60 YEARS AGO TODAY…

The Grand Opening of Lake Air Mall!

In 1959, it was announced that a shopping mall would be built on Bosque Boulevard. The Lake Air Mall was developed by Arthur Temple, Charles Sligh, and George Nokes. Goldstein-Migel, was the first store to open in the new mall on Monday, October 31, 1960. The Grand Opening of the Lake Air Mall was Thursday, March 16, 1961. The Lake Air Mall was an innovative and amazing place, and will always hold a special place in the hearts of those who knew it. It closed in January, 2002.

STORES OF LAKE AIR MALL

According to the 1961 Waco City Directory, all spaces except for Goldstein Migel were vacant. This reflects January-February, 1961. By March 1961, much of the spaces at the mall were filled.

The First Phase of the Opening of The Lake Air Mall was the opening of Goldstein-Migel’s on October 31, 1960.

The Grand Opening of the Second Phase was March 16, 1961. The stores that were on the mall by then were:

5201 Pioneer Savings Association

5201 Lake Air Mall

-232 Lake Air Barber Shop

-234 Sherwin-Williams Paint Co.

-236 Bettis Art Center

-237 Holt’s Sporting Goods

-240 Walgreen’s Grill & Restaurant

-241 Walgreen’s Drug Store

-247 Butler’s Shoe Store

-249 Cardinal Co. Apartment Managers

Lake Air Inc.

Lake Air Development Co.

Lake Air Merchants Assn.

George Nokes, Lawyer

Town Hall Meeting Place

Waco Property

-250 Texas State Optical

-251 Lewis Shoe Store

-252 South’s Gift Shop

-253 TG&Y Variety Store

-254 Book Nook

-258 Morris Jewelers

-259 National Shirt Shops

-261 Grayson’s RTW Women’s Clothes

-264 Andes Candies

-275 Goldstein-Migel

By the end of 1961, The Third Phase had occurred, and included the addition of Safeway, Montgomery Ward, Piccadilly Cafeteria, Casual Corner, and Bauer McCann.

By the time the 1963 Waco City Directory was published, Lake Air Records, Farmers Insurance Group, Junior House Children’s Clothes, and Singer Sewing Machine Co. had been added. At some point, the office area of the Lake Air Mall was added, but we are not sure of when that happened.

The layout of the stores in the 1963 Waco City Directory is:

5201 Pioneer Savings Association

5201 Lake Air Mall

-211 Safeway Store No. 259

-215 Montgomery Ward

-230 Lake Air Records

-231 Piccadilly Cafeteria

-232 Lake Air Barber Shop

-234 Sherwin-Williams Paint Co.

-236 Bettis Art Center

-237 Holt’s Sporting Goods

-238 Farmers Insurance Group

-240 Walgreen’s Grill & Restaurant

-241 Walgreen’s Drug Store

-247 Butler’s Shoe Store

-249 Cardinal Co. Apartment Managers

Lake Air Inc.

Lake Air Development Co.

Lake Air Merchants Assn.

George Nokes, Lawyer

Town Hall Meeting Place

Waco Property

-249A WACO Radio Station

-250 Texas State Optical

-251 Lewis Shoe Store

-252 South’s Gift Shop

-253 TG&Y Variety Store

-254 Book Nook

-258 Morris Jewelers

-259 National Shirt Shops

-260 Junior House Children’s Clothes

-261 Grayson’s RTW Women’s Clothes

-263 Singer Sewing Machine Co.

-264 Andes Candies

-267 Casual Corner

-271 Bauer McCann Co.

-275 Goldstein-Migel

This amazing 28-page booklet was printed in 1975 by WACO HERITAGE PUBLICATIONS in celebration of our nation’s Bicentennial in 1976. It features the beautiful drawings of Waco artist Steve Ashley and descriptive narration by Dayton Kelley. On their introductory page, Dayton Kelley and Steve Ashley wrote:

“Whether one is interested in American history or some other type of history, it can become more meaningful if it is viewed in the light cast by those who participated in the events which affected history. The people who made our town what it is today are our finest heritage and WACO HERITAGE HIGHLIGHTS is a bicentennial tribute to those people and the events they inspired. The reader will find no attempt here to interpret the events or to evaluate the contributions of the pioneers. Rather, we have attempted to depict through the medium of illustrations, combined with brief historical text panels, some of the major events in the long and illustrious history of Waco. During 1976, almost every community in the United States will be looking more closely at its history and its heritage than it ever has before. Waco, too, will be celebrating the past in various ways and it is our hope that WACO HERITAGE HIGHLIGHTS will contribute in some measure to the pride that Waco citizens have in the heritage and history of their town.”

Indeed, it does!

Touch the link below to see photos of historical Waco buildings. This gallery is shareable to any social media platform or via email. If YOU have photos of historical Waco buildings that we can add to his gallery, please send them to wacotexashistoryinpictures@gmail.com and we will be sure to give you photo contributing credit.

