Howdy Folks, and welcome back to another edition of This Week in Demolition! If you showed up last week wondering where the demo post was, I do apologize, but such are the perils of what is mostly a one-man operation. You can always check Houston Historic Retail’s Facebook page for more information on missing posts. Interesting demolitions this week include the shell station at Chimney Rock, and 59. Originally a Mobil Owned and Operated Station, later being flipped to a Shell, along with many other Mobil stations around 1992. Shell would drop this station in 2008, selling it along with 162 other stations to a newly formed company named “Texas Petroleum Group”. This was a joint venture between Shell who would continue to sell the gasoline, and Landmark Industries (Timewise) who would take over convenience store operations. While some stations were quickly rebranded as Timewise, the deal was relatively stealthy, as Shell had not branded these stores using the generic “Food Mart” name. Just up 59 the Shell at Weslayan was one of the first in the area to adopt the Timewise banner, around 2009. With locations like the one at Kirby taking a few more years to receive the new branding. In fact as of 2021, there are still multiple unbranded Shell stores, which are in fact owned by Landmark along the Southwest Freeway. With the demolition permit filed, it looks like 5602 Southwest Freeway, could be the newest Timewise in town.
Photos taken Mid-July 2021
Also down the Westpark curve, we find that a demolition permit has seemingly been retroactively issued for the former Zuma Fun Center at 6767 Southwest Freeway. This spot, originally started out in 1991 as the first of two Celebration Station locations in Houston. In 2005 both were sold to Zuma Fun Center. The Southwest Freeway location would outlive the other location, at I-45 and Rankin closing around 2013. The Southwest Freeway location would manage to make it to 2018 before shutting down for good. For the next two years, it sat unoccupied and subject to a great deal of vandalism. In July, demolition equipment showed up and began to tear down the massive fake hill installed by Celebration Station over 30 years ago. Finishing sometime in August, a demolition permit was never issued, that is until this week.
This is a list of the buildings which received a City of Houston demolition permit the week before this post.
Residential Demolitions
3389 Inwood Dr, Houston, TX 77019– River Oaks, 1935 French Styled original home sold to R.T. McDermott, founder of McDermott International, Photos
7115 Staffordshire, Houston, TX 77030– Devonshire Place, 1930s Medical Center, Photos
9753 Westview Dr, Houston, TX 77055– Long Point Woods, A trip back to the 60s, Photos
13318 Indian Creek Rd, Houston, TX 77079– Wilchester, Another 60s time capsule, Photos
1854 Chantilly Ln, Houston, TX 77018– Oak Forest, Windows Galore, Photos
4207 Oats St, Houston, TX 77020– Burke, Photos
1737 Hollister St, Houston, TX 77055– Timbercreek, Photos
3810 Linklea Dr, Houston, TX 77025– 50s Updated, Photos
1618 Richelieu Ln, Houston, TX 77018– Oak Forest, Photos
540 Janisch Rd, Houston, TX 77018– Northside, Photos
10007 Morocco Rd, Houston, TX 77041– Carverdale, Photos
9749 Westview Dr, Houston, TX 77055– Longpoint Woods, Photos
4415 Ingersoll St, Houston, TX 77027– Afton Oaks, Photos
1414 Maryland St, Houston, TX 77006– Hyde Park, Photos
6248 Willers Way, Houston, TX 77057– Brairgrove, Photos
14131 Cornerstone Village Dr, Houston, TX 77014– North Bend Apartments, Building 7
Non-Residential Demolitions
2210 & 2214 Bingle Rd, Houston, TX 77055– Former used car lot Auto Latinos Cars
5602 Southwest Fwy, Houston, TX 77081– Former “unbranded” Shell station, owned by Timewise, likely being rebuilt.
6767 Southwest Fwy, Houston, TX 77074– Originally Celebration Station 1990-2004, Zuma Fun Center from 2005-2016.
4811 Lyons Ave, Houston, TX 77020– Former long closed restaurant, that suffered a partial collapse earlier this year
I have been wondering what was going to happen Zuma! I’ll miss seeing it. I’ve never been there but I do love an abandoned building scene!