012_0012.jpg : An aerial photograph of Middlegate in Feb. 1984 near the intersection of Forest Trails Dr., facing west. SH-6 is in the bottom of the photo, and the grassy field on the lower right would eventually become Walgreens.
OLD GROUND PHOTOS OF COPPERFIELD (COMPARED WITH MODERN DAY PHOTOS)
Scan0001_0001.jpg : The Copperfield sign at SH-6 and Willow River Dr., Sep. 1981.
Album 02 Pic 25.jpg : The Copperfield sign at SH-6 and Willow River Dr., Mar. 2005.
Scan0002_0002.jpg : Looking west on Willow River Dr. from SH-6, Sep. 1981.
Album 02 Pic 24.jpg : Looking west on Willow River Dr. from SH-6, Mar. 2005.
Scan0006_0006.jpg : Town Creek Dr. @ Forest Trails, Sep. 1981.
Album 02 Pic 79.jpg : Town Creek Dr. @ Forest Trails, Mar. 2005.
Scan0007_0007.jpg : Town Creek Dr. looking south towards Labay Jr. High, Sep. 1981.
Album 02 Pic 78.jpg : Town Creek Dr. looking south towards Labay Jr. High, Mar. 2005.
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Album 02 Pic 01.jpg : Sweet Mesquite, a Tex-Mex restaurant that opened in April of 1984 at the southwest corner of SH-6 and West Rd. Sweet Mesquite was well liked among Copperfield residents, and remained in business until 2008. They featured a jukebox full of oldies music, a small arcade, and gave free ice cream cones to children who finished their meal. This photo was taken in early 2005 when the restaurant was still in business.
Album 02 Pic 03.jpg : Sweet Mesquite, no longer open (2009). Their other location on Dairy Ashford Rd. just south of Briar Forest remains open as of 2012.
Album 02 Pic 07.JPG : Shell gas station at the southwest corner of SH-6 and West Rd. This station was originally a "Mobil" station, built during the 1980's.
Album 02 Pic 08.JPG : Carl's Jr., opened in early 2011, shown here under construction in late 2010.
Jul 2012 153.jpg : Copperfield Wendy's and Firestone Auto Repair shop. (July 2012)
Album 02 Pic 06.JPG : Copperfield Sears Hardware, opened early 1990's. (Sep. 2010)
Album 02 Pic 11.JPG : Wendy's, on the southeast corner of SH-6 and West Rd., Oct. 2010. This was the original building, which was renovated in 2015.
Album 02 Pic 21.jpg : Looking north along SH-6 approaching West Rd. (July 2009)
Album 02 Pic 12.jpg : Fazoli's, next door to Wendy's. (Mar. 2009) Fazoli's has since closed.
Album 02 Pic 16.jpg : Fazoli's dining area. (Mar. 2009)
Album 02 Pic 17.jpg : Fazoli's dining area (Mar. 2009)
Album 02 Pic 18.jpg : Fazoli's dining area (Mar. 2009)
Album 02 Pic 23.jpg : Laser Car Wash, a self service facility that opened in the early 2000's, and has since been demolished, at least the main part of it. (Feb. 2012)
Album 02 Pic 26.jpg : Laser Car Wash- the vandalized wash tunnel which was torn down. A dental office was built in its place later on. (Feb. 2012)
Album 02 Pic 29.jpg : Wings 'N More, next door to the Laser Car Wash. Feb. 2012. This popular restaurant originally opened in 1994 as Ponderosa Steakhouse, and was the first structure to be built on the southeast side of SH-6 and West Rd. It later became Meatball's Italian Restaurant, then stuck with Wings 'N More.
Album 02 Pic 32.jpg : Walgreens, northeast corner of SH-6 and Forest Trails. (July 2009)
Album 02 Pic 36.jpg : Intersection of SH-6 and Willow River Dr. (Mar. 2005)
Album 02 Pic 45.JPG : St. Cuthbert's Episcopal Church at SH-6 and Willow River, built 1980.
HERITAGE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
Album 02 Pic 33.jpg : Heritage Presbyterian Church, a historic chapel that was originally constructed in 1916 at another location, and later moved here in 1980 when Copperfield was first developed.
Album 02 Pic 34.JPG : A closer view of Heritage Presbyterian Church. (Oct. 2010)
Album 02 Pic 35.jpg : The Historical marker for Heritage Presbyterian Church.
Album 02 Pic 46.jpg : Cy-Fair VFD Station #9, which was constructed in 1985 to serve the Copperfield area. After a fire destroyed the original Copperfield Racquet & Health Club, the need for a closer fire station was realized. (Mar. 2005)
Album 02 Pic 47.jpg : A rear-view of the Cy-Fair VFD Station #9. (July 2009)
Album 02 Pic 50.JPG : SH-6 bridge crossing over Horsepen Creek near Longenbaugh Dr.
Album 02 Pic 52.JPG : A photo of the Copperfield Professional Buildings at SH-6 and Longenbaugh after a fire in 2010. This is the second time fire has damaged the plaza, the first one occurring in 1994.
Album 02 Pic 54.jpg : Burger King, northeast corner of SH-6 and Longenbaugh. (Aug. 2007). This Burger King was constructed in 1988, and remodeled in Spring of 2012.
Album 02 Pic 59.JPG : Horsepen Creek, which runs through the middle of Copperfield, shown here in 2011, viewed from Pine Falls Dr. The creek was manmade around 1980 when the neighborhood was being constructed.
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LONGENBAUGH DR. TO FM 529
(Above photo: The Southdown section of Copperfield along SH-6 near FM 529, May 2016)
Album 03 Pic 02.jpg : This bank building, also on the same southwest corner, has been around since the early 1980's. The architecture of the structures on this corner are identical to those on the southwest corner of SH-6 and West Rd., using the beige bricks, green paneling, and curved plexiglass skylights over the walkways. Photo from March 2009.
Album 03 Pic 04.jpg : Another photo of the same parking lot, March 2009.
Album 03 Pic 05.jpg : A supplement to the above photo, this one shows the restaurant on the corner of the lot currently operating as Romero's Las Brazas, March 2009. Previously, the space was occupied by Spotz Eatery, an American themed restaurant that served comfort foods like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on white bread.
Album 03 Pic 07.jpg : March 2009 photo of the Longenbaugh/SH-6 intersection. Originally, Longenbaugh came to an end at SH-6 until the mid 1980's, then the road was extended east of SH-6, and named Cherry Park Dr. I am not sure why the name Longenbaugh did not continue, because the road is on the same latitude, but that's how things went down.
Album 03 Pic 09.jpg : Cherry Park Automotive, a repair shop on Cherry Park Drive just east of SH-6. The shop was built between 1991 and 1993 as "Mobile Car Care", a shop that proudly offered shuttle service to customers needing repair work. The company later changed their name to America's Service Station, and operated until around 2002/2003. Cherry Park Automotive later took over operations at this shop.
Album 03 Pic 10.jpg : This shopping center on Cherry Park Drive (behind Burger King) was constructed during the mid 1980's, about the time Cherry Park Drive was cut through to FM 529. It is home to several long term tenants such as The Wrap & Mail Room, & Pennison's Sports Pub Too. This space, operating as "Tuesday Morning" in this 2009 photo, was once Goodie's Billiard's & Games, a billiards hall and bar that was a local hangout for high school kids during the 1990's. It was known for being an easy place to obtain cigarettes without an ID. It was open as recently as 1997, and closed sometime thereafter.
Album 03 Pic 12.jpg : This Montessori School on Cherry Park near FM 529 was opened during the late 1980's, when they obtained this shuttle van that some of you Copperfield residents may remember seeing in traffic. I know I saw it broke down several times. This 2009 photo shows it parked out in their back lot, covered in graffiti.
Album 03 Pic 17.JPG : Carrabba's Italian Restaurant on SH-6 near Ridge Park Dr., Oct. 2010.
Album 03 Pic 19.JPG : Carrabba's, Oct. 2010.
Album 03 Pic 13.jpg : Intersection of SH-6 and Ridge Park Dr., March 2005. The Taco Bell was built during the early 1990's. They later added a Pizza Hut personal pan pizza menu, but dropped it in the late 2000's.
