Bryan/College Station Area History. Tell your story or what you know or remember.

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bcstx06
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Bryan/College Station Area History. Tell your story or what you know or remember.

I like hearing the history and the stories people tell about the area such as what did downtown Bryan use to be like? What neighborhood was the Pebble Creek or Traditions of its day? Why exactly did Bryan not want Post Oak Mall? Etc.
esiws
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Ummmm when I worked in downtown Bryan in 2004, we closed early in the fall so workers weren't alone in downtown after dark.
BaitShack
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AG
87 is as far back as I can go. We use to shoot guns at lick creek park. Consol had no football field. We played our home games at Kyle Field. Exciting I know.
Corporal Punishment
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AG
Fort Shiloh used to be considered a good place to eat. Seems like this would have been about 1985.

Went to the Egg Roll House once in the early 80's. It sucked. Badly.
MiMi
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S
When I moved here in 1990, 2818 and Wellborn was a 4-way stop intersection.
Rapier108
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Fort Shiloh was once considered to basically be the end of College Station. There was almost nothing past it.

What is currently The Med was considered to be out in the middle of no where as was the water tower which is now @ Tower Point.

University Drive was pretty much undeveloped between Tarrow and Highway 6. Scott & White was one of the first big things to be added.

There was little if any development on the East side of the Highway 6.

All of the car dealerships were on Texas Ave., starting just before what was Townshire and finishing up close to the courthouse.

J.C. Penney was in Manor East Mall, as was Montgomery Wards, Bells (still there), The Fair (I think that was the name), a movie theater, an arcade (only God knows how much money spent there as a kid) a pet store, and other "mall" type shops. Eventually the town's first Wal-Mart opened there as well. El Chico used to be where Carter's Burger now is. The CVS location at Texas & Villa Maria used an Exxon service station. The DQ seems like it was always there.

The Texan was a restaurant on South College just before Villa Maria. It looked like a dump, but was apparently one of the nicest in town and the only place @ the time you could get escargot. Just up the street, Martin's BBQ was always there; probably been there since Julius Caesar lived.

The building where Sully's was has been though so many different iterations in the last 30 years it is amazing. I am convinced there is a curse on it. Mama's Pizza was there for a while and really good.

Easterwood Airport's passenger terminal was what is now the general aviation terminal. Rio Airways was the main carrier serving the airport in the 80s.

I'll try to think of more things later.
bcstx06
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I remember eating a Tom's BBQ and their commercials. They had two locations, one where J Cody's is and the other one was somewhere near the E-Z Travel Inn in College Station. I remember K-Mart where BCS Food Market is. And the cool little Manor East Mall.
PS3D
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quote:
Fort Shiloh was once considered to basically be the end of College Station. There was almost nothing past it.

What is currently The Med was considered to be out in the middle of no where as was the water tower which is now @ Tower Point.

University Drive was pretty much undeveloped between Tarrow and Highway 6. Scott & White was one of the first big things to be added.

There was little if any development on the East side of the Highway 6.

All of the car dealerships were on Texas Ave., starting just before what was Townshire and finishing up close to the courthouse.

J.C. Penney was in Manor East Mall, as was Montgomery Wards, Bells (still there), The Fair (I think that was the name), a movie theater, an arcade (only God knows how much money spent there as a kid) a pet store, and other "mall" type shops. Eventually the town's first Wal-Mart opened there as well. El Chico used to be where Carter's Burger now is. The CVS location at Texas & Villa Maria used an Exxon service station. The DQ seems like it was always there.

The Texan was a restaurant on South College just before Villa Maria. It looked like a dump, but was apparently one of the nicest in town and the only place @ the time you could get escargot. Just up the street, Martin's BBQ was always there; probably been there since Julius Caesar lived.

The building where Sully's was has been though so many different iterations in the last 30 years it is amazing. I am convinced there is a curse on it. Mama's Pizza was there for a while and really good.

