Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Texas > San Antonio
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
 
Old 07-19-2013, 07:06 PM
 
1,004 posts, read 1,607,327 times
Reputation: 999

Advertisements

Quote:
Originally Posted by Boss Rider View Post
In 1958 I worked at the Toy Box , which was right next to the Luby's cafeteria in the old mall. If I recall correctly the "new" mall opened in late 1959.

As long as you want to do trivia about the area, how about any one remember the Goliad Rivera Pool?
Which malls are you referring to ?

I don't recall the Goliad Rivera Pool .
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 07-19-2013, 07:53 PM
 
Location: Ma.
136 posts, read 329,865 times
Reputation: 91
Ranchodrive - The "old mall" is the original McCreless Mall at Fair and New Braunfels. The "new" McCreless was the one on Southcross, which opened in late 1959.

I'll bet there's not many here that would remember the Rivera Pool. Let's see if anyone else remembers.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-19-2013, 09:05 PM
 
Location: South Central Texas
114,838 posts, read 65,463,409 times
Reputation: 166912
I knew the Riviera had a pool but I never went there.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-19-2013, 09:51 PM
 
Location: Texas
5,717 posts, read 18,769,054 times
Reputation: 11222
Yeah, I remember the Riviera Pool. That was a Dorthy Burke deal right after she cleaned out EJ from his money. Her son was later the owner of Alfonsos Mexican Restaurants all over town. He lived in the Monte Vista area down from Tom Bensons old house. Ol' Dorothy was quite the gal in the day. Not many expected a lady to be a shrewd as she was. The Burkes were long time friends of the family.
When you worked at the Toy Box, I would have been 10 years old. Bought a few things from that place. They were among the few that carried the old .049 airplane engines and fuel. I bought a kit plane from there called an Ike. Wasn't much of a flying model airplane considering the fuselage was a piece of balsa like a 2x 4. As I recall, it could be either on controls or it could be free flight flown if you glued the tail at an angle so all it did was go in circles by itself. One of my buds was flying a very similar plane on a stormy day. Just as he launched it into free flight, the wind caught it and away it went. The strangest of things happened 2 weeks later. My cousin called and asked if I knew somebody that had lost a plane. Seems it landed across the road from their house........in Pleasanton, Texas. All of that came from the Toy Box as well. Loved that place and still have a few toys from there that now reside in the attic.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-19-2013, 10:33 PM
 
1,004 posts, read 1,607,327 times
Reputation: 999
Quote:
Originally Posted by TrapperL View Post
Yeah, I remember the Riviera Pool. That was a Dorthy Burke deal right after she cleaned out EJ from his money. Her son was later the owner of Alfonsos Mexican Restaurants all over town. He lived in the Monte Vista area down from Tom Bensons old house. Ol' Dorothy was quite the gal in the day. Not many expected a lady to be a shrewd as she was. The Burkes were long time friends of the family.
When you worked at the Toy Box, I would have been 10 years old. Bought a few things from that place. They were among the few that carried the old .049 airplane engines and fuel. I bought a kit plane from there called an Ike. Wasn't much of a flying model airplane considering the fuselage was a piece of balsa like a 2x 4. As I recall, it could be either on controls or it could be free flight flown if you glued the tail at an angle so all it did was go in circles by itself. One of my buds was flying a very similar plane on a stormy day. Just as he launched it into free flight, the wind caught it and away it went. The strangest of things happened 2 weeks later. My cousin called and asked if I knew somebody that had lost a plane. Seems it landed across the road from their house........in Pleasanton, Texas. All of that came from the Toy Box as well. Loved that place and still have a few toys from there that now reside in the attic.
I was at a hobby shop 2 days ago. In the model plane kit section of the store
were several models. Lowest price was $29.99 for the small kit.
Back in the 50s, my uncle would build airplanes made from wood, no plastics.
I still remember the smell of the glue that he used. Most of my toys were the
slingshots & handmade kites from old newspapers.
BTW: You may have a small fortune in toys in the attic !
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-20-2013, 12:46 AM
 
Location: Ma.
136 posts, read 329,865 times
Reputation: 91
Quote:
Originally Posted by ranchodrive View Post
BTW: You may have a small fortune in toys in the attic !
He's not just a whistling Dixie, either. I worked Fourth of July in '59 for Red Devil Fireworks and got two carbide cannons as part of my pay. Used one over the years, but the other one is still in the box. Saw some at a flea market and told the guy I had two of them. He offered me $300 for the one in the box and $100 for the other one.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-20-2013, 12:49 AM
 
Location: Ma.
136 posts, read 329,865 times
Reputation: 91
Checked with Mom about the second McCreeless mall opening. She recalls it as opening in 61 or 62. She also says the cafeteria next to the Toy Box was the Highlander, not a Luby's.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-20-2013, 02:29 AM
 
2 posts, read 3,222 times
Reputation: 10
Talking Catching Up

Wow. I've just spent 2 hours or more catching up with both parts of this thread! I stumbled upon it looking for info on the original tenants of North Star Mall, especially my favorite store (I was 7) "The Texas Store" which had a sporting goods section on one side and a liquor store on the other (I associate it with Don's & Ben's).