Album 03 Pic 14.jpg : The Taco Bell and its next door neighbor, Texaco Xpress Lube, built in 1996. I worked for this Texaco lube shop in 2001 & 2002, and used to get free sodas all day long from Taco Bell.
Album 03 Pic 15.JPG : Blue Water Car Wash, next door to Texaco Xpress Lube along SH-6, October 2010.
Album 03 Pic 16.JPG : Blue Water Car Wash, October 2010.
Album 03 Pic 20.jpg : Copperfield Car Wash, a little further south along SH-6 near Sugar Ridge Dr. The car wash was built in late 1995 and opened in early 1996.
Album 03 Pic 27.jpg : Copperfield McDonald's, originally opened in 1986, shown here in late March 2009 after being completely rebuilt from the ground up. See photos below for pictures of the original restaurant, which I was lucky to have stashed away in my collection.
Album 03 Pic 21.jpg : Copperfield McDonald's, Aug. 2007
Album 03 Pic 22.jpg : Copperfield McDonald's indoor playground/drive thru area.
Album 03 Pic 23.jpg : Copperfield McDonald's drive thru windows.
Album 03 Pic 24.jpg : Copperfield McDonald's original dining room look, angle 1.
Album 03 Pic 25.jpg : Copperfield McDonald's original dining room look., angle 2.
Album 03 Pic 26.jpg : Copperfield McDonald's original floor tile pattern.
Album 03 Pic 28.jpg : Copperfield Fuddruckers, built in the mid 1990's, shown here in 2007.
Album 03 Pic 29.jpg : Copperfield Boston Market, built in the mid 1990's, shown here in 2009.
Album 03 Pic 30.jpg : Willie's Ice House, July 30, 2011. This restaurant opened in the later 1990's, but before it, this was the original location of Copperfield Applebee's Restaurant. It was a red brick building that opened up sometime around 1992/1993, and later closed down entirely. The new location at 290 did not open until the mid 2000's.
THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF SH-6 & FM 529
Album 03 Pic 31.jpg : The shopping center on the northeast corner of SH-6 and FM 529, March 2005. The Best Buy and Petsmart on the left took over the space previously held by Wal Mart. This was the location of Copperfield's first Wal Mart, before they were all supercenters. Wal Mart moved out in the mid 2000's, and relocated down the street along FM 529. This entire shopping center was remodeled to 21st century standards, and has taken on other mainstays like Barnes & Noble Booksellers.
Album 03 Pic 34.JPG : Jason's Deli, October 2010. This space was previously Blockbuster Video from 1988 until about 1997, then Blockbuster moved further south, and Jason's Deli took over this building, remodeling the exterior.
Album 03 Pic 33.jpg : Copperfield Bowl, opened in the early 1980's behind what would become Copperfield's first Wal Mart. This photo is from March 2005.
Album 03 Pic 32.jpg : Copperfield Bowl, February 2006 (black & white).
Album 03 Pic 40.jpg : Old marquee sign for Copperfield 6 Cinema, a six-screen movie theater that used to be on the far edge of this shopping center. The theater was torn down around 1999 after Tinseltown Theaters gained popularity. This photo is from 2005, the marquee was later removed from the SH-6 roadside.
Album 03 Pic 39.jpg : This is the site where the Copperfield 6 Cinema once stood. (March 2009). In late 2012, a new Tobin's Bar was opened on the site of the old cinema, but it ran into legal problems and was shut down by the TABC in the Summer of 2015.
Album 03 Pic 37.jpg : A 2005 photo of the same shopping center, showing Vienna Coffee shop.
Album 03 Pic 36.jpg : 24 Hour Fitness, also on the northeast corner of SH-6 and FM 529, shown here in March 2009. This was previously a grocery store known as Gerland's Food Fair from the 1990's until around 2002/2003.
THE NORTHWEST CORNER
The shopping center on the northwest corner of SH-6 and FM 529 was first constructed in the early 1980's when Copperfield was starting to develop its own businesses. Some of the original tenants of this corner include Randalls' grocery store, Trudy's Hallmark, Daddy Did It seafood restaurant, Miller's Outpost (western wear), Walgreens pharmacy, Radio Shack, and Marco's Mexican Restaurant. This corner was once referred to as "Wolf Corner" until Copperfield was developed. Before the community was born, the owner of the property used to hang the carcasses of wild wolves on wooden gallows near the roadside throughout the late 1970's. These were wolves and coyotes that used to roam freely across the plains before it became a major developed area.
WOLF CORNER: A 1970's photograph of Wolf Corner before Copperfield existed. The road in the background is SH-6. I cannot take credit for this photo, it was sourced from a local resident who shared the photo on Facebook in 2011.
Album 03 Pic 41.JPG : The French Quarter, a Cajun restaurant operating from what was originally Marco's Mexican Restaurant. Photo from March 2009.
Album 03 Pic 42.jpg : 2005 photo of the shopping center, where Miller's Outpost once operated.
Album 03 Pic 43.jpg : 2005 photo showing the location of Radio Shack (still in business at the time).
Album 03 Pic 44.JPG : Randalls' Grocery Store, October 2010.
May 2012 091.jpg : Randalls' after it closed in May 2012. It later re-opened as a Sprouts food store in 2013.
May 2012 093.jpg : Randalls' parking lot after it closed in may 2012. Also visible is the Wells Fargo free standing bank building.
Album 03 Pic 45.jpg : A 2005 photo of the space once occupied by Daddy Did It, here it is being used as a Hollywood Video, which was gone by 2007.
Album 03 Pic 46.jpg : 2007 photo after Hollywood Video signage was removed, revealing the old Daddy Did It imprints left on the building facade. Daddy Did It closed around 1997.
Album 03 Pic 47.jpg : Another 2007 photo of the Daddy Did It building.
Album 03 Pic 48.jpg : Close up of the Daddy Did It logo imprinted on the building.
Album 03 Pic 50.jpg : July 2011 photo of intersection of SH-6 and FM 529, facing south.
Album 03 Pic 51.jpg : "Wolf Corner" as it looks in 2012.
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FM 529 TO W. LITTLE YORK RD.
(Above photo: SH-6 at FM 529 and the Target shopping center, May 2016. Only a few random patches of undisturbed land still remain.)
Album 04 Pic 02.jpg : Copperfield Target, on the SW corner of SH-6 and FM 529. This shopping center was first developed from an empty field in late 1994, and opened in 1995, when FM 529 was still only two lanes wide through the area.
Jun 2013a 008.jpg : Copperfield Target, June 2013.
Jun 2013a 007.jpg : Some of the other businesses in the area, including Petco, and Famous Footwear (June 2013).
Album 04 Pic 03.jpg : Pep Boys, on the SE corner of SH-6 and FM 529, March 2009. This property was previously a forest of tall trees, with only a small garden nursery and a used car consignment lot, until 1995, when Pep Boys was built here.
Album 04 Pic 04.jpg : This public storage facility on the east side of SH-6, behind the James Coney Island restaurant, originally began as Furrow Hardware in 1981. The outdoor lumber racks remain today. Furrow closed this location shortly after 1996 when I applied for a job there, this photo was taken in March 2005.
Album 04 Pic 05.jpg : The James Coney Island on the east side of SH-6 with Storage USA (Furrow) behind it, March 2005.
Album 04 Pic 06.jpg : James Coney Island at night time, October 2006. This store was built in 2000.
Album 04 Pic 08.jpg : This Public Storage on the east side of SH-6 was built in the early 1980's.
Album 04 Pic 09.jpg : This building used to be a 7/11 gas station during the late 1970's through the 1980's. It had only a couple of pumps, but was one of the earlier convenient stores in the area that survived until today. This 2005 photo shows it operating as a carpet and flooring store.
Album 04 Pic 10.jpg : Another 2005 photo of the old 7/11, with SH-6 in the background.
Album 04 Pic 11.jpg : This corner space in the same shopping center was once occupied by Sunshine Kids Daycare during the 1980's. This was the day care I attended during my early childhood, and when this 2005 photo was taken, the chain link fence for the old playground is still present.