Easterwood Airport's passenger terminal was what is now the general aviation terminal. Rio Airways was the main carrier serving the airport in the 80s.

I'll try to think of more things later.


Kmart and FedMart opened both in the 1970s (early '74 and late '73 if I read correctly) and were both in very undeveloped areas. The Asian grocery store was Lewis & Coker originally, the Kmart portion was in the TSC/Vista College/Goodwill portion. FedMart became Chimney Hill Shopping Center.

The CVS of course used to be an Eckerd, which moved from the mall. That I actually remember.

There was also a big modern Texaco at the corner that only lasted for a few years.
AggiePhil
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AG
If you want to read some interesting history, do a Google search for "fossil_ag site:http://www.mybcs.com". Speaking of which...anyone seen or heard from fossil_ag lately?
rsincs
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AG
University drive was a gravel road a few blocks east of
Texas ave. When i first moved to town, College Station ended at George Bush...Gibsons dept store was on the corner of texas and George Bush (then jersey ave) and was the last thing on texas ave south. Harvey road was a two lane road..

[This message has been edited by rsincs (edited 4/25/2014 8:36p).]
Rapier108
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quote:
Kmart and FedMart opened both in the 1970s (early '74 and late '73 if I read correctly) and were both in very undeveloped areas. The Asian grocery store was Lewis & Coker originally, the Kmart portion was in the TSC/Vista College/Goodwill portion. FedMart became Chimney Hill Shopping Center.

You're right; I completely forgot about the Kmart center.

And Chimney Hill is what I meant that past Tarrow there was pretty much nothing. Actually, there were those apartments are now the Cedar Creek Condos, but not much else.
rsa
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quote:
Went to the Egg Roll House once in the early 80's. It sucked. Badly.

Went there once in '86. The owners seemed surprised to have customers for food. I think they were a front for cocaine . . . ;-)
Rex Racer
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Back in 1990 or so, we had 5 movie theaters, yet a lot fewer screens than we have now.

Schulman 6
Manor East 3
Post Oak 3
A 3 screen theater in the center where Harry's is.
A 3 screen theater by where Lacks used to be.
waterchick
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$0.99 margaritas at El Chico, where the bank is now. Good times.
Tom's BBQ was catty-corner, near where the E-Z Travel is.

What was on the land where Best Buy/Barnes & Noble is now? Seems like I remember stuff getting bulldozed and that going up.
Rapier108
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quote:
hat was on the land where Best Buy/Barnes & Noble is now? Seems like I remember stuff getting bulldozed and that going up.

A bicycle shop and Computer Access were in that area. CA moved over to where Academy was (current location of Bed, Bath, & Beyond), but got shut down by the IRS.
wellboriginal
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A friend of mine lived out east of the bypass off of 30 somewhere. I thought that was WAY out of town back then, but it really isn't very far when I think about it today.


There is an RV park on Hwy 6 south of Fitch down past Nantucket. A friend used to rent the house that is there by the feeder road. It was just a rental house in the "country" back then, there was no RV park.

I remember passing the Tower Point water tower to head down there and thinking "Good God, why would anybody want to live so far out."

The rumor with that house was that way back in the days of Old Army, that house kept a red porch light on at night and there were ladies of the evening that "worked" in some of the bedrooms (I think there were five bedrooms).

My friend claims that he had a couple of old Ags from a class in the 1950's come by one night to see if they were still "open for business".

Wellborn was a place for pasture parties and initiations of new members of certain organizations on campus.
studioone
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i've been here since 1969… can anyone beat that?

born here.. gonna die here…

kellys toy lane
keysers hobbies
sears
all in the same shopping center

monteray house

i remember when the derWeinershnitzle burned (they don't use the 'der' in their name any more)

i remember when whataburger burned on the whataburger bend

i remember the only bookstore in town was downtown bryan…

woolworths… eating at their diner, and shopping for toys in their basement.

police station where the children's museum is now.. dad was a major in the police force..

