News about homes, real estate and market trends in The Leader area Saturday, July 23, 2016 • Page 1B
Art Preserved
Family rescues home of former Heights artist By Kim Hogstrom For The Leader
The rendering of plans for the new shopping center at 5135 Ella Blvd on the corner of Pinemont show significant upgrades.
Another Pinemont property sold
There are many architectural and artistic jewels in the Houston Heights. However, one would never guess that an awkward, tan, two-story on the corner of E. 26th Street and Arlington Street is one of them. Constructed in 1928, the structure has a colorful history, both literally and figuratively. For many of its original decades, the 2,100-square-foot building acted as a small, family owned grocery store serving the working folks of the Heights. The first floor offered fresh eggs, milk and other staples while the owner’s family resided on the second. In the 1970s, the little grocery store was converted to a Sunny’s Convenience Store. Then, in the early 1990s, it was purchased by Heights-born and raised artist, Victor Hugo Zambrano, who closed the book on the building’s career of selling cigarettes and soda, and officially tuned it into a home. And what a home it was. Zambrano, who had a degree in architecture from the University of Houston, saw unique possibilities in the structure. The artist remodeled it in 1995 to celebrate his passion for art. He added interesting cubbyholes to display sculpture throughout. He laid stunning, Central American tile to the floors, added bright colors to the walls and an unusual courtyard featuring a stunning array of work. In Contributed photo short, the home was an explosion of art, Ginger and Billy Potthast hold on to the artistic nature of the home which belonged to the color and life. late Hugo Zambrano. Always a warm and gracious man, the artist had many friends and fellow artists house one day, and saw a little, hand- on the famous Victorian homes, called the who visited over the years. His guests written ‘For Rent’ sign on the fence. Billy “Painted Ladies,” in San Francisco. “We took the home the very first mornoften enjoyed hours of conversation in called right away, and made an appointthe courtyard. Zambrano also raised two ment to see it. He loved it immediately ing,” said Billy Potthast, “and we are very young sons in the home, as his wife was and we moved in soon after,” said Billy’s happy we did. We really like the Heights, and we are in love with the house.” stolen from the family by cancer at the age wife, Ginger Potthast. The couple has a teenage daughter, and Ruben Zambrano is the brother of Vicof 32. Then, in 2014, Zambrano himself suc- originally resided in the West University tor, and manages the property today. He cumbed to diabetes, leaving the house area, but found it increasingly expansive. loved his sibling dearly and is delighted to his grieving family. At the time of his The family sold their home there and that the home’s current tenants apprecideath, the exterior of the structure was decided to rent while searching for an ate its beauty. “My brother had a passion for art, and a painted in pink, aquas, reds and blues. alternative in the more affordable – and deep love of life, and you can feel all that The family decided to rent the home rath- friendly - near north. While the home’s appointments would in the home. The Potthasts felt an immedier than sell, choosing to keep the personal statement by the artist in the family. They not be everyone’s cup of tea, it was a ate connection to the house. We are very did, however, decide to change the exte- natural fit for the Potthast family. Their grateful to have found another family who daughter liked it, and Billy Potthast is him- understands it, and loves it as much as we rior to a neutral tan. “My husband Billy was driving by the self a painter and artist. He even worked do,” Zambrano said.
Andre Reed tells The Leader that he and a partner have recently closed on the small shopping complex at the corner of Ella and Pinemont. The property at 5135 Ella Blvd is one of Reed’s investments in the area. In 2014, he bought the Pinemont Pavillion at 965 Pinemont Drive and attracted tenants like Marchese’s Kitchen, Artisana Bread and The Little Learning Place. Reed says that they will do an overhaul at 5135 Ella Blvd with a new façade and extensive internal improvements. He’s currently talking to existing tenants about plans for the space. One new tenant moved in last month – Hoity Toity Dog Grooming.
Chase branches to merge Most living in the Oak Forest and Garden Oaks area have grown accustomed to change. One day, a humble post-World War II home sits peacefully under tall trees on a local street. The next day, all are gone and the lot is bare.
There was a whole lot of shaking going on earlier this week in Oak Forest and Shepherd Park Plaza that initially caused residents some alarm. Tammy Arnold, who lives on Brinkman near Shepherd Park, heard sirens and looked out her front door to see two trucks. “The trucks were loud but then the sound when equipment was lowered made them louder,” she said. “Then [there was] the shaking of everything, including our home. It was pretty scary as I’d never ever seen this kind of vehicle nor felt the shaking.” Arnold, like many other residents, took to social media to talk about what they had experienced and asked questions about what was going on. One of the posters was Rachel Nolan who lives on Martin Street and actually recognized the equipment being used. “I saw geophones on the curb across the street the day before but it did not register at that time that they were geophones,” she said. “I heard and felt my house shake around 4 p.m. on Wednesday – at least three to four big shakes. It was loud and my entire house shook.” Nolan originally thought it was something to do with the recent sewer line and walked out front to investigate. “That’s when I saw at least two Vibroseis trucks,” she said. As many correctly guessed,
Trucks like these were used to take ‘pictures’ of activity under the ground in Shepherd Park Plaza and Oak Forest. Contributed photo
all of the activity was part of a seismic survey for mineral and gas exploration. Lynn Boone with Boone Exploration explained that his company was contracted by another entity – he declined to say who – to survey about a 5 mile stretch of the two neighborhoods. The company worked from Monday to Wednesday to complete the job, laying out 300 stations every 110 feet with 12 geophones in each. Geophones look like a small spike, no bigger than a 20 penny nail, and contain a coil magnet. The geophones convert ground movement into voltage, which may then be transmitted to a recording station. The ground movement, or vibration, is supplied by the aptly named Vibroseis trucks which have a pad that attaches to the ground and shakes, administering a significant shake – down to the earth’s core and back. This allows a picture of sorts of what it looks like underground.
Lynn Boone likens it to the dots on a black and white television. It’s only when you put all the dots together that you get a real picture. According to The Vibroseis Source (Advances in Exploration Geophysics), seismic vibrators are used to perform about half of all seismic surveys on land. This method has replaced the use of small dynamite charges – which no doubt would have created a much larger neighborhood stir. What residents didn’t see were the multiple trucks set up in a vacant parking lot off of I-610, housing a seismic source system and a recording station. “It’s all computerized,” said Boone. Although Boone says his company sometimes is contracted to do the permitting, surveying, and data analysis, in this case Boone Exploration just did the measurement. “We provided the raw data,” Boone said. “We didn’t inter-
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Seismic survey shakes neighborhoods By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com
Now, it seems the same is true for businesses. Anyone driving past the northeast corner of Ella Boulevard and 43rd Street may have noticed something missing – an entire Chase Bank building. The branch originally located at 3320 Ella is gone, leaving
By Kim Hogstrom For The Leader
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pret it.” Other pieces were farmed out to different companies. A city permit was required and Boone said they stayed in the city’s right of way in the neighborhoods. They were also accompanied by a monitoring company to ensure safety as well as a police escort. The question residents are left with is what was down there that someone is so interested in. And if there is something noteworthy, will they someday come back to
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