gourmet redux
Houston's new Trader Joe's takes its next step: Historic Alabama Theater gets agrocery look
- Weingarten announced Friday that the marquee along Shepherd will be getting itsofficial Trader Joe's signage in the coming weeks.Photo by Tyler Rudick
- Inside workers are installing shelves and open-air refrigerators.Photo by Tyler Rudick
- Weingarten released a digital mock-up of the new Trader Joe's branding.
- Much of the existing marquee neon will be replaced, along with the aging acrylicfaces that hold the changeable lettering.Photo by Tyler Rudick
- The ceilings have been opened, revealing some 1930s-era studs and electricalwork.Photo by Tyler Rudick
- Automatic sliding doors have been installed, giving the east entrance thatclassic grocery store feel we all know.Photo by Tyler Rudick
As traces of the Alabama Theater continue to fade, Weingarten Realty revealed Friday that marquee on the old movie house will be getting its official Trader Joe's signage in the next three weeks.
Weingarten's Carrie Murray explained in an email that the process will involve replacing the acrylic faces, restoring the neon and a fresh coat of paint across the of the entire façade along Shepherd. Work begins Friday and is set to run through Sept. 10.
When CultureMap peeked through the new sliding doors, workers were spotted busily setting up rows of open-air refrigerators.
The opening date for the hotly-anticipated gourmet grocer is scheduled for Sept. 21.
CultureMap stopped by the site Friday afternoon for a closer look, but found no contractors working on the eastern entrance. The cladding on the ceiling has been removed to reveal studs and wiring that, presumably, haven't seen the light of day since the late 1930s when the theater was built.
Time has not been kind to some of the wood and some seriously vintage electrical work, all of which surely will be replaced. Nevertheless, it was a cool opportunity to see some early- to mid-20th-century construction techniques for all you preservationists out there.
When we peeked through the new sliding doors on the Shepherd side, workers were spotted busily setting up shelves and rows of open-air refrigerators.
Get your re-usable shopping bags ready . . . Trader Joe's low-cost gourmet is just around the corner.