It's no secret that Tom Horan isn't happy about the demolition of the River Oaks Shopping Center: Back in September, when wrecking crews took down the north arc of the historic complex, Horan was there to channel Joni Mitchell. And now that crews have begun construction on the building's replacement — a much larger shopping strip with an adjacent four-story parking garage that'll loom over Horan's back yard — he's back to remind us that......

Demolition crews started in the back, but made it to the front of the northern curved section of the River Oaks Shopping Center this week: more after the jump.........

We were hoping that the nearly posthumous landmark designation and demolition-delaying rain spells might have given Weingarten Realty that last little bit of time to ruminate over their plans to demolish the River Oaks Shopping Center - unfortunately, according to Cherry Demolition, the bulldozers move in Tuesday to begin the demolition and make way for the big box anchor Barnes and Noble plus a four story parking garage. We were sad to see places like......

So, short of some kind of miracle — we're not sure exactly what kind, but we're thinking maybe a midnight ghostly visit to Weingarten Realty CEO Drew Alexander, a la A Christmas Carol — the north section of the River Oaks Shopping Center will be coming down in the next few days, to be replaced with a new retail strip anchored by a Barnes & Noble megastore. And in case you've forgotten, B&N's moving into......

...for demolitionToday, Houston City Council voted to designate the River Oaks Shopping Center, River Oaks Theater, Alabama Shopping Center, and Alabama Theater as historic landmarks, though it will not afford the structures any protection from Weingarten Realty's current and future decisions to demolish them. According to Historic Houston, there were three dissenting votes from council members Michael Berry (big surprise), Addie Wiseman (who tagged this measure last week), and Pam Holm. Save Our Landmarks invites......

Tuesday, August 7 at 2pm is the last chance for the public to speak about the pending historic landmark status of the River Oaks Shopping Center, River Oaks Theater, Alabama Shopping Center, and Alabama Theater in front of City Council. Members of the public must sign up to speak by 12pm Tuesday by calling the City Secretary Anna Russell (713-247-1840), and people who have already spoken to City Council on this issue may not do......

This morning, Houston City Council designated Old Sixth Ward as the first and only Protected Historic District in the city. This new status will enable the Houston Archaeological and Historical Commission to prohibit the demolition of historic structures within Old Sixth Ward's 33.8 acres. There was only one dissenting vote for this measure, which came from council member/real estate broker Michael Berry. As far as actual limitations on properties within the district, the Greater Houston......

Art Director's Club of Houston Hosts "Meet The Board" Social As you know, there are tons of events that go on each day in town. It's a tough job to pick just one to feature as the Daily-ist each day, but what would you do without us guiding you?! Resort to CitySearch? We shudder at the thought. Today's selection, however, was not a tough one. First off, we love this organization and all it's awesome,......

Trees were cut down yesterday in order to make room for improvements in drainage and electrical systems for the replacement of part of the River Oaks Shopping Center, according to Weingarten Realty. After the property was recommended by the Houston Planning Commission to become a designated landmark (and don't forget the numerous letters, emails, and 25,000+ signature petition urging Weingarten not to demolish), Weingarten is still going forward with its big-box plans. While we hoped......

The city's Planning Commission on Thursday recommended landmark designation for the River Oaks Shopping Center and Alabama Theater/Bookstop, meaning the two structures are a step closer to preservation — or as close as Houston ever really gets to preservation, which is far enough away to be sure the city doesn't piss off any developers with deep pockets. As we noted when the landmark designation process began back in April, the next step in designation......

Save our Landmarks, one of the groups trying to save the River Oaks Shopping Center and Theater and the Alabama Theater/Bookstop, sent out an e-mail update about the River Oaks situation yesterday. Here's a overview of what's going on. Weingarten Realty Investors, which owns all three properties, on Monday began the process to get approval to demolish the curved section of the River Oaks center on the north side of West Gray — the portion......

In her column today, the Chronicle's Lisa Gray proposes a new idea to get the attention of Weingarten Realty Investors, the company that's planning to demolish the historic River Oaks Shopping Center, and of Barnes & Noble, which Weingarten is trying to lure into abandoning its Bookstop store in the Alabama Theater building in favor of a new megastore in the redeveloped River Oaks. The idea: Let's put our money where our mouths are. This......

The Houston Archaeological and Historical Commission voted yesterday to begin the landmark designation process for the River Oaks Shopping Center, River Oaks Theater and Alabama Theater/Bookstop, the three significant Art Deco structures that have been in the news since news broke last summer that Weingarten Realty Investors could be planning to demolish them to make way for new development. The move toward designating the buildings city landmarks comes without Weingarten's approval — the first......

According to the Greater Houston preservation Alliance, the Houston Archaeological and Historical Commission might try to extend its preservation power in a new way: since 1995, the Commission has had the power to designate historic landmarks without owner consent, but has yet to do it. With the endangerment of the River Oaks Theater, River Oaks Shopping Center, and the Alabama Theater by Weingarten Realty Investors, the HAHC will discuss beginning the process of designating these......

Sure, there's a lot to be said for stunning contemporary architecture, but there's also something nice about the kind of house Houstonist used to draw when we were a kid. And we can easily imagine ourselves having drawn this Cape Cod-style house near McDuffie and Peden, just behind the River Oaks Shopping Center. The house was built in the mid-1930s and a lot of the charm you'd expect from that era: big windows, arched......