Album 04 Pic 12.jpg : A distant photo of the 7/11 & Toddle House shopping center at SH-6 and Kingfield Dr., March 2005. The old Toddle House restaurant is the white building on the left.
THE TODDLE HOUSE RESTAURANT
The Toddle House was a restaurant chain that originally began in the pre-war days of the 20th century, as sort of a coffee and breakfast diner. In the 1980's, the franchise was reborn as a chain of small diners that followed an architectural design similar to the originals. A few were built in the Houston area around 1984, and this building at the corner of SH-6 and Kingfield used to be one of them.
My family used to eat here on weekends sometimes when I was a kid, but despite their great food menu, even as a child I remember their service being incredibly slow. My dad got quite impatient on more than one occasion, and finally, we stopped going to Toddle House. However, the diner remained open until the early 1990's, and then closed down. It sat vacant for a few years, and then became a flower shop simply labeled with a sign on the roof that read "ROSES" in bright red letters. A patio cover was also installed that was not part of the original restaurant.
By 2001, the flower shop was vacant, and the building began to deteriorate, suffering form broken windows and rust bleeding down the roof edges. Around 2006, it was rented out to become a small coffee and biscuit shop. This venture failed, and so did the one after that, and by 2011, the building had been renovated to become the new home of Shipley Do-Nuts, who moved from their original location across Kingfield Dr.
Album 04 Pic 14.jpg : The abandoned Toddle House, as it looked in March 2005. Notice the non-original patio covering over the front of the building.
Album 04 Pic 14.jpg : The Toddle House from the side, with patio covering, March 2005.
Album 04 Pic 19.jpg : Looking inside from one of the broken windows, March 2005.
Album 04 Pic 20.jpg : Another inside shot, March 2005. Notice the flower shop's wall decor.
Album 04 Pic 22.jpg : Early 2006 photo after a construction crew removed the patio covering.
Album 04 Pic 25.jpg : March 2009, the building operating again, as The Coffee & Biscuit Co.
THE KROGER SHOPPING CENTER, SH-6 NEAR W. LITTLE YORK RD.
Since 1980, the shopping center next door to the old Toddle House has been home to some long term tenants, like Shipley Do-Nuts, Kroger Grocery Store, Payless Shoe Source, and the Firestone Auto Repair shop at the far end. This shopping center has also lost some popular tenants, like Wiener's clothing store, Tortuga Cantina, Monterrey's Tex Mex, and Red Top/Texas Burger.
Album 04 Pic 27.jpg : Intersection of SH-6 and Kingfield Dr., March 2009. In the center of this photo is the building which housed Shipley Do-Nuts since about 1980, as well as a home appliance repair shop, and a laundromat. In the 1990's, CiCi's Pizza opened up on one side of the building, and continues to operate today. I was told that sometime around 1999/2000, during a heavy rainstorm, the roof over CiCi's Pizza began to cave in while customers were inside the dining area.
Album 04 Pic 28.jpg : SH-6 and Kingfield Dr., 2007, facing north along SH-6.
Album 04 Pic 29.jpg : The Kroger on SH-6 near West Little York. This store opened up sometime before Copperfield was built, and was the nearest grocery store when my family moved to Copperfield in 1981. The outer facade has been remodeled, and the store updated many times, but this is one of the older surviving businesses in its original location. Photo from 2005.
Album 04 Pic 30.jpg : The same Kroger in 2009, viewed from across Highway 6.
Album 04 Pic 31.jpg : Big Lots retail store, next to Kroger, March 2005. The Big Lots was once Wiener's clothing store, which closed around 1997. The Payless Shoe Source next door has been in its original location since 1980.
Album 04 Pic 33.JPG : Payless Shoe Source in Sept. 2010.
Album 04 Pic 34.jpg : Tortuga Cantina, March 2005. Tortuga was a Tex Mex restaurant that operated in a free standing building in the Kroger parking lot from about 1997 to about 2008, if I have my dates right. Before that, it was a different Tex Mex restaurant called Monterrey's. In the very early 1980's, there was another free standing building in almost the exact location, but it was torn down to make room for Monterrey's. This building was the late great Red Top / Texas Burger, which went defunct around 1987. (citation needed)
RED TOP BURGERS
Red Top, also known as Texas Burger, was similar to a Dairy Queen. A 1970's definition of a fast food burger joint, with arcade games, and one of those old fashioned white Coca Cola menu boards hanging over the registers. My father told me that it was one of the only places in the neighborhood to grab a late night meal when Copperfield was first built. He made many late night dinner runs for burgers, onion rings, and shakes. Unfortunately, I was unable to find any photos of this place, but in 2007, I found an identical Red Top restaurant in Lake Jackson, Tx., to help jog the memory for some of my readers who are original Copperfield residents.
Sep 2007 018.jpg : The exterior of the Red Top Restaurant.
Sep 2007 019.jpg : Close-up of the Red Top logo.
Sep 2007 020.jpg : The old-fashioned menu board at the order booth.
Sep 2007 021.jpg : The dining area of the Red Top.
Album 04 Pic 37.jpg : Looking at the Kroger Shopping Center from across Highway 6.
Album 04 Pic 49.jpg : Looking north along Highway 6 from West Little York, in 2005.
Album 04 Pic 50.jpg : Looking north along Highway 6 from West Little York, July 2009.
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THE MATZKE PROPERTY, SH-6 & WEST LITTLE YORK
(Above photo: The Matzke house, situated along the north bank of Langham Creek, Sep. 2015)
At the Northwest corner of State Highway 6 and West Little York Rd. is a giant 47 acre tract of land along the bank of Langham Creek with an old, rustic plantation style home situated deep on the property. This property has been the topic of much historic discussion online due to its sharp contrast to the heavy commercial and suburban development surrounding the land. While little information and details are available, and no photographs of the interior of the home have been published, a lot of things have been learned about this historic homestead through the sharing of information online in the historical community, as well as some solid facts from public records.
The home was constructed in 1940 in what has been called a Gulf Coast Cottage/Colonial style. At the time of its construction, the Addicks Reservoir was being planned and constructed further south near the Addicks town site. Numerous sources confirmed that the house was built using reclaimed materials from abandoned homes within the Addicks Reservoir property boundary. Homes and farms that had belonged to displaced residents of Addicks. Some of the first property records listed the owner as A. Matzke. The original property boundary once extended as far north as FM 529. Keep in mind, when this home was built, there was no West Little York or Highway 6 running through the area. Even Addicks-Satsuma did not run the same route as present day Highway 6, so the creek itself seemed to be the basis for the location of the home. Highway 6 did not push through until the mid 1960's, and it did so behind a wall of trees that kept the home out of view from the main highway for years.
At some point between 1950 and 1976, the home was owned by Lawrence Marcus (of Neiman-Marcus fame), who opened up a polo farm on the north side of the property. Records show that Lawrence Marcus sold the property to a Henry Sauer in 1976. The property remained very private and well hidden until the early 2000's. Something happened, possibly a death of a title holder, I'm not sure....and the house became property of an estate. Over the next few years, it changed hands several times, and some of the land along the front of Highway 6 was sold off for development. In early 2005, bulldozers cleared the line of trees along Highway 6 that had kept the house hidden for so long.
As the house was exposed to plain view from Highway 6, it began to catch the attention of local residents, historians, and architects who had previously never noticed it. The clearing of trees also revealed several small sheds or cabins that had been shrouded in foliage for decades. There were stern warnings painted on the cabins warning trespassers that they would be shot without hesitation. People who have visited the house to gather historical information have also stated that the homeowner was not very keen on strangers on his property for any reason, and every visitor was treated as an unwelcome trespasser. While I can respect the desire for privacy, you can't have a house like that on Highway 6 and NOT expect people to be curious about it.
At some point, the homeowner was renting out rooms to people, and I met one in a bar back in 2004 who told me the place was haunted. He would wake up and find his personal belongings moved around the room in strange arrangements, and also claimed to have heard footsteps in the hallways on nights when nobody else was around to make such sounds. He also told me the place had a huge wet bar inside. While I would love an opportunity to see the inside of the place, for now I will have to remain content with photographing the house from a safe distance.
