[12] In addition to the loss of businesses and customers to the Sugar Land area, further compounded by many big box retailers opening new locations in and around said area,[4] such aforementioned big box stores as well as discounters including Walmart and Target have grown on the loyalties of customers who used to frequent shopping malls. The exterior was like brown rocks. The mall itself opened in 1975 with a two-story floorplan, anchored by Joske's on the west end and Sears on the east end, with the freeway frontage, and featured 60 stores and a food court, with its most notable architectural feature being an unconventional main entrance on the Bissonnet Street side of the mall; this entrance housed an elevator These are the best restaurants with outdoor seating near Houston, TX: People also liked: restaurants for lunch, vegan friendly restaurants. Home construction 1965. When the Houston Ship Channel was built in the early 1950s, Houston was even more important because of the oil industrys emergence. By May 2007, Sharpstown was nearly 75% occupied, mostly local tenants which now dominated the mall's retail base. They have a parking lot available so you're always able tomore, The food was good. During the heights of video arcadom, the mall had two of them, the one by JC Pennys and the on in the food court. I heard from a woman at my church that the owners are going to tear down and rebuild a larger home. Cities occasionally need to make certain improvements to their infrastructures to help economic. Samir Dharia moved to Houston from New York in 1985. [8] Also during this time, a third anchor in JCPenney was added as well as a food court in the former Battelstein's department store. haha Does anyone remember that radio control/model train/hobby shop that used to be on the 1st floor close to the Ward's? The Galleria mall in Houston is Texas largest mall. I grew up at Greenspoint Mall! There was a model shop/hobby shop on the second floor (kind of in the corner) that was the coolest place for a teenage boy to hang out in. It was also huge. He profitted and we laughed! Get highlights, trending news, and behind-the-scenes insights from Houston Public Media delivered to your inbox each week. Generous parrillada platters, crave-worthy, spicy salsas, and a quick-and-easy drive-thru have made the restaurant a dependable favorite in southwest Houston for years. Go my first Honda from Gillman Honda when they were in the small showroom in the corner. Edited by 3. I thought that was what it must be like in Hollywood. I'd go back just for that. [10][11], Consequently, customers even within the surrounding area were deterred, and major retailers who desired a low crime, middle class, and wealthy area for profitable support began to leave. Every weekend I drive past Pat Neff Elem. In 2006 the Houston Press alternative weekly newspaper awarded Sharpstown Center "Best Hip-hop Mall,"[13] and Sharpstown began to bill itself as "Houston's Premiere Urban Mall" on its website. [citation needed] Sharp would also place a time capsule in the cornerstone of the mall.[7]. They like to keep stuff spicy but there are some stuff that isn't spicy. Loewe's, maybe? Some people may feel that Sharpstown is a great area because it offers a variety of amenities and is relatively safe. http://oscarmail.net/photos/sharpstown_con_circa_1965.jpg, Also, check out these images of the corner of Bellaire and US 59, http://community.webshots.com/album/94213053YBeTbI, http://community.webshots.com/photo/942130049276982aNZCCZ. Copyright 2020 by KPRC Click2Houston - All rights reserved. Bought my first CD from Foleys! Sharpstown Time Capsule was opened March 11, 2000 at the country club. The SFH around the golf course and across Bellaire as well as next to Braeburn are truly beautiful and property values are rising dramatically. The area is also known as the Texas Gulf Coasts cultural and economic heart. When I lived there beginning in 1969, Sharpstown had 3 sections referred to as Sharpstown 1 (Bintliff east area, Sutton Elem., Jane Long Jr. High), Sharpstown2 (Sandpiper to SW Freeway), and Sharpstown 3(West side of SW Freeway, Mary Bates area, Pat Neff Elem., Sharptown Jr. High. The first phase of Sharpstown, which included the construction of residential and commercial areas, was completed in 1962. In the early 1960s, Sharp purchased 1,100 acres of land southwest of Houston with the intention of developing it into a master-planned community. However, by the mid-1990s, the mall began to decline due to competition from newer malls such as The Galleria. In 1996, First Colony Mall opened in the suburb of Sugar Land, which resulted in Sharpstown losing many of its national retailers and a core customer base in Fort Bend County that had long been critical to the mall's survival. You guys have brought back so much memories for me while living in sharpstown back in the 80's- neff, sharpstown middle, sharpstown mall, the theater next door, astroworld, fame city and so much. Powered by Invision Community. Don't know which theater was at W. Bellfort & Fondren. A couple of months ago there was a house fire at Burning Tree