“The Gayborhood is marked as much, if not more, by absences as by the visible markers of its past,” says cocurator Junior Fernandez, who organized the event along with S Rodriguez. Inspired by the gentrification and erasure of history in the neighborhood, “ without architecture, there would be no stonewall without architecture, there would be no ‘brick’” is a month-long show featuring twelve Latino artists’ exploration of what Montrose’s shifting architecture means for Houston’s queer community today. But for the month of June, at least, there is an art exhibit. Read Next: Dear Austinites, You Have Permission to Move to an Affordable, Weird City: HoustonĪt the site today, there’s no plaque or memorial to commemorate the history that occurred there-just new development and overpriced lattes. Mary’s, as writer Ed Martinez put it in a spring 1983 issue of Out in Texas, was “the mother house of all the gay bars in Houston.” The empty lot held a patio called the Outback, while the bar was inside the building now occupied by Blacksmith. The Gulf Coast Archive and Museum of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender History estimates that it was the site of more than three hundred funeral services and remains the final resting place of an unknown number of people’s ashes.įrom 1970 to 2009, this space was part of the legendary Houston gay bar Mary’s…Naturally!, which fostered such a close community that some regulars chose to have their funerals there. But this seemingly ordinary Houston plot is also a burial ground. In the mornings, the paved portion serves as parking for Blacksmith in the evenings, from Tuesday through Sunday, it’s a valet lot for upscale steakhouse Georgia James. The empty lot-half paved, half gravel and weeds-is owned by private real-estate investment company MLB Capital Partners. Now, mid-rise developments are going up, and most homes sell for more than half a million. Historically known among locals as the Gayborhood, Montrose used to be where the weirdos were. Inside, patrons can order from Blacksmith’s familiar cafe menu of “barista-made drinks, home-baked goods, and light fare in an industrial space.” To the east of the coffee shop, to the west of a brand-new Shake Shack, and just a few doors down from a Sweetgreen, is an empty lot. We wholeheartedly object to Pappas’ questioning the integrity of the same procurement process that awarded them much success at our airport over the last two decades.On the corner of Westheimer and Waugh in Houston’s Montrose neighborhood, there’s a quaint brick building. ![]() The process was followed, and procurement has presented to City Council the top-ranked competitor. ![]() The City of Houston is obligated by law to make its decision based on the results of the procurement process - not a popularity contest. The proposed awardee offered a significantly higher rate of return and delivered the local concepts sought after by Houston Airports through this procurement process. ![]() The rate of return is not the same as projected sales. The competitive procurement process does not measure the quality of an individual, but rather the rate of return received by the City of Houston and the quality of service provided to passengers. Earlier this week, Mayor Turner echoed the sentiments expressed by City Council members that Four Families and Pappas Restaurants have been a wonderful concession partner and community member. ![]() Four Families has operated at Hobby Airport for the last two decades as a result of contracts awarded through the same rigorous and meticulous competitive procurement process.
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