Gone But Not Forgotten in San Antonio! - Part I (Houston: real estate, weddings)

[mommagirl]

I loved the pictures of Windsor Park mall, but does anyone have any from before the remodel? Some with the fountains in them or better yet of Luca's What is walzem rd area like now? There used to be a Target across the street from Roosevelt and a Whataburger where we used to go smoke and have a coke before school, there also used to be a Bill Millers bbq some where on Walzem, Is all that still there? I also read that Roosevelt got a remodeled campus, did they make it look less like a prison?

[mommagirl]

Originally Posted by Torrey

Old man Luca had the best NY style pizza around. Windsor Park fell as a great mall because of all the scum moving up to the northeast side from the invading east side neighborhoods. Gangs of scum bags, and now Windcrest which used to be considered upper middle class is now surrounded by a sea of scum.

I grew up in Windcrest, I never thought about the Glen or Camelot being trashy then, it's a shame how much things change in 14 years. Or maybe I was just naive then.

[smuboy86]

Momma,
The Glen is scary, especially the Judson side. The Camelot around Roosevelt isn't that bad. The Camelot further down off Montgomery is very bad though. Walzem is struggling to come back, Target closed last year. Bill Miller build a new restaurant further down Walzem next to the Bank Of America. Whataburger is still there too! The new Roosevelt campus is impressive, it's a further evolution of Reagan and MacArthur.

Some Pre-renovation Windsor park,



I know it's not luca, but it was a favorite of mine.

[wCat]

Originally Posted by mommagirl

I loved the pictures of Windsor Park mall, but does anyone have any from before the remodel? Some with the fountains in them or better yet of Luca's What is walzem rd area like now? There used to be a Target across the street from Roosevelt and a Whataburger where we used to go smoke and have a coke before school, there also used to be a Bill Millers bbq some where on Walzem, Is all that still there? I also read that Roosevelt got a remodeled campus, did they make it look less like a prison?

When I went to school at TR, the mall was a farm field with horse pastures! LOL.....across the street was a Dairy Queen and a vets office. Ed White Middle school was not there and all the kids came from Kreuger Middle. All the shopping on the South of Walzem was a field....nothing between Walzem and Camelot (not even the apartments). The North side had a Winns, a Baskin Robbins, a Hallmark Store (later) and not much else. There was a field between that and Handy Andy where we had our big school bonfire for homecoming! The neighborhood behind Winns was under construction.....nothing between the police station and Handy Andy. NOTHING was down Montgomery Rd or Crestway...just Robards land developement that failed and farm land. That was Windcrest in it's heyday! I was gone when the mall was built, but it was great for my parents .....

We loved Christmas in Windcrest. My dad won grand prize in the Christmas display several times....what great memories!.

[Willsatx]

Originally Posted by smuboy86

Momma,
The Glen is scary, especially the Judson side. The Camelot around Roosevelt isn't that bad. The Camelot further down off Montgomery is very bad though. Walzem is struggling to come back, Target closed last year. Bill Miller build a new restaurant further down Walzem next to the Bank Of America. Whataburger is still there too! The new Roosevelt campus is impressive, it's a further evolution of Reagan and MacArthur.

Some Pre-renovation Windsor park,



I know it's not luca, but it was a favorite of mine.

Smu GREAT pics, what year was that? Seeing those pics is how I remember Windsor, I love the whataburger pic.

[Torrey]

Yeah I ate at that Whataburger quite a few times. My friend was the manager there for a while just after we graduated from TR....

[Mr_Krab]

This site rocks! I have three words:

COLOR THE WEATHER!

That is all.

[Bonnie&Clyde]

Wow! Seeing those pictures of Windsor brings back memories. My husband and I were recently talking about how we had to get our school clothes from Bealls and Ward's when we were both little. I remember eating at Wyatt's and seeing the very first "Star Wars" movie in the theater.

Does anyone remember Gibson's? It was like a KMart? My mom used to work at the one on Eisenhauer, where the flea market is.

Most of my memories are of downtown:

• when the buses still ran down Houston
• when there was a Pizza Hut and Jack in the Box on Houston... where the SAPD Bike Patrol office is.
• Alphonso's... the predecessor of Taco Cabana!
• When there was a Luby's in the spot presently occupied by the City Council's chambers.
• When the Luby's on Main was across from Fox Tech
• When Woolworth's had a cafe... and sold really good donuts.
• When Walgreen's on Houston had a cafe.
• Kress on Houston
• Shopping at Twin Sisters, Stuarts, and Bakers on Houston.
• When there was a Church's Chicken on Houston... there were stools right by the window so that you could eat your chicken while waiting for the bus!
• Going to the bookstore that was on the lower level of Joske's
• When the Fairmont Hotel had to be moved to make way for Rivercenter
• Shopping for records at "The Sound of Music" on Houston, next to the Majestic. Does anybody remember this place??

We all have such good memories. This is/was a really nice city to be raised in.

[Eily71]

I remember just about everything on your list Bonnie&Clyde! I worked downtown in the early Seventies and again in early Eighties. I ate lunch at the different department store lunch counters....Kress, Neiseners, Greenes, Aronson Brothers. Every payday, I would treat myself to a nice lunch on the RiverWalk at the Kangaroo Court or the Chinese place that used to be there in 1982. And OH YEAH, those Woolworth donuts were the absolute best!!!!!

Do you remember when the Fuddruckers on Alamo Plaza and Commerce was the roast beef sandwich place...Red or Beef Baron or something like that? They also served hamburgers. There was an art gallery on the upper floor. It later became a McDonalds and there was a Baskin Robbins downstairs. G/M Steakhouse...the cook liked me and always loaded my burger and fries a little heavier lol. And there was a Three Bears Hamburger place on Alamo Plaza around 1972.

Rosengren's Bookstore behind the Alamo close to Joske's. This may be the one you mean on the lower level. La Feria on Commerce down by El Mercado was THE place for Quincinera and wedding dresses.

I remember when they tore out the upper floors of the Kress building......there were flies as big as BlackHawk helicopters and that musty old smell.........yukkkk. When they remodeled the Greene's on Alamo Plaza, a drinking fountain was found behind a wall that had a sign of past segregation. Greene's had once been the San Antonio Opera House ( pre 1900s if I remember right) and I think they also found a walled in staircase leading up to what had been the balcony section which the historians called in believed was the segregated seating.

Yeah, good times for sure. My next trip back, I am going to retrace some of my old walking routes. I keep flashing on memories of some really neat old buildings and houses ( like the house over by Travis Park that has the observatory, if its hasnt been torn down) and I need to refresh my memories of them before I post about them. I've been away too long!

[Memories Galore]

Originally Posted by Willsatx

Smu GREAT pics, what year was that? Seeing those pics is how I remember Windsor, I love the whataburger pic.

Yes, thanks for sharing the pics. Like Willsatx, I loved the whataburger photo. As soon as I saw it I had an instant memory of my husband and I eating there often (when we were dating). I appreciate you sharing!