and Sharpview. [4][5] A 1970 Houston Chronicle article stated that Frank Sharp decided not to delay the opening; therefore the morale of Houstonians would be increased. Maybe this home is the beginning of Sharpstown's rebirth! It will be managed by Matthew Lopez, an engineer with Cobb Fendley & Associates. The area is bounded by Bissonnet Street on the north, Bellaire Boulevard on the south, the Sam Houston Tollway on the west, and Dairy Ashford Road on the east. The seven-member TIRZ No. The mall has since been renovated and now includes a mix of retail, office, and residential space. Whats the biggest shopping mall in Houston? KPRC 2s Amy Davis took a stop at her old stomping grounds, Greenspoint Mall in north Houston, during a Facebook Live Wednesday. Her dad was a K-Mart manager. Finner says the suspect had a sharp object and came at the officers, who then opened The statute authorizing the creation of PIDs is found in Chapter 372 of the Local Government. New businesses may not locate in cities where the streets are inadequate, the utility service is substandard, or the public facilities and services are inferior. Man those were great times. However - I don't wish for all the old Sharpstown homes to be torn down and replaced with McMansions - they are great, solidly built homes. Amenities: (713) 777-5391 Visit Website Map & Directions 7500 Bellaire Blvd Ste 201Houston, TX 77036 Write Macys, Sears, and many other well-known brands can be found at the mall. These developments included countless new apartment complexes home to young professionals in Houston's energy industry, residential developments as far south as Missouri City, the construction of Houston Baptist University, Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital, numerous car dealerships, and a new studio complex for the city's NBC television affiliate, KPRC-TV and its sister radio station KPRC-AM. The aforementioned crime issues also continued to take their toll on Sharpstown Center, as the crime rate in the area surrounding the mall increased in the late 1990s and early 2000s due to white flight and urban decay. We knew there was a whole foods in the area but didn't explore until last weekend. A graduate of the University of Houston-Downtown, Ana moved to H-Town from sunny southern California in 2015. He was alway working on them in the driveway and about every 30 minutes you could hear him holler at his wife, "Etheeeeellllll! I was born and raised in Sharpstown, SHS class of '85. Just drove past it the other day. growth within an area. This spot used to be a James Coney Island, but its days of serving hot dogs are long over. I told her she really frightened me as a child and she said, "How else do you think I kept all those kids in line?" Not surprisingly, the first day of business brought only 8,000 shoppers (a number that was affected by the hurricane). I guess based on the then current home building trends, a HS like Sharpstown HS needed to be built and the location was central enough. WebBasically the Sharpstown mall used to be the most popular mall in Houston, regularly doing significantly more in sales than the Galleria. General Hours. Sharpstown jeweler shutters store after 24 years. It was built in Sharpstown Industrial Park Section 12.[3]. That picture is awesome. Bill Calderon, executive director of the Authority and TIRZ No. Trust me. One house is on the north side of W. Belfort between Willowbend and Chimney Rock. Food Delivery ServicesComfort FoodCaterersGalleria/Uptown, Sausage & Pepper, Meatball, and Chicken Bacon Ranch, Definitely order the popcorn chicken. The mall was two stories, featuring a food court. Sharpstown Mall deterioation caused by demographic change to lower income families, and thugs, causing a change in disposable income shopping at mall. 1.1 miles. If the staff is reading this, the only change I'd make is to upgrade the bathroom. I can recall that the floors in the mall were done in these small red circular tiles with the railings and metal stairs painted brown. In other words, not far from his later River Oaks digs. The other places were more exciting to shop in. Sharpstown is actually a fascinating piece of Houston history. Case opinion for TX Court of Appeals EWB LLC v. PLAZAMERICAS MALL TEXAS LLC SHARPSTOWN MALL TEXAS LLC BURLINGTON COAT FACTORY REALTY OF BELLAIRE INC MAI MATTHEW INC CCW LLC SMITH FLP LTD AND LG SHARPSTOWN BELLAIRE LLC. At least one of those was used for PE when I went there. We went there all of the time just to kill time cause my family was pretty new to Houston and did not know too many people in town. I see the "Conquistador." To alleviate flooding along Fondren, Pittman said 36-inch and 42-inch drainage lines under Bellaire Boulevard will be replaced with 60-inch pipes, which will run west to a drainage ditch that runs parallel to Fondren. I have very vivid memories of Sharpstown Mall. [21][22] The redevelopment into PlazAmericas was expected to create 500 jobs. We went to the JC penny all of the time. 20, created by the city of Houston in 1999 and governed by the Authority. Our server was also really nice and was willing to help us