Give Me an S!

My initials over at My Ranchburger

There had been a store named Day's, on Main Street in Houston, that closed sometimes back in the 'forties or 'fifties the antiques dealer told me. He had sold the Y, leaving him with D, A and S. I bought the A for myself and the D for a friend's daughter, Debbie. "Why not buy the S?" he asked.

"Because I don't have an S in my name."

"How do you know you won't have an S in your name someday?"

"You're funny!"

He loaded the huge wooden letters into my car and away I drove, not knowing that there was a Tall Husband in my future; a man whose last initial was S.

Tall Husband and I had been married for a few weeks, when he discovered that same little antique shop one weekend while I was at a conference. He spotted the big red S on a shelf. By this time, that letter had been sitting there for about five years. Tall Husband had no idea that I had bought the A at the same shop; he just thought the two letters would look good together.

So, when I came home that evening, we both had a surprise. I had an S for my new name and Tall Husband got to hear the story of how I had, years earlier, refused to buy the S.

"I wonder," said Tall Husband, "Who got the apostrophe from Day's?"

Bungalow Heaven

This is one of the seventy-eight plus gray and white bungalows owned by the Menil foundation.

Another gray and white bungalow.


This bungalow is occupied by Da Camera.

In another bungalow is the Menil Bookstore.

The Menil Collection Museum in Houston, Texas. This gray and white, modern style building was designed by Pritzker-Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano who, with architect Richard Rogers, designed the Centre George Pompidou in Paris, France.

Here's another view of the Menil Collection Museum.

Above is the Cy Twombly Gallery at the Menil Collection (i.e., just across the street from the Menil.) This building was also designed by Renzo Piano. The interior, which one is not allowed to photograph, is the real star of this Piano design: the roof of the building is designed to let in every ray of natural light and the ceiling of every room is of white canvas, which casts a luminescent glow. Magical!

In Houston, the fourth largest city in the United States, there are no zoning laws. An attempt to control neighborhood blight is through enforcement of deed restrictions. An historic designation on a building in this city doesn't stop the bulldozers; it only slows them. Therefore, it is rare to find a neighborhood that is esthetically and architecturally consistent, especially an old one. Not far from the downtown area is the neighborhood of Lancaster Place, a community of all gray and white 1920's and 1930's bungalows. Some of the bungalows are rented and some are used as offices. Among these charming, well conserved bungalows are thoughtfully designed buildings by world-class architects. Everything blends; there are no monster condos or McMansions. Also in the neighborhood are the Rothko Chapel and the Byzantine Fresco Chapel. This jewel of a neighborhood and world art hub is the result of years spent in thoughtful philanthropic planning by Dominique and Jean de Menil who bought the bungalows in 1960 and had them all painted gray with white trim. Some say that Dominique's choice of colors was inspired by a village in her native France. The French do have a way with grey!

Outside Links:
FindArticles - Obituary: Dominique de Menil
Independent, The (London), Feb 14, 1998, by Marguerite Johnston

Da Camera of Houston

The Menil Collection

Heights Theater: Update

Upper left: "Cinema Houston;" Upper right: "Houston Deco;" Lower right: Heights Theater featured in "Houston Deco;" Lower left: my recent shot of the old marquee and sign.

When we were shopping at the Highland Village Pottery Barn, Tall Husband spotted Beverly Berry, the Super Realtor who is handling the sale of the Heights Theater. Beverly told us that the old theater's marquee, doors and sign are "grandfathered in" so cannot be altered. To our ears, that's great news. She did say the restrooms are original and will have to be made accessible plus other upgrades. She is "working out parking" for the old theater. She went on to say that many people have told her they would love a restaurant there. We talked about how that area's being dry has not affected the business of the existing restaurants in the neighborhood (members can buy wine at some establishments and BYOW to others).

Beverly also mentioned a book that includes the history of the Heights Theater, "Cinema Houston: from Nickelodeon to Megaplex," by David Welling (copyright 2007.) We jumped into the Old Bemer and headed directly to Borders Books on West Alabama @ Kirby to buy the book. We also found another book, "Houston Deco: Modernistic Architecture of the Texas Coast," by Jim Parsons (copyright 2008.) "Houston Deco" also features the Heights Theater. Both books will indulge your nostalgia, especially if you are a Houstonian or a lover of historic architecture.


Contact Beverly Berry @ 713.302.6999 for further information.