Since Weingarten Realty Investors announced its plans Friday for the redevelopment of part of the River Oaks Shopping Center, Houstonist has gotten several e-mails from readers asking about the future of the other sections of the center. Specifically, we've heard a lot of questions about the fate of the River Oaks Theatre because of media reports including an article in the Houston Business Journal headlined "Theater safe as Weingarten plans $15M redevelopment at River Oaks......

Weingarten Realty Investors released news today (via BusinessWire - login required) that $15 million will be used to redevelop the northeast corner of the River Oaks Shopping Center. Two new multi-story buildings are going to replace what is currently on the site, but they assure that the curved facade will remain, and the new pieces will be architecturally sympathetic (kind of reminds us of the Royalton's Gulf Publishing frieze...). The release also mentions that "[Patty]......

Today, Preservation Texas named five Houston-area sites to its list of 2007's Most Endangered Places in the state: the River Oaks Shopping Center, River Oaks and Alabama theaters, the West Mansion in Clear Lake, the Capitan Theater in Pasadena and unprotected neighborhoods in Galveston. This year's list focuses on historic movie theaters, but all the sites made it for a reason — unfortunately: All of them are in imminent danger of being lost through demolition......

Today's online article in the River Oaks Examiner further shows that Weingarten Realty Investors is continuing its murky stance about what's going on at the River Oaks Shopping Center. It started as a meeting of concerned homeowners who live on Brentwood Drive, just north of the River Oaks Shopping Center, and ended with about the same statement that Weingarten has been notorious for dropping - "We did give them an update on where we were,”......

River Oaks Theater turns 67 years old next month, and to celebrate, they are throwing two parties and inviting everyone. Landmark Theaters, who owns the property, will feature two nights of double features. All four movies were filmed (at least in part) in Houston and the surrounding areas: Monday, October 30th, 7 p.m.: The critically acclaimed, off-beat comedy Rushmore with Bill Murray (filmed mostly at St. John's School and Lamar High School), and the now......

Houstonist was still reeling in shock about the demise of The Gallant Knight when yet another step down the path toward destruction of local flavor progress was reported in The Houston Chronicle. The Laff Stop will be moving from its digs in the River Oaks Shopping Center when the current lease expires. Fortunately for Houstonians, The Laff Stop will not "fade into Bolivian" (thanks Mike Tyson) like The Fabulous Satellite Lounge, which closed in 2003......

The River Oaks Shopping Center is hosting an event this Friday and Saturday promising free wine tasting, hors d’ooeuvres (extra “o” for extra emphasis?) and live jazz music. Cleverly named the “Art, Jazz, & Wine Event,” there will also be an array of Audi autos to peruse while enjoying the festivities, courtesy of Momentum Audi. We assume that somewhere there will be some sort of art thrown in to the mix, too. We can’t remember......

Here we are, with the best in free/cheap fun. Got an idea? Email Friday, September 22 For $7, ($3.50 if you're a student and free if you're an MFAH member), go get a little history with your culture by listening to Dr. Emily Ballew Neff, curator of American Painting and Sculptur speak on Building Heritage in the Lone Star State: The Hoggs of Houston, 1900-1957. This Houston family founded lots of the arts institutions around......

Now that everyone has had time to marvel at the thought of the River Oaks Shopping Center/theater (a couple of the few remaining art deco structures in this city) on the dark side of the wrecking ball, let Houstonist shift your attention several blocks away to the Alabama Theater. When Weingarten Realty and Pete Kaldis Realty teamed up in the early to mid-'80s to buy the property and adaptively re-use it, the theater, which was......

Even though the support continues to grow for the preservation of the River Oaks Shopping Center and Theater, many questions remained unanswered, and Weingarten has continued to keep their reticence. Rumors and some evidence throw a mix of names into the equation: Hermes Architects for the northwestern curved section, Wallace Garcia Wilson Architects for the highrise, and Barnes and Noble for an anchor. While concerned patrons, shareholders, and members of the community continue to......

In all the outrage over the potential destruction of the River Oaks Theater, another Houston institution that could be bulldozed as well is the neighborhood speakeasy Marfreless. According to the Houston Chronicle, the undeground bar with no sign and no advertising would likely be part of the demolition of the River Oaks Shopping Center because it is in the same building as the theater. The quiet, dimly-lit establishment has been long known by regulars and......

We've tried to think of something memorable to say in celebration of getting 10,000 signatures on our petition opposing the demolition of the River Oaks Shopping Center and the former Alabama Theater this afternoon, but all we can come up with is, "Wow." Thanks to everyone who has signed the petition and passed it around to friends, neighbors, concerned Houstonians and even people in other parts of the country who don't want to see......

Houstonist has never been much of one to mess with petitions, but we figured the possible demolition of the River Oaks Shopping Center (and the Alabama Theater) was as good a reason as any — better than most, in our book — to get started. So we're sponsoring a petition opposing Weingarten Realty Investors' plans to tear down the River Oaks center. If you missed the news this weekend, check out the Chronicle article. Here's......

Many tenants of the River Oaks Shopping Center have been slowly let in on a growing probability: the demolition of initially two parts of the complex - first of which is the northeast corner of the center at Shepherd and West Gray, designed by Hugh Potter, and constructed beginning in 1937. The second is our favorite theater in Houston, the River Oaks (2009 West Gray), which was opened in 1939 and is run by Landmark......