History of River Oaks Shopping Center

1930’s

• Architects: Stayton Nunn and Milton McGinty
• Construction: clay brick, stucco and painted warm sand color
• First Stores Opened in 1937
• Tenants:
• 2 Service Stations
• Food and Liquor Stores
• Beauty and barber shops
• Drug Store
• Tailor-Cleaner
• Flower and Gift Shops
• Electric Supply Store
• Women’s Clothing
• Offices

1940’s

• Second phase constructed in 1948 on either side of the next block east (Where Gap and Events are currently located)
• Architects: William G. Farrington Co.
• Designer: Ray Brogniez

1950’s

• Post World War center declined
• Low mix of tenants
• Construction: neon and awnings added

1970’s

• Center acquired by Weingarten in 1971
• Weingarten Grocery Store constructed
• New Tenants: Walgreens Drugstore, Goodyear tire store
• 1975 Remodel
• Architect: Eugene Aubry of S.I. Morris Architects
• Construction: White paint applied to stucco and brick, Black Silk-Screened signs added to match black tile
• Palm trees trucked in from Florida installed along West Gray
• New Tenants
• Art Galleries: Cronin, Moody and Texas
• Singles Bar
• Pizzeria
• Ready to Wear Boutique
• French Bakery
• Hunan Restaurant
• Houston Ballet and Theater Under the Stars

1980’s

• Clocks added over 1964 and 1973 West Gray Buildings in 1988
• Architects: Suzanne LaBarthe and John Rodgers
• Focus on making center pedestrian friendly

1990’s

• La Griglia opens 1992, Architects Kirksey-Meyers
• New Tenants: Starbucks, Chilis, Talbots

2006-2010

• Northwest corner of shopping center redeveloped with two story retail building and four story parking garage
• Arcitect: Altoon Porter
• Team Members include: RSM Design, SWA Group and Kaplan Gehring McCarroll Architectural Lighting
• New Tenants: Barnes and Noble