Gone But Not Forgotten in San Antonio! - Part II (Houston: weddings, farm)

[THOMAS655]

I moved to s.a. In 1969 with my parents when my dad retired from the army (i was 7 years old). The hemisfair world's fair had just happened, and this city started to boom!! I live on the n.e. Side of san antonio (same house since 1969, my parents passed away and i am still here), and this side of town was pretty well established by then (windcrest, terrell hills, alamo heights, etc...). I remember when walzem road was nothing but a farm to market road until roosevelt high school went in around 1970 (proud graduate from there in 1980, my wife in 1985). I saw windsor park mall being built, it changed roosevelt high into a fenced-in school to keep kids from "skipping out" and going to the mall.

I was a bowler for years, astro bowl, wonder bowl in my junior bowling days. How many of you remember some of the closed bowling centers in town- all star lanes on roosevelt, southside lanes on zarzamora, san pedro lanes on rector behind northstar mall, thunder bowl at culebra & callaghan, bowlerama on blanco rd., san antonio sports palace on n.e. Loop 410, hermann & sons downtown on st. Marys (still there, but closed, this was like stepping back in history being in this old place). My first job was at wonder bowl when i was 16, then worked at sports palace until they closed it in 1982.

The sports palace was a retrofit of an old department store, bullocks, with 30 lanes on one side and 24 lanes on the other side. It was right between the century building (now time warner) and a bank building on the corner of mccullough and 410. It had a skating rink, a large sunken open gameroom right in the middle with pool tables, pinball machines, and the latest video games (pacman, space invaders, etc...), a large bar with big screen t.v. For sports broadcasts. It even had a radio station live remote booth where i think woai radio did live remotes from the bowling center!!! This place made so much money in the short 7 years that it was open, it would scare you.

I would love to hear from anyone else with old bowling stories from "back in the day".

[ged_782]

Originally Posted by Primo

Good Memory! Can you elaborate on what that corner looked like (from the Time warner Building to McCullough). I just remember the Kiddie City.

The only things I remember on the South side of 410 (McCullough to Jones-Maltsberger) were Spartan-Atlantic (later to become Bullock's, as THOMAS655 pointed out), Kiddie City (which later became a restaurant called Boston Sea Party), Mercantile Bank on the corner of McCullough, and a Denny's restaurant on the corner of Jones-Maltsberger. The Century Building was built in the early 1970s.

On the North side of 410, the only thing that was located along that same stretch for a long time was a satellite location of Jordan Ford, on the corner of McCullough. It was just a lot with an inventory of new & used cars, and a little shack that served as the sales office. The La Mansion Del Norte hotel was built on that site after they closed down the car lot.

[outafocus]

Originally Posted by ged_782

San Antonio Sports Palace.

That's it! Thank you.

I remember when Randy's Rodeo on Bandera Road was a bowling alley!

Another bowling alley I frequented in my younger days is still there, Oak Hills Lanes on Callaghan @ Fredericksburg Road.

[Willsatx]

Originally Posted by Primo

Good Memory! Can you elaborate on what that corner looked like (from the Time warner Building to McCullough). I just remember the Kiddie City.

So was the time warner building already there, is the old kiddie city building torn down. I do not remember where it was.

[ged_782]

The Time Warner building is or was called the Century Building. The Spartan-Atlantic building was just West of the Century Building, and Kiddie City was just West of Spartan-Atlantic. I'm pretty sure Spartan-Atlantic and Kiddie City were the first businesses built along that stretch. They both dated back to at least the mid-1960s.

The Kiddie City/Boston Sea Party building and the Spartan-Atlantic/Bullock's/Sports Palace building were both torn down. Papadeaux's and Renaissance Plaza now sit on what were the former's parking lot, and the hotel in the back now sits where the buildings were.

[THOMAS655]

Originally Posted by outafocus

that's it! Thank you.

I remember when randy's rodeo on bandera road was a bowling alley!