Rapier108
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Randy Sims BBQ was where Jose's now is.

Buddy's Appliance's current location was a hardware store.

Frittella was a Taco Bell with the drive thru window on the passenger's side, often referred to as the "Aggie Drive Thru."

Fajita Rita's was one of the most popular Mexican food restaurants for a while.

The Highway 21 Brazos River Bridge was imploded to make way for the current one. Big news at the time and being a kid, I thought it was amazing.

Fred Brown was once featured in an Aerofit commercial.

The original Lowe's is where Grand Station now is and the original McCoy's is where Wilton's Office Works is located.

The shopping center where the Brazos Valley COG is was once a Winn-Dixie and not much else. Can't remember how long most of it sat vacant.

Close to where Texas Ave. joins up with Highway 6 in CS, there was a nursery called Sunset Gardens (I think that was the name) and it went up in flames, never to be rebuilt.

Lock & Roll Storage used to be a Furrows hardware store.

Poop Loop has stunk for the past 25+ years.

Brazos Valley School's Credit Union used to be where the Benjamin Knox Gallery now is.

There was a large water tank where CSFD Station #6 now is.

The now empty Albertsons opened as a Randalls.

There was a public swimming pool as part of the Bryan Municipal Golf Course. You can still it see today. All they did was fill it in with dirt. The outline is still visible.

The City of Bryan's landfill was located where the compost facility now is.

Finfeather had a railroad track crossing it to give access to the International Shoe Company factory.

Alright, it's late and my brain is shutting down.
Alte Schule
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Just a few off the top of my head:
The Drive In with the movie theater next door off (I think) E 29th St. in Bryan
The K-Mart & Piggly Wiggly at the corner of Texas and 2818
Academy was in the Redmon Terrace Shopping center in CS where Target is now
The Kroger at SW Parkway & Texas had the best beer selection in town and I believe for a few years (late 70's thru early 80's) sold more beer than anyplace in Texas or so I was told
Grandy's by Post Oak Mall
techno-ag
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AG
quote:
i remember when whataburger burned on the whataburger bend


Other notable restaurant fires: Kountry Kitchen, Olive Garden on Texas, the former Fajita Rita's.
LastHamlet
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Carbos catfish in Bryan on Tx Avenue, Jim and Sues Catfish on 30 going toward Gibbons Creek. Big Daddy's Catfish. Chuckie Cheese I think it was near Southwest Parkway. Skaggs next to University.

Orange Julius and I think there was a Pepe's in the Post Oak Mall. Arcade in Manor East Mall, used to love to play the Star Wars game that you got to sit in. Post Oak used to have an arcade as well.

And who can remember Archies 39 cent hamburgers? I think it was where Hot Dogs Etc is currently at now.
Tailgate88
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The Archie's 39cent hamburger place we ate at was where Let's Roll is on Harvey Rd in the 80's. I'm surprised nobody has mentioned La Taquria yet! That was where La Bodega is today and we ate there most Sundays. Anyone else remember the CS Jazz Fest at Central Park?
dgonzo99
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Wow, I had forgotten about the original Lowe's. I remember that it was a big flop. How times change. Lowe's is the dominate home improvement store in BCS. It is always very busy and Home Depot stays pretty empty except for contractors.
Chace_Murphy
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Oh, man, where to begin. I moved here in '94 and -- except for a few months in Houston -- have been her ever since.

At that time, only Tom Light Chevrolet, Fred Brown BMW, Bossier Dodge, and Allen Honda were on the bypass. Gary Stevenson's Quality Pontiac, Varsity Ford, Allen Olds-Cadillac, Douglass Nissan, and University Toyota were all on Texas Avenue. Most of the buildings are still there.

There were no HEBs, only HEB Pantrys. One was where Harmony Academy is now, the other is where DSW is now, and I think the third was north, near Texas and 21 where the current HEB is now. I remember thinking First National was crazy for building at Rock Prairie and 6 because nothing else was out there except Brazos Valley/Columbia/College Station Medical Center and the Exxon. (And that, my friends, is why I don't have a future in development.)