withmore, My friend and me got the super long wait at Kyuramen then we decided to try this korean place, i got kbbq the day before so i skipped HoneyPig. (Apparently the astronauts were not allowed to accept the homes.) If you'd like to sign up now, fill out the form below and we will add you as soon as we finish the transition. I had no idea Sharpstown was such an important development to Houston. Not sure what is driving the home values up in Sharpstown (near the Sharpstown country club), but I agree, many neighbors are good people and many are even native Texans to boot. The address for Sharpstown Mall is 7500 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, TX 77036. Who Is The Owner For Sharpstown Mall? Baker Katz, a Houston-based retail firm, purchased PlazAmericas Mall, a 850,000-square- foot shopping center in Houston. In 1922, the J.C. Nichols Company of Missouri constructed the first shopping mall known as the Country Club Plaza. The sign sums it up: You can get both here, though we prefer the former, whose skinny batons of dough are fried fresh to order, then coated in cinnamon-sugar. I think Harwin strip had nothing to do with Sharpstown's downfall. that much of the commercial properties and apartments could be bulldozed and redeveloped. And the had a stage there? I knew a lot of guys from Sharpstown High School that worked there as well. I have yet to go to the South Park location so this new location on 59 andmore, What a great find. The mall was renamed Sharpstown Center at this time. My favorite store there was "Dream Merchant". Jeffrey Toobin Connects Timothy McVeigh, Guns, Militias and January 6, Become a member to support the independent voice of Houston Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. Galleria was too upscale. Join others and make your gift to Houston Public Media today. I've been so busy with my new job (project managing luxury home construction and loving it) that I haven't been able to visit much. I also could have been one of those kids standing at the clock, I have a good memory of that thing. It is true that sometimes transitional neighborhoods are like bad drunks, they have to hit rock bottom before they want to go into rehab! Davy Crockett addition, west of Lamar Hi, south of River Oaks, 153 homes on 37a, $10,000 price range. Are these SPEC home or high end CUSTOM homes? My dad still lives in the area and there isn't anything really bad happening in his immediate area. Oh no. PlazAmericas, formerly known as Sharpstown Mall and earlier Sharpstown Center, is a shopping mall located in the Sharpstown development in Greater Sharpstown, Houston, Texas. Don't know how and why Sharptown High School was located all the way up on Bissonnet. This isn't a slam on Sharpstown, a lot of great neighborhoods benefit from some level of default factor. When I was a LITTLE kid I'd go there with my Mom and "Mr. Sam" would always give me a piece of bubblegum. In answer to your question, old_sharpstown, I don't know what PID is, but I remember reading about TIRZ an article that was in Chronicle a few months ago and partially quoted here: Those costs will be financed through the (Sharpstown) Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone No. [15], On December 28, 2007, Macy's announced that it would close its location in Sharpstown, the last remaining original anchor from the mall's 1961 opening. The remains of the bank are three drive-throughs in the middle of the front parking lot that are still standing to this day. Or, is the concentration in the neartown areas and the Heights (where I live) getting in the way? I would love to be able to zoom in. WebSharpstown Sections 1, 1A, 2, 3, and 5 form the original sections of Sharpstown. Oak Forest - 1147a, west of Garden Oaks, 4780 houses, 'homes for veterans in the $6700 price range,' construction was due to start in a couple of weeks. I met a person attending SHS in year 2000. On Wednesday's show: Four HPD officers dismissed in 2020 after shooting and killing Nicolas Chavez have been reinstated, the week in politics, and advice on preparing and filing your taxes. Posted September 13, 2004. These are the best restaurants for lunch near Houston, TX: People also liked: restaurants with outdoor seating, vegan friendly restaurants. Sharpstown Mall opened in 1961 as the first air-conditioned shopping mall in Houston. Back then, their electronics section was the bomb. From Ethiopian to halal fried chicken to the best mall food court you've ever seen, Sharpstown's culinary offerings shouldn't be overlooked. Full Member. It said that ''After nearly 40 years of serving you in Sharpstown, the Finnger Furniture Company is closing our Sharpstown Mall location''. I'm so glad that others had the same mall experience I had with Sharpstown in the early 80's. The project's engineer, HNTB Architects Engineers Planners, estimated the outlined improvements would cost between $2.5-$3 million. You will be able to leave a comment after signing in, Draloc, Inc. Resources like these are made possible by the generosity of our community of donors, foundations, and corporate partners. [2] The anchor stores are