My mom and I would ride the bus down to Joske's to visit 'Fantasyland' and then have lunch on the 4th floor at the "Camellia Room". They had grasshopper and pink champagne ice cream. During the Rodeo, Joske's (downtown, of course) had the coolest buckskin fringed jackets on sale. My mom would take me to Kallison's Western Wear. I loved Oscar Carvahal's boots & saddle shop, too and Lucchese's. I always hoped I'd see John Wayne! I remember the premier of "The Alamo" at the Woodlawn Theater. I didn't get to GO to the premier but we went a few days later. Almost 10 years later, I worked at the Fox General Cinema behind Central Park Mall when the theater opened in 1969. It was dedicated to Chill Wills, who I met at some point. I remember buying Scout uniforms and such at the Joske's at Las Palmas and buying pinatas from a lady over on NW 36th St. I was in the 9th grade at Longfellow Junior High and we were let out to watch the Tower of the Americas being raised and put in place. We also got a school field trip to Hemisfair '68. It was great. Earlier, I remember the old "duck & cover" drills in 1962 at Madison Elementary school, birthdays at Northport Rollercade over off San Pedro & Recoleta (I think) and my favorite memories of all, Kiddie Park on the old Austin Highway and Jack Toler's River Ranch Day Camp also off the old Austin Highway. Oh and Vance View stables over off I-10 and Vance Jackson. And Captain Gus, Don Couser, Don Green, Brucie Poo Hathaway, Ricci Ware, Woody Roberts and Lee "Baby" Sims, Larry Kent and the immortal voice of KONO, Howard "Fair Dink'um" Edwards. Henry Howell's weather reports on WOAI Ch 4 (showers & thundershowers). Alamo Heights great 'Ize House' and The Dairy Mart on Fredricksburg, down the road from Northwest Center, home of a small JC Penney's and Bambi's, a kids' clothing store. I remember Wolf & Marx, Frost Brothers all downtown, then their move to the new North Star Mall. Anyone remember "Mr Natural's" down around N. St Mary's/SAC/Trinity area or the old "Teen Canteen" on Bitters Road?

San Pedro Library, Woodlawn Lake, Tobin Park, Peacock Military Academy on Woodlawn Dr. What a great place and sweet time to grow up!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-20-2013, 12:28 PM
 
1,004 posts, read 1,607,327 times
Reputation: 999
I never knew that Kiddie Park was on Austin Hwy.
I do recall the PlayLand Park on Broadway St. across
from the Butter Krust & the aroma of baked bread.
One of my first jobs after school was at Joske's by the
Alamo . I worked in the first floor in the camera dept.
Christmas time I worked in the 3rd floor Fantasyland
& also the "trim-a-tree" dept.
My favorite breakfast was in the basement of Joske's
cafeteria. The Coney Island on St. Mary's
Working as a short-order cook at the Prince Drive-In
on Broadway St.
The library downtown with elephant statues on each side
of the entrance & the Barnum & Bailey Circus display inside.
The gorilla at the Buckhorn Saloon on Houston St.
Brock's book store & smell of old books.
Baby chicks of different colors that were sold @ Woolworth.
Old guy at the corner of Houston & St. Mary's selling the
San Antonio Light.(never could understand what he was yelling)
Shoe shine stands on Houston St.
And the Green Gate Club down stairs...which as a kid I would
visit every time I passed by....well ....at least in my mind...
& imagination .
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-23-2013, 10:05 AM
 
Location: Rural Central Texas
3,672 posts, read 10,565,625 times
Reputation: 5577
Quote:
Originally Posted by ranchodrive View Post
Was Las Palmas Mall on the west side the first mall for San Antonio ?
Remember Wonderland Mall on Fredericksburg Rd. ?
No, I think North Star or Central Park was the first mall in San Antonio

Quote:
Originally Posted by ranchodrive View Post
Piggly Wiggly on the south side around Zarzamora st.?
One of my first jobs as "pkg. boy" was here.
I remember the Piggly on Pleasanton rd. I don't recall one on Zarzamora, at least not south of downtown.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Texas > San Antonio

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top