As for the details on the home, the rustic look was by design. The house features a wide-panel tin roof that has rusted over time and acquired a nice patina. The house is 7,676 square feet inside. There are six bedrooms with full bathrooms, 2 half-bathrooms, and five various other rooms (11 total) inside the house. The property also includes a wooden pole barn, and a frame detached garage.
Album 04 Pic 47.jpg : The home, as it looked in July 2011.
Album 04 Pic 45.jpg : The home, in March 2005, when I first noticed it from SH-6.
Album 04 Pic 38.jpg : During the tree removal along Highway 6 in 2005. The removed trees revealed these two old spooky cabins that were once hidden by foliage. A few days after this photo, the cabins were gone.
Album 04 Pic 42.jpg : The beginning of development on the northwest corner at Little York. This photo was taken in 2007.
Album 04 Pic 43.jpg : March 2009 photo of the new businesses on the NW corner of SH-6 and West Little York.
Album 04 Pic 40.jpg : March 2009 photo of the cleared north end of the property closer to Kingfield Dr., facing northwest from across Highway 6.
Sep 2015a 002.JPG : The home, as it looked in September 2015.
Sep 2015a 003.JPG : The home, as it looked in September 2015.
Sep 2015a 004.JPG : The home, as it looked in September 2015.
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W. LITTLE YORK TO TIMBER CREEK PLACE LN.
At the southeast corner of SH-6 and West Little York, there used to be a small apartment complex. I can't recall the exact name, but it was built in the late 1970's or very early 1980's, and only consisted of a few buildings. The apartments suffered at least two major fires that I remember just from growing up in the area, and in the mid 1990's, they were torn down. This garden center was established shortly after, and has remained Houston Garden Centers since the mid to late 1990's. If you visit this store, you can still see plenty of evidence of the old apartments. There are entrance driveways and curbs marking the parking areas, and remnants of old power boxes and meters staked into the ground.
Album 05 Pic 03.jpg : The curb of the old apartment complex parking lot, March 2005.
Album 05 Pic 04.jpg : Another view of the old curbs inside Houston Garden Centers, March 2005.
Album 05 Pic 05.jpg : Houston Garden Centers, Jan. 2012.
Next to Houston Garden Centers is a bayou crossing, and then this angular shaped building on the east side of SH-6 that was originally a pet store called Spectrum that specialized in fish and aquarium pet, opened in 1983. It has since worn many titles, and is now operating as Consign-It, a furniture and home decor consignment store.
Album 05 Pic 06.jpg : The old Spectrum Fish & Pet store, Mar. 2009.
Album 05 Pic 07.jpg : The old Spectrum Fish & Pet store, Jan. 2012.
Album 05 Pic 08.jpg : Century 21 Realtor office next door to Spectrum, Mar. 2009, with its original 1980's facade.
Album 05 Pic 10.jpg : Century 21 Realtor office next door to Spectrum, Jan. 2012, after a remodeled exterior.
Album 05 Pic 13.jpg : Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers under construction on the west side of SH-6, Jan. 2012.
Album 05 Pic 14.jpg : Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers under construction, Jan. 2012.
Album 05 Pic 18.jpg : Casa Ole, on the east side of SH-6, July 2009. This was opened in the late 1980's.
Album 05 Pic 19.jpg : This corner spot in the same parking lot as Casa Ole was once a gym called Texas Bodybuilders, opened in the early 1980's. It was later bought by Gold's Gym, and is now a small church congregation in this March 2005 photo.
Album 05 Pic 20.jpg : An old bank building, erected in the early 1980's, March 2005. It sits next door to Casa Ole, and at the northeast corner of SH-6 and Timber Creek Place Drive.
Album 05 Pic 21.jpg : Another view of the bank building and it's 1980's contemporary design, March 2005.
TIMBER CREEK PLACE
Timber Creek Place is a small community that was carved out along the east side of SH-6 in the early 1980's, starting just south of West Little York. It consists mainly of tightly knit apartment complexes, and two similar named streets; Timber Creek Place Drive, and Timber Creek Place Lane. Today, the area has become somewhat run down, and the apartments here have each suffered their share of fires in the last thirty years. This is where I moved when I left home in May of 2000, and started my life as an adult. Between Timber Creek Place Drive and Lane, there is a row of businesses along SH-6 that were first established in the late 1970's and early 80's. The west side of SH-6 in this area was nothing but empty fields until 2005, when the first of several projects began, including residential and commercial properties.
Album 05 Pic 23.jpg : SH-6 at Timber Creek Place Dr., facing south. The Church's Chicken on the left started off as a Dairy Queen in the early 1990's, then the name changed to Dairy Country, a similar venture. It became Church's Chicken/Weinerschnitzel around 1999 or 2000, and several years later, the Weinerschnitzel menu was eliminated. I remember buying a good amount of chili cheeseburgers here in my first months on my own.
Album 05 Pic 27.JPG : The same view of SH-6 and Timber Creek Place Dr., October 2010.
Album 05 Pic 25.jpg : SH-6 and Timber Creek Place Dr., facing north along SH-6, March 2005.
Album 05 Pic 29.JPG : The same view in October 2010.
Album 05 Pic 30.jpg : Row of businesses along SH-6 near Timber Creek Place Dr., early 2006.
Album 05 Pic 31.jpg : Row of businesses along SH-6 near Timber Creek Place Dr., early 2006.
JACK RABBIT SLIM'S BILLIARDS
Jack Rabbit Slim's Billiards was opened in early 1997 next door to Bear Creek Car Wash, and closed sometime around late 2009. It was a popular place for local young adults to come hang out, play pool, and meet people. They did not have a liquor license, so they only sold beer and wine-based drinks, but that never stopped people from turning up every night of the week. The building space was originally built in the late 1970's, and in the 1980's was Bear Creek Assistance Ministries, a thrift shop.
Album 05 Pic 33.jpg : Jack Rabbit Slim's Billiard Hall, March 2009.
Album 05 Pic 34.JPG : The same view in October 2010. Jack Rabbit Slim's closed, and is now a banquet hall.
Album 05 Pic 35.JPG : Bear Creek Car Wash, 5614 Highway 6 N. This car wash opened as Southwestern Car Wash in 1984, and changed their name in early 1996. I worked here as a detailer from 1996 to 1997.
1996 037.jpg : A 1996 coupon for Bear Creek Car Wash, showing the facility as it looked then.
Album 05 Pic 41.jpg : The Courtesy Mart at SH-6 and Timber Creek Place Lane, October 2006.
Album 05 Pic 42.jpg : The Courtesy Mart at SH-6 and Timber Creek Place Lane, April 2009.
On the west side of SH-6 between Timber Creek Place Drive and Lane, a new neighborhood was started in 2005, after years of no development at all on the west side. These April 2005 photos show the land being cleared, with a good view of many businesses along SH-6. The view is from Timber Creek Place Drive.
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TIMBER CREEK PLACE LN. TO KIETH HARROW BLVD.
Album 06 Pic 01.JPG : Bear Creek's Whataburger, on the southeast corner of SH-6 & Timber Creek Place Lane. This restaurant was first built in the late 1980's. This photo is from October 2010.
Album 06 Pic 02.jpg : Hook, Line & Sinker seafood restaurant, next door to Whataburger, March 2005. This restaurant was originally Wyatt's Cafeteria in the mid 1980's.
Album 06 Pic 03.jpg : Hook, Line & Sinker seafood restaurant, now vacant in this March 2009 photo.
Album 06 Pic 04.JPG : This is when the building underwent a renovation for a new business, and the old Wyatt's logo embossed on the wall could be seen for a short time. October 2010.
Album 06 Pic 06.jpg : Hamilton's Ace Hardware, serving Bear Creek since the late 1970's. Photo March 2005.
Album 06 Pic 07.jpg : Sign on SH-6 for the Ace Hardware, March 2005.
Album 06 Pic 08.jpg : The Ace Hardware sign in March 2009, after Hurricane Ike tore it apart in Sept. 2008.
Album 06 Pic 11.JPG : Bear Creek Skate, a roller skate rink that has been open here since at least the early 1980's. It is likely to have been here in the 1970's when roller skating really caught on with young crowds, but I could not verify the exact year of establishment. Photo Oct. 2010.