Burlington, SuperNova Furniture, America Cinemas, La Sorella, Gold Factory & Imports, and Clarewood Supermercado. Unfortunately they didn't have any photos or other information. SHarpstown is still a great placequiet and with many original residents still there. This is a review for restaurants near Houston, TX: "Doesn't look like much when you past it, but if you go inside, you'll be amazed with the interior. And loved going to God Father's Pizza in the same strip mall as Safeway. I also went to Strake Jesuit so I knew Bellaire before it became Chinatown West. A city may undertake such a project through the creation of a Public Improvement, The Public Improvement District Assessment Act allows any city to levy and collect special. It was the place to be mall-wise. I unfortunately had to sell our property after owning it when new in 1966. Over the last two years, he's covered a wide range of topics, from politics and immigration to culture and the arts. We were the class that gave Principle Jackson a quarter with each hand shake. Unfortunately those photos are not available online, http://www.lib.utexas.edu/taro/utcah/00451/cah-00451.html. You can still see the original 1955 plaque for the time capsule at Sharpstown Park at Bellaire and Mary Bates. You know a meal is going to be good when it begins with what look like homemade jugs of tej, sweet, slightly fizzy Ethiopian honey wine. What are your best memories of Greenspoint Mall? It would be fitting to renovate it into Houston's first mall with a retractable roof. They finally got rid of it many years later. Sharpstown is a great place. Glad to hear Mr. Martin is still around. I really cringe when I hear people talking about how "bad" the Sharpstown area is. Sharpstown Mall was built in 1961 and was one of the first suburban shopping malls in Houston. Ok, the interior might be awesome but what aboutmore, The corn cheese, kimchi fried rice (w spam) and soju blends (esp orange creamsicle and gummy bear) were all awesome. Adding a business to Yelp is always free. But, since most of the homes were custom built there the housing stock just has a better quality fit & finish in the details than what they see in Sharpstown. Ralph Bivins and Greg Hassell of the Houston Chronicle said that the mall's decline began in the late 1980s. Whatever you ordergordita, pupusa or tacoget it filled with the signature trompo: strips of tangy-sweet achiote-flavored pork with crispy, griddled edges. Do you think the Harwin strip contributed to its downfall? Patel said the intersection's safety aspects are compounded by Metro bus riders, who must cross Fondren or Bellaire on foot to change bus routes. Chalk me up as another Sharpstown Mall Rat of the 80's. When Sharpstown Center opened, it was located on the edge of Houston's southwest suburbs. Woah! Before you head out to stroll the mall, grab a fruit-filled popsicle from this rainbow-hued dessert bar near the entrance to the PlazAmericas food courtif you can choose just one from among the dozens of flavors in the frosty case. In 2009, with the mall under the ownership of Philadelphia-based RAIT Financial Trust, the manager of the mall's interior core, Boxer Property, announced that the mall would be renamed "PlazAmericas. I would agree with the Valley Girl type reference in that it was a very hip teen place to hang out back then. Sharpstown. I quickly witnessed the mall change from a standard suburban retail destination to a struggling urban shopping center. Oh for it to be 1982 and a teen again - except with all the income and knowledge I have now. I remember watching a move called The Brother's O'Toole (with John Aston) in the family station wagon. My parents bought me some 80's modern furniture from the Store House by Foleys. 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By Sharpstown mall in the 80's was awesome. Trust me. According to Davis in the video comments, she hasnt been inside the mall for over 20 years. 3. I am seeing lots of redevelopment in areas going on near downtown that I never thought would happen. Does anyone have photos of Sharpstown center in the 60's? We used to eat at the Del Taco that's a sandwich shop now. It was all quite forward-thinking in 1955 when the project was launched. [9] In 1993, the mall underwent a $50 million renovation,[5] with the largest addition being a new ten-screen Cineplex Odeon movie theater. Nick Patel, owner/manager of Collision Plus Inc. at 7628 Bellaire Blvd., located roughly 500 feet from the intersection, said since his family opened the business in 1992, they've seen a good number of accidents, rollovers and illegal turns. building. [5] The loss of Montgomery Ward would leave Foley's as the mall's only remaining anchor tenant, if not the only remaining original tenant from the mall's 1961 opening. Anyone know the history of the land that is across the street from Sharpstown mall where the Gillman Mitsubishi/Honda used to be before it moved out? They didn't complete the project before school started so I guess that's why they had to move in all the extra temporaries. Dude across the street from us was huge--maybe 400 pounds- and only