Another bowling alley i frequented in my younger days is still there, oak hills lanes on callaghan @ fredericksburg road.

randy's rodeo was originally bowlerland bandera.

[BudB]

Originally Posted by Nix54

I will seach for pictures of the neighborhood. I may also have some old Snap magazines from the 60's.

Excellent news Rick and I too look forward to discussing the old Eastside neighborhood. Hope you can find some old SNAPs because they are each a small gold mine of people, places, and stories from that part of SA. I've already interviewed SNAP creator, owner, & publisher Eugene Coleman whose own history is a major part of the area's past. You'll be glad to learn that he's still cooking, literally, and his small, takeout eatery, named Snap Fish Fry, is open everyday except Sundays at N. Hackberry and E. Houston. Sadly his home burned down a few years back and nearly all his files, fotos and other memorabilia were lost. Other friends have offered a few old SNAPs and more are always welcome. Here's my favorite cover of those seen so far and it's from your year. Nat King Cole was a big star back then and San Antonio was a regular stop for him.

[allenk893]

I can't believe it. Never thought I would but I actually miss San Antonio! Not like I want to live there and go through the crap again. Too much crazy crime for me. But i'm missing the people. I'm missing the friends I made there. I never had any best friends before I came to San Antonio. All my best friends are from San Antonio now that I still keep in touch with. Even though I may have complained about SA while I was there, I always felt there was this energy in the city that I loved and admired. You always feel like something is going on no matter where you live. If your home or not. That's something that I never felt in Florida.

[Nix54]

Originally Posted by BudB

Excellent news Rick and I too look forward to discussing the old Eastside neighborhood. Hope you can find some old SNAPs because they are each a small gold mine of people, places, and stories from that part of SA. I've already interviewed SNAP creator, owner, & publisher Eugene Coleman whose own history is a major part of the area's past. You'll be glad to learn that he's still cooking, literally, and his small, takeout eatery, named Snap Fish Fry, is open everyday except Sundays at N. Hackberry and E. Houston. Sadly his home burned down a few years back and nearly all his files, fotos and other memorabilia were lost. Other friends have offered a few old SNAPs and more are always welcome. Here's my favorite cover of those seen so far and it's from your year. Nat King Cole was a big star back then and San Antonio was a regular stop for him.

I found some Snaps! Here are 3 of 7 that I have found. I am sure I have more. I will keep searching for Snaps and old pictures of the Nolan/Pine strip center. I do have some pictures of the back of the building, since the back served as our back yard.

Snap Titles;

Dec 11, 1959, Jester Hairston in "The Alamo"

October 28,1955, Thurgood Marshall and Honeyboy Turner

Sept. 12, 1959, Funeral Services For Daniel Henson Killed By Police Officer

Is there a African Americana musuem in SA?

Here's a quick note about Jester Hairston... Sammy Davis, Jr. campaigned vigorously for the part of Jethro, Jim Bowie's slave, but was passed over in favor of Jester Hairston, a less controversial choice (Davis's "Rat Pack" status and interracial romance with May Britt made him an unpopular choice with investors in the film).

[BudB]

Originally Posted by Nix54

I found some Snaps!Is there a African Americana musuem in SA?

Love those SNAP covers and no, there's no African American Museum in San Antonio. Dallas, Plano, and Denton County have one each while Houston has one dedicated to Buffalo Soldiers but nothing similar in SA. Keep in mind that SA's historic black population has always been relatively small at about 6% of the city and discrete in being mostly on the Eastside. This by the way is why both my previous publishers have backed out on my Eastside SA history book idea after both expressed early interest in it. They worry it's too narrow in scope and won't sell so it's a marketing decision not one based on the book's real merit. I got the same crud from Texas A & M Press about my "Chinese Heart of Texas" book so we self published and it paid for itself within the first year following publication. TAMU Press's ignorance was second only to their shortsightedness as a good book sells if promoted properly.