Album 06 Pic 10.JPG : Bear Creek Skate (the actual building), October 2010.
Album 06 Pic 09.jpg : CSI Collision Repair, another one of the older businesses operating in this area.
INTERESTING FACT: During the early 1980's, there was a business located near this same spot that rented do-it-yourself construction equipment. To keep it easily identifiable, all of the machinery was painted pastel purple. I don't recall their name, but they were here for a long time.
Album 06 Pic 12.jpg : Bear Creek O'Reilly Auto Parts, March 2009. This company was previously called Hi-Lo until the late 1990's, and this particular store had been around since the early 1980's.
Album 06 Pic 13.jpg : This red barn was built to be a drive-thru liquor store, but lasted only for a short while before being converted into a vehicle inspection station for Speedemissions, Inc (who now owns all Houston Mr. Sticker stores). In this March 2009 photo, it was being used as a discount mattress store. I have been told that back in the 1970's, this property was home to a restaurant called the Summer House, which either burned down or closed business many years ago. The tile floor for the kitchen is still visible behind the red barn building.
Album 06 Pic 14.jpg : This is the back lot behind the red barn, in March 2005. You can see the tiled floor that was obviously once part of a restaurant. The shop in the background is the O'Reilly Auto Parts.
Album 06 Pic 15.jpg : A row of automotive businesses, March 2005. There is Southwestern Muffler, which has been operating here since the 1970's, as well as C&E Auto Care, Speedemissions, and O'Reilly Auto Parts.
Jun 2012a 031.jpg : The inside lobby of Southwestern Muffler, June 2012, still with the original faux woodgrain walls.
Album 06 Pic 16.jpg : C&E Auto Care, a long running auto repair shop that I believe had closed when I photographed it here in March 2005.
Album 06 Pic 17.JPG : The same C&E Auto Care building in October 2010, now a CSI Express collision repair shop.
Album 06 Pic 18.JPG : This Pawn One shop started out as a Chinese restaurant called China Best, which was opened in the late 1970's, and suffered a major fire in the early 1980's. The burned out restaurant sat dormant for years until it was gutted out to be re-used. The front of the building was redone for a Pawn Shop, but the original roof design and tiles stayed in the back half of the building until 2011. This photo is from October 2010.
Album 06 Pic 19.JPG : This is the rear of the Pawn One store, October 2010. This is the original Spanish tile and roof that was part of the China Best restaurant.
Album 06 Pic 20.jpg : A third-story view of this section of SH-6, early 2006. In this photo you can see O'Reilly Auto Parts, Speedemissions, Southwestern Muffler, C&E Auto Care, Pawn One, Master Audio & Security, and Northwest Glass & Mirror.
Album 06 Pic 84.jpg : The intersection of SH-6 and old Addicks Satsuma Rd., June 2012.
INTERESTING FACT: Though today, State Highway 6 and Addicks-Satsuma are two different roads, they were once a single road. We know Addicks-Satsuma Rd. today as a side-street to State Highway 6, branching off to the right of SH-6 down in Bear Creek, and zig-zagging its way north to meet FM 529. This zig-zag road we know today as Addicks-Satsuma is only part of the original road. The rest of it was taken over when SH-6 was built through the area around 1965. Originally, Addicks-Satsuma ran south through the reservoir all the way to the "heart" of Addicks. But instead of following Addicks-Satsuma turn for turn, SH-6 kept on going north...all the way to Hempstead Rd., leaving everything after that first eastern bend on Addicks-Satsuma Rd. behind as a chopped off remnant. If not for the many residences and businesses already established along old Addicks-Satsuma Rd., it might have been entirely done away with. But as narrow as it is, the road still proves itself useful, as it serves several neighborhoods, schools, and churches.
Album 06 Pic 22.jpg : Southeast corner of SH-6 and Addicks-Satsuma Rd., 2007. If the above paragraph was confusing at all, this picture should clarify where Addicks-Satsuma is in relation to SH-6. Everything south of this intersection along SH-6 was once part of Addicks-Satsuma before 1965.
Album 06 Pic 23.jpg : T'Beaux seafood restaurant, a new structure built on an otherwise empty field at SH-6 and Addicks-Satsuma Rd. This photo is from 2007, and the place was short-lived, later becoming a buffet restaurant.
Album 06 Pic 27.jpg : America Buffet, which replaced T-Beaux after a few years. Photo from Oct. 2010.
Album 06 Pic 28.jpg : Bear Creek Long John Silver's, March 2005. This was one of the first fast food restaurants in the Bear Creek area, dating back to the 1970's. My family ate here a lot when I was a child, and the place closed down shortly after I took these photos.
Album 06 Pic 29a.jpg : Long John Silver's, March 2005.
Album 06 Pic 30a.jpg : Long John Silver's, March 2005.
Album 06 Pic 21.jpg : Long John Silver's, closed in this early 2006 photo.
Album 06 Pic 34a.jpg : Long John Silver's, April 2009.
Album 06 Pic 35a.jpg : Long John Silver's, April 2009.
Album 06 Pic 36a.JPG : Long John Silver's, October 2010, now a Little Caesar's pizza takeout.
Album 06 Pic 31a.jpg : Big Daddy BBQ, in the same parking lot as Long John Silver's, March 2005. The shopping center in the background used to be home to Wynn's pharmacy, and The Cockpit, which was a supply shop for pilots. It also housed a Baskin Robbins 31 Flavors ice cream parlor that I remember from the early 1980's.
Album 06 Pic 33a.jpg :Facing south on SH-6 towards Kieth Harrow, March 2005.
Album 06 Pic 37a.JPG : Hollywood Video & Game Crazy on the west side of SH-6 near Kieth Harrow, Oct. 2010. Hollywood Video got their big break in the 1990's competing with Blockbuster Video, but the dying trend in video rental stores forced the business to fold.
Album 06 Pic 39a.JPG : The Classic Car Wash auto detailing business at the northeast corner of SH-6 and Kieth Harrow, Oct. 2010. This lot was previously a Texaco station from the late 1970's to the late 1990's.
Album 06 Pic 43a.jpg : Facing north along SH-6 from Kieth Harrow, March 2009.
Album 06 Pic 45a.jpg : Newly rebuilt Chevron station, southwest corner of SH-6 & Kieth Harrow, Apr. 2009.
Album 06 Pic 46a.jpg : Valero station (formerly Diamond Shamrock), southeast corner of SH-6 & Kieth Harrow, Mar. 2009.
Album 06 Pic 47a.JPG : New HEB Grocery store, southwest corner of SH-6 & Kieth Harrow, Oct. 2010.
May 2016a 050.jpg : Aerial photo facing south along SH-6 near the intersection of Kieth Harrow, May 2016.
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KIETH HARROW TO CLAY RD.
Album 06 Pic 49a.JPG : Loch Katrine Dr., a smaller intersection at SH-6 just south of Kieth Harrow. The neighborhood and shopping centers date around 1977-1980 on average. This view is facing towards SH-6, Oct. 2010.
Album 06 Pic 51a.jpg : This Track 21 go-kart racing is where Bear Creek's K-Mart superstore used to reside. Back in the days before Wal-Mart had reached every neighborhood, K-Mart used to be the big name in big box stores where you could find a little of everything from ice cube trays to tires for your car. When I got my first Nintendo for Christmas in 1988, this K-Mart is where I went to buy my first three games. Even then, it was not quite as nice as Wal-Mart. The lights inside were dimmer, the ceiling was lower, the aisles were narrower, and the selection was poorer. Eventually, people quit going to K-Mart in favor of Wal-Mart, and this store closed sometime in summer 2002. Oddly, the attached Meineke muffler shop stayed in business even after its anchor store closed down.
Album 06 Pic 52a.jpg : Bear Creek Burger King, in the K-Mart parking lot, March 2005.
Album 06 Pic 53a.jpg : Bear Creek Burger King, March 2005. This is the original building from the 1980's that was later torn down in 2006 and rebuilt.
Album 06 Pic 54.jpg : Bear Creek Burger King after rebuilding, in 2006. Same angle as previous photo.