HISTORIC BUILDINGS

The Tom Primm House was in North Waco, on the SW corner of 19th and Park Lake Drive. During WWI, this area was part of Camp MacArthur(1917-1919), and the house became the Commanding Officer’s Headquarters. The first photo here is by Fred Gildersleeve and contributed by Mark Randolph/City of Waco. The second photo is also by Fred Gildersleeve and is is from “A Pictorial History of Waco by Roger Conger. That intersection is 19th and Park Lake. This photo is taken from beside where the H-E-B is, and looking down Park Lake Drive. North 19th was often called Bosqueville Road. Park Lake used to be called Bewley Lane, and was also referred to as “the road that leads to Walker’s Crossing”. This was about thirteen years before the OLD Lake Waco was built, so that road just led to a bridge that crossed the Bosque River. You can see the Primm house in the second photo as well. This photo is courtesy of The Texas Collection, Baylor University.

We just added a new photo gallery “POSTCARDS:RESTAURANTS”. https://wacotexashistoryinpictures.com/galleries/postcards-restaurants/

We just added a new photo gallery of Waco Hotels and Motels! You can visit it at: https://wacotexashistoryinpictures.com/galleries/postcards-restaurants-hotels-motels/?fbclid=IwAR3N9x7nATnlINpYUt8ZvvCFUnjdDanlvMtG9gFsV-qYTjBZkKlTWvrGrio

We’ve just posted the March, 2021 Magazine. Go to the “Magazine” tab on our website to view. Featured articles are The Lake Air Mall, The Lake Air Cinema, The New Lake Waco Dam, The New Lake Shore Drive, The Twin Bridges.

Click to access 210301-march-2021-magazine.pdf

M O R E W A C O H I S T O R Y…

Thank you for being a part of us! Posted below is a full list of the Waco, Texas pages and groups we manage, and we want to invite you to be a part of as many of them as you want! Click on any link, and it will take you there, and you can join or “like”.

And be sure to follow the “Waco Blog” at our website http://www.wacotexashistoryinpictures.com

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GROUPS

“Waco, Texas History in Pictures”
Photos and memories of Waco, Texas
https://www.facebook.com/groups/440335416074300/

“Historical Bosqueville, Texas (pre-1965)”
A community with a rich history…just out North 19th and across the Bosque Bridge!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/historicalbosquevilletexas/

“The Old Lake Waco and Dam”
Photos and memories of the 1930 Waco Dam, including the transition to the present Lake Waco.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/oldlakewacodam/

“1953 Waco Tornado Memorial”
Photos, videos and newspaper articles from the week that followed the May 11, 1953 Waco tornado.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1953WacoTexasTornado/

PAGES

“Waco, Texas: That’s My Hometown”
Historic AND current pictures and events in Waco, Texas
https://www.facebook.com/wacotexashistory/

“Waco, Texas: Centennial 1849-1949”
A celebration of Waco’s First One Hundred Years!
https://www.facebook.com/pg/Waco-Texas-Centennial-1849-1949-1098824286938153/

“Waco, Texas: African American Heritage”. A historical record of the African American community in Waco, Texas.
https://www.facebook.com/Waco-Texas-African-American-Heritage-108562367569379/

“Bosqueville-China Spring, Texas: Now and Then”
Historic AND current pictures and events in Bosqueville, Texas
https://www.facebook.com/Bosqueville-Texas-Now-and-Then-791622494328166/

1930 LAKE WACO DAM

This photo of the 1930 Lake Waco Dam was taken from the “airport” side of the lake, looking toward the Waco side. The building at the end of the road is The Brass Rail, and us at the four of the hill of Green Leaf Peninsula. People who remember driving across this bridge/dam recall how noisy it was.

This photo is from Google Images, and we have no information about the date or photographer. If you do, please post it in the comments.

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The Construction of the 1930 Lake Waco Dam

The City of Waco formed the Waco Water Commission in 1912. On September 14,1926, a $3,500,000 bond election was passed to finance the building of a dam on the Bosque River. After some concerned citizens complained about the cost of the new dam, it was decided to build a smaller dam, resulting in a smaller lake for around $ 2,500,000. The Waco Water Commission, under the direction of Cecil C. Shear, Chairman, hired the engineering firm of Floyd and Lochridge as Chief Engineer, and W.E. Callahan Construction Company as the General Contractor. George W. Goethals, famous for building the Panama Canal, was hired to come to Waco to review the plans. He was impressed with the plans, and gave his approval. The cost was estimated at $2,000,000, and the estimated completion date was July of 1930.

Workmen began clearing land for the dam in December of 1928. Construction on the dam began on January 2, 1929, with T.C. Shuler serving as Resident Engineer. Over 25,000 cords of wood resulted from the clearing of 2,800 acres. Soon came the construction of a concrete plant, woodmill, camp houses and a dining hall large enough for 100 workers.

Crews worked day and night, and the Lake Waco Dam was completed in April 1930, storing over 130,000 acre feet of water, and securing 39,000 acre feet of water annually. This dam served the City of Waco until a new dam was built beginning July 5, 1958. The new dam was dedicated in 1965.

Sources: WCCC-TV’s “Water: A Resource for Life-The History of Waco’s Water” (Mark Randolph, Editor) and historical newspaper articles.

POSTCARDS:BUILDINGS
This is the latest photo gallery added to our WEBSITE.

We are in the process of organizing our photos into the following photo galleries. In the near future, we will be adding:
POSTCARDS: STREET SCENES
POSTCARDS: BIRD’S EYE/AERIAL VIEWS
POSTCARDS: CAMP MACARTHUR
POSTCARDS: RESTAURANTS, HOTELS, MOTELS
POSTCARDS: RIVERS, LAKES, PARKS
POSTCARDS: MISCELLANEOUS

Look for more soon!