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Thursday, January 24, 2013

Houston Guide and Handbook, 1968 (continued)


I posted the restaurant section of the 1968 Houston Guide and Handbook last week. Here's the section covering Market Square in downtown Houston. Unfortunately, the publisher didn't include page gutters, so the map goes into the page fold.

 It may be hard to read, but I noticed a few things.  First, the Alley Theater appears on the map.  I checked reliable sources, which say it opened in November 1968I had no idea it was built that long ago.  (I knew Jones Hall was completed in 1966; it appears on the map, too.)

You can see The Cellar on the west side of Market Square.  La Carafe is located on the north side and is denoted as #16 on the map. The Carafe, constructed in 1860, is the oldest remaining commercial building in Houston.  (Residences built before 1860 still exist, but no commercial buildings.)  It started out as a bakery.  It was once a Pony Express Office.  Today it's a wine bar.  Here's a history of the building if you're interested.

Last, the Spaghetti Warehouse building is listed as Warehouse No. 1, I think.  I'm not sure when it became a restaurant, but I know first-hand it was quite a while ago.

FYI: Market Square was the location of Houston's City Hall prior to construction of the current building on Smith Street in the 1930s.

Thank you, Terry Bates, for letting me scan this guide. 

   

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