In today's Wall Street Journal, Thaddeus Herrick reports on the continued concern about the fate of several landmarks in Houston. This time, though, there is a solid statement about the developments:
David Deason, vice president for development at Barnes & Noble, said the New York-based company intends to close the Bookstop in favor of a "state of the art" facility. But Mr. Deason said the fate of the landmarks is in the hands of Weingarten.
The statement in itself may not be so threatening; the Alabama Theater could just acquire a new tenant. If we know Weingarten, though (and we think we do), the Alabama Theater is not a priority for preservation. This new "state of the art" book store would fit the plans previously discussed about the new anchor for the River Oaks shopping center redevelopment.
Also quoted was Weingarten's Director of Leasing, Patty Bender. She stated that "the company doesn't yet have a 'definite plan' for the shopping center but that the Alabama Theater could pose a 'challenging situation' should Barnes & Noble pull out." While a "challenging situation" can allude to many different scenarios, we are thinking she meant "now that Bookstop will be vacating, we can demolish the theater like we've wanted to do for the past decade or so, and that might upset a few folks." Please surprise us, Weingarten, because you've already upset way more then a few without even directly making that statement.
Photo: Flickr user deji_01
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I don't even know what to say anymore, this just makes me sad. I love this bookstore. It was one of my first "finds" when I moved to Houston.
When I broke out of the prison that is Pasadena TX and settled in Montrose (back in '91), The Book Stop was one of the reasons. I lived there for years until the area lost its funky charm and turned into urban suburbia. I've got a friend who remembers going to see Star Wars: A New Hope there when he was a kid. As someone who is moving back to Houston in a few months, it makes me sad to know the place will be gone when I arrive. I guess I'll have to go to the Villiage and give my money to Half Priced Books instead because I'll be damned if I'm gonna shop at a "state of the art" Barnes and Noble.