OT story of Fort Worth lore for we older Frogs

[Limp Lizard]

http://www.star-telegram.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/bud-kennedy/article190507394.html
I certainly remember this guy as well as the gospel singers. As a kid Leonard's Toyland was magic.

The end of a great era for downtown, but now we have an even greater downtown.

 

[BigRedFrog]

Lordy I loved Leonard's at Christmas, and especially the "subway" ride from the big parking lot on the river, with little glass-front windows full of Christmas decorations sprinkled in the tunnel walls along the way. And no one, anywhere, had a better bakery.

 

[Limp Lizard]

Lordy I loved Leonard's at Christmas, and especially the "subway" ride from the big parking lot on the river, with little glass-front windows full of Christmas decorations sprinkled in the tunnel walls along the way. And no one, anywhere, had a better bakery.

The Santa's Express was neat. It made a loop through Toyland including a pass through Santa's workshop with mechanical elves working on toys.

 

[Leap Frog]

I'm older than you guys, but certainly Leonard's was the heart and soul of downtown Ft. Worth.
As a kid, I could walk to downtown from St.Louis ave.and Magnolia Street.
Most of my time was spent on Magnolia-- Tivoli Theater, Paris Coffee Shop, Modern Drugs, and Rockyfeller's Hamburgers.
I remember Big Red Frog saying he lived in that vicinity, and visiting some of those places
Great days and great memories of Fort Worth, 7th.Street downtown and the TCU Horned Frogs sports.

 

[gonzytrevino@yahoo.com]

I'm older than you guys, but certainly Leonard's was the heart and soul of downtown Ft. Worth.
As a kid, I could walk to downtown from St.Louis ave.and Magnolia Street.
Most of my time was spent on Magnolia-- Tivoli Theater, Paris Coffee Shop, Modern Drugs, and Rockyfeller's Hamburgers.
I remember Big Red Frog saying he lived in that vicinity, and visiting some of those places
Great days and great memories of Fort Worth, 7th.Street downtown and the TCU Horned Frogs sports.

I grew up on College Ave and the Tivoli was my Friday night hangout. Ate many burgers at Rockefellers and frequented Ben Franklins 5 and 10. The Dairy Queen around the corner on Hemphill and Biffs across the street from Saint Mary's. Great times.

 

[Opintel]

Great story, and memories. Sent this link and a small note out to a few folks.

This is the kind of stuff that makes me say:

"I'm 70, going on 12."

 

[full house frog]

Thank you for posting the article. I remember as a kid walking from Ryan Ave all the way downtown with my aunts and uncles. Long trip but I loved Leonard’s, especially, and the Santa’s Express.

 

[Dogfrog]

Sorry if already mentioned but if you’re old enough to remember Leonard’s, be sure and go to M&O grill on Carroll near Montgomery Plaza. Burgers are seriously good, they serve beer and also next door there is a Leonard’s Department store museum I believe funded by Marty Leonard, with a bunch of photos and interesting stuff, actually pretty well done and kills a few minutes while waiting for a burger.

 

[Frog DJ]

My maternal grandmother helped found College Avenue Baptist Church, and I was baptized there. My mother was the Vice President of the Tarrant County Women's Missionary Union (WMU) and my dad was a deacon.

Pop was also the Vice President of Operations for the South Fort Worth Bank, located in the same block as the Paris Cafe. He would take me to lunch there, and I could walk back over to the CABC gym to play basketball.

I spent a lot of time in that near south side neighborhood, but it's a completely different planet from what it was in the 1950s.

Go Frogs!

 

[toadallytexan]

Worked there for Christmas money as a seasonal temp in the men's department (about 1964-5). Rode the subway, somehow being downtown made me feel more important than I was. Left the area upon graduating in 1967...my rich uncle provided me with a blue suit and travel plans. I never got back there again, or knew when the store shut down.

Lordy I loved Leonard's at Christmas, and especially the "subway" ride from the big parking lot on the river, with little glass-front windows full of Christmas decorations sprinkled in the tunnel walls along the way. And no one, anywhere, had a better bakery.

 

[Limp Lizard]

Anyone remember the giant ice cream soda that Striplings had? What was that called?

 

[BigRedFrog]

I'm older than you guys, but certainly Leonard's was the heart and soul of downtown Ft. Worth.
As a kid, I could walk to downtown from St.Louis ave.and Magnolia Street.
Most of my time was spent on Magnolia-- Tivoli Theater, Paris Coffee Shop, Modern Drugs, and Rockyfeller's Hamburgers.
I remember Big Red Frog saying he lived in that vicinity, and visiting some of those places
Great days and great memories of Fort Worth, 7th.Street downtown and the TCU Horned Frogs sports.

Yes indeed, Leap Frog. No chili cheeseburger has ever come close to Rockyfellers. I now have DVDs of many of the B&W sci-fi and horror movies I first saw at the Tivoli.

Sounds like Gonzytrevino hung out in the same neighborhood. I lived in near south from 1958 through 1965 when I entered TCU after graduating from Paschal -- 6th grade at De Zavala and 7-9 at Parker - lots of wonderful memories of that time period.

But like Frog DJ said, it's a whole different planet now. I was home last year and took pictures of the vacant lots and medical buildings that now occupy my former residences on College, Lipscomb, S. Jennings and Travis.

 

[PurplFrawg]

Any of you youngsters go to Mr Bacon's Barber Shop in the Modern Drug building? His entrance was on the Hemphill St. side. He'd go to Paris Coffee Shop for breakfast every morning, then open up the shop when he was done...no particular time.

 

[Deep Purple]

"Nelson had come to Leonards since his childhood days in the Hill County town of Abbott."

What the...? Check your map, Bud. Abbott is on the Central Texas prairie between Hillsboro and Waco. Nowhere near the Hill Country.

 

[Brog]

Great story for US older Frogs. Anybody remember a place down toward Leonards that was called a "Cafferoll"? Sort of a cafeteria in a horseshoe shape with a rolling surface that kept running around bringing food of different sorts. Take all you want. All you can eat, but the food was such that you didn't really want to eat much. Didn't last too long.

 

[BigRedFrog]

Any of you youngsters go to Mr Bacon's Barber Shop in the Modern Drug building? His entrance was on the Hemphill St. side. He'd go to Paris Coffee Shop for breakfast every morning, then open up the shop when he was done...no particular time.

Don't remember the name but I'm sure that's the barber shop I went to.

 

[PurplFrawg]

Don't remember the name but I'm sure that's the barber shop I went to.

Mr. Bacon was a hoot. He was a WWII Marine and had pictures of Marines on the wall. Had to be in his early 70s when I started going to his shop. He told me one time that he was going to sue the US Government, cause he knew they giving saltpeter to the troops back in the day, but it was just then starting to work.

 

[Frog DJ]

Mr. Bacon was a hoot. He was a WWII Marine and had pictures of Marines on the wall. Had to be in his early 70s when I started going to his shop. He told me one time that he was going to sue the US Government, cause he knew they giving saltpeter to the troops back in the day, but it was just then starting to work.

"Liked" for the last line.

Not that I'd know anything about that...

Go Frogs!

 

[lakefrog]

"Nelson had come to Leonards since his childhood days in the Hill County town of Abbott."

What the...? Check your map, Bud. Abbott is on the Central Texas prairie between Hillsboro and Waco. Nowhere near the Hill Country.

story says Hill COUNTY town, not Hill Country. Abbott is indeed in Hill County

 

[Pure Purple]

Graduated in the TCU Class of 1956. Are there any other old codgers on KillerFrogs who may have

graduated in an earlier class?