El Chico in College Station was at Texas and Holleman. The parking lot was huge because that site had a car dealership at one time. Across the street used to be Innovations Furniture (worst radio jingle ever) and Kokopelli's restaurant.

My lack of studying prowess forced me to take classes at Blinn in both the old Townshire Shopping Center (where Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market is now) and the Woodstone "Party" Center, as it was billed then. That's where The Tap is now and always has been.

KBTX has always been on 29th. I applied at KTEX 106 in late 1994 because they had a sales office in the shopping center at Briarcrest and Kent. I was "guaranteed" that they would be moving their studios from downtown Brenham to Bryan in 1995. It's nearly 20 years later and they're still in Brenham. Aggie 96 was in a building on Texas near the relocated Buddy's, which was in the aforementioned Townshire Center. (I understand Buddy's old location was a Sears once upon a time.) I helped move Mix 104.7 from Manor East Mall to one of the small Galleria Village buildings between the tower and AppleTree, now Village Foods. That was in April or May of 1997. The next year, I helped move Aggie 96 from Crystal Park Plaza to the same location.

WTAW was once on Mobile Avenue in Bryan, and still owns the property. That's where the transmitters are, plus the old studio building is still standing, that right behind the old Triangle Bowl, which is now an indoor storage facility. The 'TAW relocated to the Galleria Tower, along with KTSR in the 80s or 90s. Big Daddy Downs would know for sure. They later moved into Crystal Park, where they are to this day. Shortly before I joined Bryan Broadcasting, WTAW was on the 1150 AM frequency, but moved to their current 1620 and increased power. That allowed them to add KZNE. When I started there in October 2000, we had WTAW, The Zone, and KTSR. Now, KTSR is gone, Candy 95 has proved to be VERY lucrative (haters gon hate), Peace 107 has filled a very nice niche in this market. Plus, they have KWBC in Navasota and KAGC, which used to be near College and Carson in Bryan, where KEOS is now.

Atmos Energy built our current location in the 90s, next to the former Bossier (now Lithia) Dodge. Our old building (Lone Star Gas) is in downtown Bryan, just down from the courthouse on 26th Street. It's now the location for Brazos County IT but you can still identify the building. Lone Star built mosaics into the facade of the building, including blue flames, representative of natural gas. That facade is still there.

OK, my fingers are tired. It's someone else's turn now! And, if I got anything wrong, please correct me. Love these threads. I am a total history nerd and wear it as a badge of honor!
techno-ag
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AG
Back before the bypass was built, Hwy 6 was Texas Ave. If coming from the north, you had to drive all through Bryan to get to campus. Sometimes it was faster to cut over to College at Villa Maria.

You could drive and park next to a lot of buildings. Campus police drove around in these little 3 wheel trucks. Couldn't find a picture exactly like I remember them, but this comes close. They weren't yellow, though:



Pooh's Park was big. Roller skating, indoor putt-putt, etc. Triangle Bowling rounded out non-movie family entertainment. For movies, a kid's best bet was the Palace Theater in downtown Bryan. On Saturdays they offered a double-feature Disney matinee.
LastHamlet
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Water Slide at Pooh's Park! Rolling Thunder skating rink on Briarcrest.

[This message has been edited by LastHamlet (edited 4/26/2014 8:48a).]
Carnwellag2
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quote:
Schulman 6
Manor East 3
Post Oak 3
A 3 screen theater in the center where Harry's is.
A 3 screen theater by where Lacks used to be.


wasn't there also a theater in the now church building behind Wendy's
PS3D
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Ah, I can tell you things I've learned from newspaper articles and other archived materials, but from what I actually remember? Well...