This shopping center was once home to Safeway grocery store, which was built in 1980. Safeway later changed to Apple Tree, but remained a grocery store chain. After the store closed, Hobby Lobby took over this space, and after that, a thrift center.
Album 06 Pic 56.jpg : The old Safeway grocery store, shown here in 2005 as a Hobby Lobby arts & crafts store.
Album 06 Pic 57.jpg : Close shot of the front entrance to the Safeway store, 2005.
Album 06 Pic 59a.JPG : The Safeway store after it became a thrift store, October 2010.
Jun 2012a 001.jpg : Spec's Liquor Store, SH-6 and Rippling Water Dr., June 2012. This used to be Eckerd Drug.
Album 06 Pic 60.jpg : Just Brakes in Bear Creek, Oct. 2010. This was a former lube shop, located on the east side of SH-6 across from the old Safeway/K-Mart parking lot near Loch Katrine.
Album 06 Pic 61.jpg : Looking north on SH-6 from the Bear Creek McDonald's, 2007.
Album 06 Pic 62.jpg : The Bear Creek McDonald's, after a total rebuild, 2007.
Album 06 Pic 63.jpg : The Bear Creek McDonald's, after a total rebuild, 2007.
Album 06 Pic 64.jpg : SH-6 and Cairnway Dr., 2007, showing Orlando's Seafood Restaurant, now closed.
Across from Cairnway Dr. is Aspenglen Dr., and a shopping center that once housed both Mr. Gatti's Pizza, and Luby's Cafeteria, back in the 1980's. When I was a child, my family occasionally visited this Luby's, and I loved it. There is also a fire station behind Luby's that serves the Glencairn subdivision and those nearby.
Album 06 Pic 65.jpg : A fire engine responding to a call while I was looking down Aspenglen Dr. at the Luby's, 2007.
Album 06 Pic 70.jpg : Luby's Cafeteria in Bear Creek, March 2009.
Album 06 Pic 71.jpg : Luby's Cafeteria in Bear Creek, April 2009.
Album 06 Pic 72.jpg : Inside of the Bear Creek Luby's, April 2, 2009. The last time I ever got to eat here, by the way.
Album 06 Pic 66.jpg : Crown Trophy shop on Aspenglen Dr. near SH-6, Jan. 2007. It used to be a Schwinn bicycle shop in the 1980's.
Album 06 Pic 67.jpg : Aspenglen Plaza, the southeast corner of Aspenglen and SH-6, Jan. 2007
Album 06 Pic 68.jpg : Aspenglen Plaza, April 2009, with Mr. Sticker operating out of the old Stickerstop.
Album 06 Pic 69.jpg : Aspenglen Plaza, March 2009.
Album 06 Pic 73.jpg : The northeast corner of SH-6 and Clay Rd., Jan. 2007. The Fiesta used to be Gerlands Food Fair.
Album 06 Pic 74.jpg : The west side of SH-6 near Clay Rd., Jan. 2007. Wendy's Hamburgers has been around since the 1980's, with the same building, and the Wing Stadium next door started out as a 24 hour Kettle Restaurant, which closed around 1994/95.
Album 06 Pic 75.jpg : Bear Creek Specialty Center auto repair, Jan. 2007, next door to the old Kettle. Back in the 1990's, this shop was known as A Auto Care, and was run by a family friend named Mike Valdez, who kept my old clunkers running in my high school days. The A Auto Care name is a reminder of a time when the phone book was the go-to source for things like tradesman work. If your name was first in the phone book, odds are you would get the most calls and customers.
Album 06 Pic 76.jpg : A view of the west side of SH-6 near Clay Rd, March 2005. In this photo is the Bear Creek Wendy's, Duffy & LaRoe Realtors, and a Citgo station, all relics from Glencairn's heyday in the 1980's. The Citgo station closed in the 1990's, and became a used car consignment lot. The signs are all mounted on high poles because at the time of their construction, it was largely presumed that State Highway 6 would soon become a freeway.
Album 06 Pic 77.jpg : The same view in April 2009, after Hurricane Ike hit Houston, and blew away all the sign faces. Due to the economic recession of 2008, getting replacements signs was not in everyone's budget, so many remained as hollow shells. Not just here, but all over Houston.
Album 06 Pic 78.JPG : A photo submitted by a fan. Ha-Ha Chinese Restaurant, on the northwest corner of SH-6 and Clay Rd. In 2011, the shopping center suffered a massive fire that destroyed the entire north wing of the building, including the restaurant, which had been around for decades.
Album 06 Pic 79.jpg : Ha Ha Chinese Restaurant after the fire, May 2011.
Album 06 Pic 80.jpg : Another photo of the fire damage, May 2011.
Album 06 Pic 81.jpg : Another photo of the fire damage, & Monaet Spa, May 2011.
Album 06 Pic 82.jpg : Clay Rd. Pawn, southwest corner of SH-6 and Clay Rd., March 2005. This building opened up originally as a Pizza Hut in 1978.
Album 06 Pic 83.jpg : Clay Rd. Pawn, southwest corner of SH-6 and Clay Rd., March 2009.
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CLAY RD. TO INTERSTATE 10
Album 07 Pic 01.jpg : Exxon Tiger Mart, southwest corner of SH-6 and Clay, March 2009.
Album 07 Pic 09a.jpg : Jack in the Box and Taqueria Arandas on the southeast corner of SH-6 and Clay, March 2009.
Album 07 Pic 03a.jpg : This building space on the southwest corner, vacant in this 2005 photo, was once 12 & Under toy store in the 1980's.
Album 07 Pic 04a.jpg : The same building in March 2009, now leased to Gold's Gym.
Album 07 Pic 05a.jpg : The old Cinema 6 movie theater entrance, March 2005. This was built in the early 1980's and later became a dollar theater until it closed in the 2000's.
Album 07 Pic 06a.jpg : The ticket booth at the Cinema 6, March 2005.
Album 07 Pic 07a.jpg : Inside of the Cinema 6 (the snack bar) after it had been closed for a while, in March 2005.
Album 07 Pic 08a.jpg : The outside of the Cinema 6 in March 2009 after a new tenant occupied it.
Album 07 Pic 11a.jpg : Facing north on SH-6, a couple of blocks south of Clay Rd., March 2009.
Album 07 Pic 12a.jpg : This motor lodge used to be Travelodge, which was built over 30 years ago. It is now the Bear Creek Inn in this April 2009 photo.
Album 07 Pic 14a.jpg : Though it is located on Clay Rd. and not SH-6, this is the only place I felt I could include a photo of the Harris County Courthouse Annex in Bear Creek. Not anyone's favorite place to go, but something we all visited at some point. March 2009.
Album 07 Pic 15a.jpg : Traveling south on SH-6 from Clay Rd. into the Addicks Reservoir. This Raceway gas station (originally Race Trac, built around 1994), was photographed in March 2009.
Nov 2013 044.jpg : Aerial photograph of SH-6 and Clay Rd. intersection, Nov. 2013.
Nov 2013 045.jpg : Aerial photograph of SH-6 and Clay Rd. intersection (better angle), Nov. 2013.
INTERESTING FACT: The traffic light beside the Raceway gas station just south of Clay Rd. is Pine Forest Ln, named after the generations old Pine Forest Country Club. The road is actually a leftover portion of the old alignment of Clay Rd. before it was at it's present day intersection with SH-6. In its original configuration, Clay Rd. was offset on either side of SH-6 (then Addicks-Satsuma Rd.) At some point when SH-6 took over Addicks-Satsuma, most likely the mid 1960's, the alignment of Clay Rd. on the west side of SH-6 was moved a block to the north. This realignment curve is exactly where the courthouse annex is today. The old portion of Clay Rd. was simply relabeled Pine Forest Ln. The road is home to three of the oldest properties in the Addicks area.
CLAY 003.jpg : The part of Clay Rd. where the road branches off...Clay on the left, Pine Forest Ln.on the right.
CLAY 005.jpg : Pine Forest Ln. approaching SH-6, Nov. 2011.
CLAY 006.jpg : An old farm house on the side of the old Clay Rd. alignment, Nov. 2011.
