I’ve been thinking we haven’t had a good aerial in a while, then I suddenly found two. Both show things that I’m interested in and that have long since disappeared. This first one was sent to me by my friend Michael Bludworth, who writes about Houston’s aviation history on facebook:
Michael was looking for an opinion on the date–on further inspection we agreed it must have been taken in 1926. (I’ll award bonus points if you can tell me why.) It’s a nice photo, clear and taken from an angle that gives us a good look at something I’ve long been curious about–that large shed at the very bottom left. As best I can tell it housed the facilities department, such as it was in the early days, but I’ve never seen anything that would absolutely confirm that. What I have seen, though, are images that show what look like slow burning trash fires on roughly that spot. I can’t really imagine what else this could have been.
The second aerial I encountered while looking through the 1948 Campanile a couple days ago. It’s the inside of the cover and I’d never paid any attention to it before:
What an absolutely glorious view of the stables and mule sheds, just left of the corner of the old stadium! It’s the best I’ve ever seen. (If you don’t know what this is about, start here and don’t miss this.)
Bonus: This is my daughter warming up her squat on Go Texan Day. She’s a bit of a card.
My guess on the date of the first picture being 1926 is that it doesn’t have Cohen House? I think Cohen House was built in 1927.
Ten bonus points for Gary! Thanks!
Didn’t find this in time to be first…
I’m late to the game here, but another clue on the 1926 photo is the presence of the old Plaza Hotel in the background. The 9-story building on Montrose at Bartlett is still there, and it opened in 1926.
Pardon my ignorance about the early years but what are the buildings in the current college area on the right of the 1926 photo? I assume dorms that probably evolved into colleges but can’t quite match them up with current buildings.
Louis, our college Hanszen known as the West dorm is at the bottom. Immediately above it is the matching old Will Rice college. To the left of that is what is now known as Baker. All three are currently standing.
Thanks. I can see that now. All that open space, compared to the campus today, is what threw me.
What we now call Old Will Rice was the original and only dorm, in 1912.
What we call Baker was the kitchen and dining hall – no residences, as constructed in 1912.
Baker College Old Wing (East Hall) was added in 1914.
Hanszen College Old Section (West Hall) was added in 1916.
Pingback: Sodden, Always | Rice History Corner