Gone But Not Forgotten in San Antonio! - Part I (Mission: moving van, elevator)

[wCat]

Originally Posted by GWhopper

First off, a big warning for all of you San Antonio History buffs who are considering paying money for the NewspaperArchive.com site: I just found out all entries for San Antonio end in 1977. Since the late 70's early 80's is the time that most interests me (when I grew up here) this is extremly frustrating. I don't know if anything after 1977 is waiting to be transfered from the old micro-fiche format, or if there is another souce on the net that now houses the information. I have a friend who once worked at the Express-News and his role was digitizing the old micro-fiche to be put into a database, you can bet I am going to hit this guy up to see what the F is going on.

GW....I'd be interested in what your friend knows as well. This is only a part of the story that I know about. I'm sure you know that when the "Light" shut down, all rights to it were purchased by the Express News. The Hearst Corp originally owned the Light, but when they purchased the EN, they didn't see the need to have competing newspapers. When MySa.com started, they archived everything going back to 77 (can't remember why that date)....but it had to do with what wasn't already public record I think. Since most libraries have the old newspapers on microfilm, they became public records and the news couldn't really "sell" what was public...yet! (IE charge for what was already public). I generally don't research anything within the last 30 years, so I'm not sure if the library has 1977 and everything forward to the present yet. Everything before that and of public record is considered "historical publications". I'm not sure that cleared up anything, but I think it's more about proprietary rights than anything.

[Dwangle]

Thanks for the information. Maybe it was an advertising scheme that never worked out. Something like sky writing or pulling a banner. This guy was using a loudspeaker to advertise movies, cartoons or whatever.

[wCat]

A few pages back, Burr Rd and George Brackenridge's last home were mention....and I posted a photo of it. Since then I've done a bit of research.

Satx56....you were right that the house itself fell in the Bel Meade area. I found a plat of its location. Bel Meade dips down into Ft Sam.....and if you were to divide it into approximately four equal quadrants, the house would have been located right about dead center of Bel Meade where E Brandon meets W Brandon. Of course that's not accurate, but it's fairly close.

The house was used for a short time by the military between the great wars, but the depression and hard times fell upon the upkeep. An attempt was made to make it a military/civilian club, but there wasn't enough money to get that off the ground. It was then purchased by someone from out of town....and again, the upkeep was difficult. He tried to rent it out or sell it for a number of years, but the market was dismal. In the late 30's the house was threatened by grass fires and was almost burned to the ground. Most of the surrounding landscaping and foliage was devastated. Finally...the land was purchased and developed by the Steves family. The house was demolished and Bel Meade was platted in the late 1940's....but didn't take off until the 50's and 60's.

I couldn't find anything about the demo itself, only a reference to how everyone remembered with sadness the day it came down. Being an architecture junkie, it makes me crazy to think an Atlee Ayers home was demolished and one that was owned by such a HUGE figure in the history of this city. Where was the preservation society then??

[Dwangle]

I just thought of something. The ice cream man could have increased his profits if he had played paid advertisements in the form of jingles or songs instead of the same mindless tune over and over.

[Nowhere else but SA]

[quote=GWhopper;6339014]How awesome is this;


YouTube - Hemisfair 1968 San Antonio

GW, Thanks for this link. It must have been wonderful to have participated in the construction of the Tower, or part of the festivities surrounding the events. I was born that year but unfortunately not in S.A. I lived in S.A. since I was 6 months old up to when I joined the Military 15 years ago. Since then I have been to San Antonio a limited of times. I had never been to the tower until recently. For although Im a S.A. tonioan, My kids are not and they consider themselves tourists when we go there they want to go up the San Antonio City Icon.

[BudB]

Chester Slimp was the owner/operator of Slimp Oil Company. It was a local, small scale oil refining operation that had a plant in Somerset named The Pioneer Oil and Refining Company. but it has been inoperative since 1948. At the time the facility operated, it produced oil and oil products, including roofing tar. The site includes two large pits and two brick tanks, all of which contain a tar-like hydrocarbon substance. Chester Slimp built The Castle in 1929 which is now named the Lodge Restaurant a decidedly up scale eatery.

