Hughes Hangar Shuttered

Washington Ave nightclub that was one of Houston's top hotspots unexpectedly shutters

Hughes Hangar closed after service Saturday night.

A staple of Washington Ave's nightlife scene has closed after just over five years in business. On Saturday, the Twitter account for Hughes Hangar revealed the business would close that night and informed patrons that all drinks would be $4.

Although the corresponding Facebook post announcing the closure has been deleted, one of the club's employees seemed to confirm the closure with a Tweet of her own.

Tonight is the last night that Hughes Hangar is open! $4 for basically anything you want. Come watch me slang some dranks for the last time.

— mean edge girl (@vikkibranden) March 12, 2016

When it opened in mid-2011, Hughes Hangar's luxurious interior and high-style details represented something new on the scene. The club thrived as one of the city's top hotspots, even launching The De Gaulle sister concept on the same property in 2014.

Of course, nightclubs have a shelf life, and it seems Hughes Hangar's patrons had moved on to other options. Records from the State Comptroller's Office show that liquor sales from December 2015 declined to approximately $205,000 compared to 322,000 in December 2014. January 2016 sales were just over $124,000 compared to over $155,000 in January 2015. With new competition from Midtown clubs like Clé and VrSI as well as recent Washington Ave openings La Roux and Concrete Cowboy, the trend of declining sales probably couldn't be reversed.

CultureMap has sought comment from the club via email about the closure and the space's future, including April's scheduled Houston Bacon Bourbon Festival, but has yet to receive a reply. We will update this story as more news becomes available.

Update: In an email to CultureMap, Hughes Hangar event coordinator Jillian Vazquez confirms both the club and The De Gaulle are "permanently closed." Vazquez is seeking other venues for those with events scheduled at the property. "If anyone would like to help relocate our clients, please feel free to call me directly at 832-916-8061 or send an email to info@hugheshangar.com. Thank you," she concludes.

nightlife closings

bang for your buck

These are the 6 most affordable ZIP codes for Houston renters

Facebook / City of Bellaire, Texas

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Trying to afford buying a home in Houston is difficult enough with current mortgage rates, and doubly so if you're already paying high rent on an apartment or a house. But there are six Houston ZIP codes where renters can get the most bang for their buck, according to a new study by financial services company CashNetUSA.

To find the most affordable ZIP codes to rent in the U.S., analysts compared median household incomes by ZIP code to the average annual rent costs using the Zillow Observed Rent Index. ZIP codes where the average annual rental costs required the lowest percentage of median household income were considered the "most affordable."

Two Houston-area ZIP codes specifically stood out in CashNetUSA's ranking of the most affordable ZIP codes for renters in America: 77401 in Bellaire (No. 9) and 77094 in the Energy Corridor (No. 12).

According to the study's findings, the average monthly cost of a rental in Bellaire comes out to $2,401.25, and the median annual income of a Bellaire household is $210,577. Analysts then calculated that the annual rent of a home in the Bellaire ZIP code only takes up 13.68 percent of a household's median income, which is the ninth-lowest in the nation.

But as Houstonians know all too well, Bellaire residents aren't exactly struggling to pay their rent, seeing as they live in one of the wealthiest places in America.

Meanwhile in Houston's 77094 ZIP, annual rent costs only represent 13.88 percent of a household's median annual income. The area – which encompasses the Kingsland Estates, Green Trails, Green Trails Oaks, Windsor Park Estates, Windsor Park Lakes, and Barker neighborhoods – has a median household income of over $168,000, and average rent costs add up to $1,944.58, according to the study.

CashNetUSA found the No. 1 most affordable ZIP code for renters nationwide is 66224 in Leawood, Kansas, where annual rent only takes a 10.57 percent cut out of a household's median annual income.

Elsewhere in Texas, San Antonio's 78248 ZIP ranked as the No. 4 most affordable ZIP code for renters in the U.S., and the No. 1 most affordable ZIP code statewide. The North Texas ZIP code 75013 in Allen ranked two spots behind Houston to claim the No. 14 spot nationally.

The most affordable Houston ZIP codes for renters
CashNetUSA further unveiled the five most affordable ZIP codes across major U.S. cities, including in Houston, Austin, and San Antonio.

Following 77094 (which took the No. 1 spot citywide) is 77008 (No. 2), which spans Greater Heights, Houston Heights, Shady Acres, and Lazybrook/Timbergrove. Rent costs in this ZIP code averaged out to $1,856 per month, the report found.

Landing in the No. 3 spot is 77024, which includes four of Houston's historic Memorial Villages, including Hedwig, Bunker Hill, Hunters Creek, and Piney Point. The report said average rent in the area comes out to $1,730 per month, which takes up 16.88 percent of a household's median annual income.

The remaining top two most affordable ZIP codes for Houston renters are located in 77007 (Washington Avenue Coalition/Memorial Park, Rice Military, and Crestwood/Glen Cove) and 77345 in Kingwood, which is about 30 miles north of downtown Houston.