Album 07 Pic 21a.jpg : The intersection of Groeschke Rd. and SH-6, Oct. 2011. Groeschke Rd. leads to West Houston Airport, and is also one of the area's oldest unchanged roads. Most of Groeschke retains its original, nonsensical zig-zag pattern to this day.
Album 07 Pic 22a.jpg : The sign for West Houston Airport at Groeschke Rd. and SH-6, Oct. 2010.
Jan 2012a 018.jpg : Addicks United Methodist Church, SH-6 at Park Ten, Jan. 2012. This is the relocation site of the church. The original was located near the Hillendahl-Eggling cemetery off Patterson Rd. prior to the days of the Addicks Reservoir.
The intersection of I-10 ( also referred to as the Katy Freeway in this area) and SH-6 was totally reconfigured around 2008 when I-10 was expanded. Originally, SH-6 passed beneath a railroad bridge (usually adorned with graffiti), and I-10 as well. All traffic on SH-6 was subject to traffic signals, and the area became quite congested in this configuration. The railroad corridor than ran parallel to I-10 was removed sometime in the 1990's, and remained an empty corridor until the expansion of the Katy Freeway in 2008. Today there is no trace of the railroad, and SH-6 flies right over I-10 via a new overpass that completely bypasses the I-10/SH-6 intersection, eliminating traffic backups. I was not fortunate enough to get photos of the original intersection as it looked in the 1980's & 1990's.
Album 07 Pic 27a.jpg : Sept. 2009.
Album 07 Pic 28a.jpg : Sept. 2009.
Album 07 Pic 29a.jpg : Sept. 2009.
Album 07 Pic 30a.jpg : Facing south along SH-6 from the overpass of I-10, June 2011.
Album 07 Pic 32a.jpg : The SH-6 overpass of I-10, viewed from Grisby Dr. in Addicks proper, June 2011.
Jan 2012a 020.jpg : The SH-6 overpass of I-10, viewed from beneath, Jan. 2012.
Apr 2012 036.jpg : Waffle House at I-10 and SH-6, April 2012.
Aug 2013a 096.jpg : Aerial photo of SH-6 and I-10, Aug. 2013. Notice West Houston Airport in the distance. (Originally called Lakeside Airport)
Aug 2013a 097.jpg : Aerial photo of SH-6 and I-10, Aug. 2013, facing north along SH-6.
Apr 2016a 024.JPG : Aerial photo of SH-6 and I-10, April 2016, facing north along SH-6 (3 years after the previous photo).
AERIAL PHOTOS OF THE FLOODING CAUSED BY THE "TAX DAY" STORM OF APRIL 18, 2016
In the early morning hours of April 18, 2016, a massive rainstorm pummeled Houston and dumped some 20 inches of rain on the city in just 3-4 hours. The Addicks and Barker Reservoirs, which were designed to retain flood waters and prevent downstream flooding of the city, were filled to capacity within several days of the storm. As water from upstream land flowed down the local watershed, the reservoirs swelled up with water, completely submerging portions of Highway 6, and Eldridge Parkway. As a result, the roads were closed to traffic for several weeks. They finally reopened Highway 6 and Eldridge on May 12, but poor Patterson Road remained completely underwater for weeks and weeks to follow. I gathered these photos by airplane on the morning of May 7th.
May 2016a 009.jpg : Facing south along SH-6 from Pine Forest (Old Clay Rd.). West Houston Airport is visible in the distance.
May 2016a 010.jpg : Facing south along SH-6 towards I-10, with SH-6 partially under water.
May 2016a 011.jpg : SH-6 at Groeschke/Patterson near the Farm & Ranch Club.
May 2016a 012.jpg : SH-6 at Groeschke/Patterson.
May 2016a 013.JPG : Houston Farm & Ranch Club flooded.
May 2016a 014.JPG : Facing east along Patterson Rd.
May 2016a 015.JPG : Houston Farm & Ranch Club flooded.
May 2016a 017.JPG : The flooded golf course at the intersection of SH-6 and Clay Rd.
May 2016a 018.JPG : Facing south along SH-6 from Clay Rd.
May 2016a 019.jpg : SH-6 going over the Addicks Dam towards I-10.
May 2016a 020.jpg : The Addicks Reservoir, filled up.
May 2016a 021.jpg : Another shot of the golf course from SH-6 and Clay Rd.
May 2016a 022.jpg : Bear Creek Pioneers Park, facing south from Clay Rd.
May 2016a 024.jpg : A view of Bear Creek Pioneers Park from Eldridge Parkway, which is also flooded.
May 2016a 025.jpg : The intersection of Patterson & Eldridge Parkway. (The abandoned Addicks-Fairbanks segment is also at this location)
May 2016a 027.jpg : Where Eldridge Parkway goes over the Addicks Dam towards I-10.
May 2016a 029.jpg : Where Addicks Reservoir drains to Buffalo Bayou.
May 2016a 030.JPG : Where Addicks Reservoir drains to Buffalo Bayou.
May 2016a 031.JPG : The Addicks Dam, keeping massive flood waters away from the developments just on the outside of the dam.
May 2016a 034.jpg : Another view of Bear Creek Pioneers Park, under water.
May 2016a 071.jpg : Several weeks later, Highway 6 re-opened. This photo of the Addicks Dam near SH-6 (facing west) was taken the same day the road was opened.
May 2016a 072.jpg : Facing north along SH-6 from the Addicks Dam, after the road re-opened.
May 2016a 074.jpg : Facing south towards I-10 from the Addicks Dam.
May 2016a 075.jpg : Facing east along Patterson Road from SH-6 following the floods. SH-6 had just opened, but Patterson was still badly flooded.
May 2016a 076.jpg : Facing south along SH-6 from Patterson Rd.
May 2016a 077.jpg : Facing north along SH-6 from Patterson Rd.
May 2016a 079.jpg : The Bear Creek cemetery after the flood waters receded.
May 2016a 080.jpg : The Bear Creek cemetery.
May 2016a 081.jpg : The Bear Creek cemetery.
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SH-6 SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 10
State Highway 6 continues to run south of I-10, starting with the small, unincorporated town of Addicks. In 2005 and 2006, construction had begun on the widening of Interstate 10, and SH-6 also received some modification, in the form of an overpass that bypassed the I-10 intersection completely, freeing up a lot of congestion that had plagued the area since the 1980's.
Album 07 Pic 42a.jpg : This 2005 photo is one of the only images I have of the SH-6 & I-10 intersection prior to construction of the overpass. This photo was taken from a parking lot south of I-10, facing north towards I-10. On the right side of the road is a boarded up Jack in the Box restaurant that was demolished shortly after this photo. In this configuration, SH-6 traffic still had to cross beneath the I-10 freeway below grade level.
Album 07 Pic 30a.jpg : SH-6, facing south from the Addicks town site, June 2011.
Album 07 Pic 32a.jpg : SH-6 and Grisby in the Addicks area, June 2011.
During the process of right-of-way acquisition for the new I-10 & SH-6 expansions, several businesses along SH-6 were closed and demolished, including a Jack in the Box restaurant on the southeast corner, a Chevron station on the southwest corner, and a two-story shopping center featuring a well known Caribbean themed restaurant known as "El Yucatan", which used to advertise their location with an old school bus painted up in tropical colors. The restaurant was closed by 2005, and later demolished, however the road construction ended up not affecting these properties, so as of 2013, they remain empty slabs. I was lucky enough to get some photos of the El Yucatan shopping center in 2005 before it was torn down.
THE BARKER RESERVOIR
The Barker Reservoir, which begins at the southwest corner of I-10 and SH-6, was constructed in the early 1940's in conjunction with Addicks Reservoir. It extends south to Westheimer Rd. and is some 72,000 feet in length. The drainage station is located along the SH-6 crossing over Buffalo Bayou.
Aug 2012a 065.jpg : Facing north on SH-6 near the Barker Dam drainage station, August 2012. The used car dealership on the left was once John Eagle Acura, which later relocated to the Katy Freeway during the mid 2000's. The center medians were not put in until around 2008.
