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foodie time for a kingdom of dark and a batty
Two Rows
A view down Bellaire Blvd. on the West Side
Pay ParkingThe Historic Rice Hotel Building
Sitting on the location in downtown Houston of the old capital building of the Republic of Texas, the Rice Hotel building, as well as the site location, have quite a bit of history. The site was indeed where the capital building was for the first two years of the newly formed republic, then moving to Austin. William Marsh Rice, founder of Rice University here in town, bought the building in 1883 and built a small hotel on the site. In 1913, the present 17 story structure was built, and it became one the nicest and most popular places for people to stay at, as well as enjoy entertainment. Many famous people stayed at the Rice Hotel, including many Hollywood icons and U.S. presidents. John F. Kennedy stayed at the Rice once on a visit to Houston. Then after years of gradual decline, the hotel shut it's doors in 1976. The building basically sat empty for over 20 years until in 1998 it reopened after a complete renovation as a luxury loft complex. The restoration brought back all of the beautiful architecture of it's past, while keeping the same basic structure it has had now for nearly 100 years. I really like this picture here of the Rice Hotel, as it is from a postcard from the early 1900's, shortly after it opened. If you are around the downtown area, it's worth stopping in and taking a look!
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