drove Mini Coopers. The area includes the Jewelry Exchange Center, a ten-story building. Then Westwood Mall opened a little further down 59. Don't remember what movies we saw there - I probably just fell asleep. (Section 4?) WebPlazAmericas, formerly known as Sharpstown Mall and earlier Sharpstown Center, is a shopping mall located in the Sharpstown development in Greater Sharpstown, Houston, In 2020, she joined the KPRC 2 digital team as an intern. When Frank Sharp built Sharpstown in the mid and late 50s, it was a suburb out in the country. Houston is now a top business, biomedical, and entertainment center in the United States. The unidentified man gained control of Adams' gun and shot the officer, Finner said. There is one Sharpstown realtor who has been saying for years, "Sharpstown is the next Bellaire." I think that is Mr. Terhune - who I remember fondly from my parent's Sunday School class. It only worked for a very short while, the doors which opened up on the hour to reveal various scenes stopped opening soon after it was installed and it then became a huge ugly clock. According to Houston Police Department data, the intersection was listed among the city's Top 50 Accident Locations from Jan. 1-March 31, 2005. Those costs will be financed through the (Sharpstown) Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone No. I'm waiting, too. Today, Houstons answer to the Halal Guys dishes up its namesake fried chicken and spicy chicken-and-rice bowls drizzled with a creamy garlic sauceboth so good, theyre worth fighting traffic for. We were making a definite memory! The Foley's was huge. The mall is known for its popular AMC Neshaminy 24, which is counted among the top theaters in North America. The chain Antone's pale in comparison to the original locations. Much of Bellaire's early boom was from people priced out of West U. I'm sure that isn't everybody, but a good share. I told her what we had done to Mr. Jackson when we graduated. Houstonia Magazine Yes, Sharpstown High School had 2 smoking areas. What are the best vegan friendly restaurants? That BBQ Barn is still there. Pittman said the next three projects will improve Bellaire Boulevard between Mary Bates Drive and U.S. 59, and the Bellaire and Fondren Gateways at U.S. 59. I went to the mall under 5 times since those days and been sort of let down each time because it's just not the same. Therefore, Sharpstown's nice clothing stores, big name department stores pulled out, leaving it with many privately owned urban clothing stores, shoe stores, etc. I'm SHS class of 1990. Dec. 13, 2014. Granted, I see the same thing at Memorial City Mall and Galleria malls, but I see a lot more people carrying bags of clothing, etc. At the time of its opening, the mall consisted of 43 stores on one level including the first suburban branch of the Houston-based Foley's department store chain, as well as the first suburban locations of Houston Trunk Factory, Battelstein's and Florsheim Shoes. I hear of how Sharpstown used to be a prominent middle-to-upper middle class area similar to such areas as Timbergrove and Meyerland back in the 60s and would be interested to hear of its history. My dad worked at Sharpstown mall when I was young and we used to go every Saturday, this was in the 60s & early 70s. 1. Sharpstown may or may not deserve it, but it does have more of an image problem. We would go to the mall and hang out all day and play video games. It was developed by Sharpstown Center, Inc., a subsidiary of Sharpstown Realty Company, headed by financier Frank Sharp. Sharp designed the community to have all urban amenities, including hospitals, the Houston Music Theater (still there), a university (HBU), and a country club (now Sharpstown Park). WebMall Info. In high school, I worked at the K-Mart at 8150 Southwest Freeway across from the Channel 2 station. assessments on property that is within the city or within the city's extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ). Sharpstown Country Club Estates. HOUSTON The Houston man arrested on terrorism charges pleaded not guilty to all counts against him after appearing in court Wednesday afternoon. Once you turn off of the major roads and get 2 blocks away the homes and streets are just lovely in many cases. The video has gathered over 80,000 views, with viewers flooding the comments The intersection improvements are the first piece in a $33 million renovation of Bellaire Boulevard from U.S. 59 to Beltway 8 and Fondren from U.S. 59 to Westpark. He sold the land for Strake Jesuit and St. Agnes for a low price since he wanted those schools. Hmmm. a car that could go back in time!! The man in "station 7" is wearing an Arco shirt. And loved going to God Father's Pizza in the same strip mall as Safeway. Also - I saw that water tower photo for sale on eBay, but I didn't buy it. [18] By January 11, 2008, Sharpstown was operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and was up for sale. We like it best inside a cheese-fattened pupusa with a mound of crunchy, tart curtidopickled cabbage and carrotson the side.
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