Aug 2012a 066.jpg : This road off to the east of SH-6 is Addicks-Howell, which pre-dated SH-6 until the mid 1960's. The narrow asphalt road runs south from the town of Addicks and once connected with Howellville further south. The SH-6 expansion absorbed most of Addicks-Howell Road, but this small segment remains, as the SH-6 alignment had to curve to the west to align properly with Addicks-Satsuma Rd.
Aug 2012a 068.jpg : Another photo showing the split between Addicks-Howell Rd. (on the right), and SH-6 on the left, August 2012. Additionally, the black and white office building on the left was built during the oil boom of the early 1980's in what came to be called the "Energy Corridor" part of town.
Aug 2012a 064.jpg : Noble Road hike & bike trail, which leads into the Barker Reservoir west of SH-6, directly across from Briar Forest Drive. Noble Rd. dates back to the late 19th century, long before the Barker Dam was around.
The following photos of Barker Reservoir were taken in May 2016 after a massive storm on April 18th left severe flooding on the west side of Houston.
May 2016a 036.jpg : Aerial photo: Facing southwest over Barker Reservoir from I-10 & SH-6
May 2016a 037.jpg : Aerial photo: Facing west along the I-10 corridor beside the reservoir.
May 2016a 038.JPG : Aerial photo: The Barker Reservoir drainage station.
May 2016a 039.jpg : Aerial photo: Flying south along SH-6 facing into the reservoir. The curved road ahead is Westheimer Parkway, which runs through George Bush Park.
May 2016a 041.jpg : Aerial photo: Facing west into the Barker Reservoir, with Westheimer Parkway on the left.
May 2016a 042.jpg : Aerial photo: Facing north from George Bush Park along what was once the Addicks-Clodine Road, which has been abandoned since the reservoir was built. (The line through the trees)
May 2016a 045.jpg : Aerial photo: American Shooting Centers in George Bush Park, isolated by the flood waters.
May 2016a 046.jpg : Aerial photo: George Bush Park. The corridor running left to right is the old path of the Texas Western Narrow Gauge Railroad, abandoned for over 100 years. The path running north is the Barker-Clodine biking trail, and the road south is South Barker-Cypress (also part of the Barker-Clodine right of way, just renamed).
May 2016a 048.jpg : A flooded baseball field in George Bush Park near Westheimer Parkway and Fry Rd.
WEST OAKS MALL
At the southwest corner of SH-6 and Westheimer Rd. sits West Oaks Mall, a retail shopping center that opened in 1984 with anchor stores Foley's, Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord & Taylor, and Mervyn's. Foley's department store opened in 1982, two years before the rest of the mall. The mall was intended to compete with Town & Country Mall as a luxury, upscale shopping center. After only six years, Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor closed in 1990, and were replaced by Sears & JC Penney, in an effort to appeal more to middle class shoppers. The mall had its own food court, and a six screen movie theater.
As the years flew by, West Oaks Mall began to decline in popularity, and once Katy Mills opened in 1999, it was only a matter of time before West Oaks would have to reinvent itself to survive. The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema operated there for several years, but was eventually done away with in favor of an entirely new structure, the Edwards Cinema Complex, which required demolishing much of the mall's east wing in 2011. With the decline of shopping mall popularity in the late 2000's, West Oaks Mall began to seem less like a viable hub of activity, and more of a relic to a bygone era. Today, it still stands strong, fully operational, but somehow quieter, and sadder than before. I made a visit during the early part of 2013 to capture these photos while I still had a chance to see the mall in full operation.
Feb 2013a 121.jpg : Macy's (former Foley's) at West Oaks Mall, on the north side of the property.
Feb 2013a 105.jpg : North entrance to Macy's (interior)
Feb 2013a 102.jpg : The wall of terra cotta tiles at the north entrance of Macy's, each one with the handprint of a child embedded in it. These tiles were installed in 1982 when the building opened as Foley's Department Store.
Feb 2013a 103.jpg : The opposing wall of terra cotta tiles
Feb 2013a 104.jpg : Close up at the handprints in the terra cotta tiles
Feb 2013a 101.jpg : Close up of the plaque that accompanies the handprinted terra cotta tiles, dated 1982.
Feb 2013a 106.jpg : The elevator inside Macy's department store, still with the original white stone wall around it.
Feb 2013a 107.jpg : Looking up at the glass ceiling inside Macy's
Feb 2013a 110.jpg : Mall Directory. Notice how most of the east wing has been removed for the Edwards Cinema complex on the right.
Feb 2013a 111.jpg : Inside the west wing of the mall.
Feb 2013a 112.jpg : One of the numerous vacant retail spaces inside the mall
Feb 2013a 115.jpg : Inside the east wing of the mall
Feb 2013a 118.jpg : The Fiesta Food Court of the mall. Originally, the middle of the food court was a slightly elevated section of tables and chairs designated as a smoking area. They replaced it with a fire pit (seen in this photo) sometime around 2006 I believe.
Feb 2013a 117.jpg : Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill under construction. This space was originally the mall's movie theater from the 1980's up until the mid 2000's.
Feb 2013a 120.jpg : This is the central atrium of the mall, which once featured a sunken floor and water fountain.
Feb 2013a 116.jpg : Dillard's department store at West Oaks Mall, the interior mall entrance.
Feb 2013a 123.jpg : Dillard's (exterior)
Feb 2013a 128.jpg : Dillard's (exterior)
Feb 2013a 124.jpg : Sears
Feb 2013a 125.jpg : Sears
Feb 2013a 126.jpg : Sears
Feb 2013a 119.jpg : Palais Royal at West Oaks, the interior mall entrance
Feb 2013a 127.jpg : Palais Royal (exterior)
Feb 2013a 114.jpg : One of the entrances to the main mall on the north side of the building.
Feb 2013a 113.jpg : A vacant department store on the north side, not certain what it originally was called.
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SH-6 SOUTH OF WESTHEIMER RD.
Aug 2012a 054.jpg : An old Toddle House diner from the 1980's on Bellaire Rd., west of SH-6
Aug 2012a 055.jpg : Another front view of the old Toddle House on Bellaire Rd.
Aug 2012a 056.jpg : Old Toddle House diner on Bellaire Rd., showing the original blue roof paint in the corners.
Aug 2012a 051.jpg : Another title loan store, making use of an old Whataburger on SH-6 near Bellaire Rd.
Aug 2012a 050.jpg : An old Jiffy Lube from the 1980's now operating as Texas Oil Express, SH-6 near Beechnut.
FAME CITY & FAME CITY WATERWORKS
Back in the 1980's, if you lived in West Houston as a kid, chances are you made at least one visit to Fame City, an entertainment complex located on Beechnut Dr., several blocks east of State Highway 6. It was comprised of both an indoor entertainment facility, and a water park next door (Waterworks). The indoor area featured arcades, miniature golf, ball pits and climbing equipment, bumper cars, and a roller coaster simulator. Originally opened sometime in the mid 1980's (I am going to guess maybe 1986?), the facility operated under the name Fame City up through the 1990's, and then changed its name to Funplex. Several years later, the water park was closed and demolished. There is now an apartment complex built on top of what used to be the water park, but Funplex is still open today.
Aug 2012a 046.jpg : Fame City/Funplex as it looked in August 2012.
Aug 2012a 048.jpg : The property immediately east of the Funplex building, which was once where Fame City Waterworks stood until it was demolished around 2006.
The following photos were taken in August of 2012, showing an old abandoned car wash located along State Highway 6 near the Westpark Tollway. The car was appeared to have been vacant for several years prior to my photographing it, and it is located on the west side of SH-6 beside a little street called West Bend Dr.
Aug 2012a 057.jpg : The car wash sign along SH-6
Aug 2012a 058.jpg : Close up of the car wash sign (red filtering added)
Aug 2012a 059.jpg : Distant photo of the entire car wash property
Aug 2012a 060.jpg : The waiting area where customers would wait for their cars to be dried off.
Aug 2012a 061.jpg : The car wash tunnel, now locked and chained up, and filled with boats and other equipment.
Aug 2012a 062.jpg : The gas pump islands on the north side of the property
Aug 2012a 063.jpg : Close up of one of the gas pumps, clearly an older design probably used in the 1980's.
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