- Yeah, the 2818/Wellborn light used to have two blinking lights, a stoplight was installed maybe about 1998.
- Glade and Holleman had a blinking light, too. In fact, up until the late 1990s, there were no stoplights and very few stop signs along that entire stretch. No stop sign at the Lincoln Center, Anderson had a four way stop, Welsh didn't have a stop sign (a four way stop was later installed, and eventually, a stoplight--but that didn't come until the late 2000s)
- Wal-Mart was originally colored brown, a renovation in the mid-1990s turned it blue.
- Gattiland. It opened in 1996 but got run down pretty quickly.
- Engineering Fairs in the mall.
- The stoplight at North Graham and Wellborn.
- Willow Branch and the domed auditorium, left over from the original AMCHS days.
- The shaded George Bush East before it was four-laned.
- The old Kroger before it was renovated.
- University Police headquarters at Houston and George Bush.
- An odd little shed on Wellborn Road between Rock Prairie and Wellborn. It was torn down in the widening.
- The gas station at Highway 6 and Wellborn. I tried to look for the name of it, but all I could find was "Willoughby Oil Supply".
- I swear there used to be a barbecue place where the nursery later was at North Graham and Old Wellborn.
- The pedestrian overpass at Joe Routt & Wellborn.
FlyRod
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Loving this thread. It really makes me appreciate how much better BCS is today.
PS3D
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quote:
Randy Sims BBQ was where Jose's now is.

The Enter/Exit signs are original.

quote:
The original Lowe's is where Grand Station now is and the original McCoy's is where Wilton's Office Works is located.

That was the first hardware store I remember going to (McCoy's). I think it moved maybe '97-'98.


quote:
Close to where Texas Ave. joins up with Highway 6 in CS, there was a nursery called Sunset Gardens (I think that was the name) and it went up in flames, never to be rebuilt.

Yup, I actually visited the site and took pictures!

quote:
Lock & Roll Storage used to be a Furrows hardware store.

It closed 2001-2002ish.


quote:
There was a large water tank where CSFD Station #6 now is.

I do remember that.

quote:
The now empty Albertsons opened as a Randalls.

Yeah, when Albertsons bought it out, it caused the Northgate Albertsons to close.

quote:

There was a public swimming pool as part of the Bryan Municipal Golf Course. You can still it see today. All they did was fill it in with dirt. The outline is still visible.


For years that was the case, but I believe they finally dug it out. (check Google Earth)

quote:

Finfeather had a railroad track crossing it to give access to the International Shoe Company factory.



Remnants are still there. You could actually see the tracks in the road up until the early 2000s.
bcstx06
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Does anyone remember the name of the dial-up internet service company we had here back in the late 1990s? Their mascot was some kind of superhero.

I remember Fajita Ritas was likethe most popular Tex-Mex Restaurant in town. It was located where Fudruckers is now. The Khol's shopping center use to be home to an Apple Tree Grocery Store where the Spec's is and Weiners was somewhere around where Khol's is. There was also a Weiners at the corner of Texas Ave and HWY 21.

Wings N More had a location where Rasing Cane's is.

KB Toys at Post Oak Mall.

Aggie Bonfire every November.

Only local TV news was KBTX until the early 2000?

I heard that we use to get many if not all of the Houston's local TV channels.

I remember getting the WB39 here until the early 2000s.
taxpreparer
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AG
In the 60s and 70s we had two cable companies, Midwest Video and Community Cablevision

JJ Muggs open in the early 80s where Fuddruckers is now. In fact several restaurants opened at almost the same time; JT McCords and Bennigans included.
Rex Racer
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AG
quote:


wasn't there also a theater in the now church building behind Wendy's

That's the one I am calling by where Lack's used to be. I saw The Hunt for Red October there and Total Recall.
drivinwest
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AG
Bcstx06:

That may have been Cybercom? Also, Garcia's was the restaurant in the building where Fuddrucker's is currently.
techno-ag
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Yeah Fajita Rita's was near Yesterday's.

I haven't thought of JT McCords in years. Also pour one out for Bombay Bicycle Club, The Grapevine, & Pancho's.
 
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