[Willsatx]

Originally Posted by GWhopper

This past saturday, I was in the area and decided to take a walk through Ingram Mall. I haven't been there in years. I wanted to see what was left of the old days. I was expecting to see a dying mall, kind of like Crossroads now or Windsor and Central Park were when they shut down. To my surprise the place was thriving. It was packed with people. What's left of the old days? Other than the main anchors, the Walden's Books was still in the exact same place and looks much the same as it did in the 80's (I bought a book there, just to contribute something). The Hallmark shoppe, I think, was an original. There is the Piercing Pagoda, though they are no longer in that retro 70's hut under the escalator Spencer's gifts is still there in the same place. The little Ice Cream place with all the bare lightbulbs around the sign is still in the exact same place on the first floor, and I guess you can argue that the Babbage's is still there, albeit in a different location, since Babbage's changed their name to GameStop. Still a Chick-fil-a there (two actually, one in the food court and one in the parking lot) but I don't count that as original since the one I used to go to was by the Sear's. Fredrick's of Hollywood is still there, too. Sadly, no Chess King .

Now this is a little interesting, probably only to me: When I was 10 years old I broke the escalator in the Sears at Ingram Park. I was walking backwards on the escalator, going against the motion. I don't know if you know this, but those two lights that shine out of the side of the escalator at the top and bottom are sensors. If an object gets stuck between these sensors, the whole escalator shuts down. By walking against the motion and therefore staying in the same place, I shut down the escalator. My mom, who is generally very angry to begin with, was really, really pi$$ed at me for that. I thought it was very cool that I could break an entire escalator. When I was there this past Saturday, there was a kid, around 10 years old, doing the same thing on the same escalator that I broke in 1980. I thought about warning him, but figured he'd have better memories later if he just broke the damn thing again.

The B. Dalton's, my favorite bookstore there and what started this little trip down memory lane, is gone now. Most of its space has been taken over by the athletic store next door, and what little space is left was apparently some store called True Identity that is already out of business. All the cool wood facade has been ripped out.

Primo has challenged me to find out the name of the electronic's store downstairs on the Sear's wing that sold the big screens and always had JAWS playing on the main display. I am hunting that down now.

Rest in Peace, Pat McGee's and Ocean Pacific. I eagerly await the return of the Chess King!

I remember where the IBC bank is located thats where I saw many movies, then went across the hall for some pizza. Anyone remember the orange bowl next to the dipping bars.

[GWhopper]

Originally Posted by Willsatx

I remember where the IBC bank is located thats where I saw many movies, then went across the hall for some pizza. Anyone remember the orange bowl next to the dipping bars.

Yes! I remember the Orange Julius on the second floor of the Sears wing, and the Orange Bowl on the first floor. I don't remember what specifically they serverd, though (at the Orange Bowl). The Pizza Place you mentioned was Luca's Pizza. I posted a little of their history much earlier on this thread. I had a little direct history with those guys.

[GWhopper]

Originally Posted by wCat

GW....I'd be interested in what your friend knows as well. This is only a part of the story that I know about. I'm sure you know that when the "Light" shut down, all rights to it were purchased by the Express News. The Hearst Corp originally owned the Light, but when they purchased the EN, they didn't see the need to have competing newspapers. When MySa.com started, they archived everything going back to 77 (can't remember why that date)....but it had to do with what wasn't already public record I think. Since most libraries have the old newspapers on microfilm, they became public records and the news couldn't really "sell" what was public...yet! (IE charge for what was already public). I generally don't research anything within the last 30 years, so I'm not sure if the library has 1977 and everything forward to the present yet. Everything before that and of public record is considered "historical publications". I'm not sure that cleared up anything, but I think it's more about proprietary rights than anything.

I'll chase it down for us. While I love chasing down SA history through these archives, most of what is near and dear to my heart died commercially in the late 80's. After paying money and being denied access to content from this time, I'm a little pi$$ed. I don't mind paying more money, but I want access to ALL the content I am interested in. I get a little relentless about this stuff.

[wCat]

Originally Posted by gwhopper

i'll chase it down for us. While i love chasing down sa history through these archives, most of what is near and dear to my heart died commercially in the late 80's. After paying money and being denied access to content from this time, i'm a little pi$$ed. I don't mind paying more money, but i want access to all the content i am interested in. I get a little relentless about this stuff.

me too!