Developers suck.

[fudge stripe cookays]

The past year or so, big changes have been afoot in the area around my alma mater. I never even knew until I saw in the local paper that "The Flying Tomato" (I can never think of it as JUST The Tomato, as its been known for the past decade or so....it's a habit.) was having to close.

UNT, in Denton, Texas, is famous for its music school, its art school, Mean Joe Green, Phyllis George, Larry McMurtry, Norah Jones, Don Henley...and other talented folks.

I spent a good portion of my life here, from 1984 through 1987, and then I returned from 1994 through 1998, when I finally graduated (I was on the 7 year hiatus plan). My days were full of studying, a pop into the Sound Warehouse in 85 for the edgiest in New Wave vinyl, coffee drinking, hanging with friends, beers and darts at Riprocks or Cool Beans, consuming a quick slice before class, chilling with a Bailey's on the Rocks on the roof of Cool Beans absorbing Renaissance architecture before my next test, or enjoying the wacky Denton musical scene at Fry Street Fair. Fry Street Fair is now a piece of history. The founders are not continuing it.

Recently, a prick developer from Houston purchased the historic properties at the main intersection of town, and is intent on tearing them down, one by one. He bought them, he has already torn down Mr. Chopsticks (the spot for a killer bowl of chicken rice soup on a cold day), and now he's getting rid of The Tomato (a landmark since the early 80s) and multiple other businesses in that block.

Anyone who has attended school here knows and loves the corner of Hickory and Fry. Say goodbye folks. It's going going gone. And I couldn't be more depressed. So many memories, so much history, so much amazing culture (buildings are from the 1920s)....and they are being razed for more Starbucks and other corporate crap.

The students attending UNT from now on will never know the funky, quirkyness of Hickory and Fry ever again.

Pictures of what we're losing:
http://www.savefrystreet.com/photos/main.php

[sonias]

1. Oh FSC, I'm so sorry

I know how that feels. You probably remember some Austin spots that have been demolished too for corporate crap. Les Amis for example. It is so sad to lose some little piece of history for generic crap.

I'll cry with you

Sonia

[fudge stripe cookays]

6. I loved Les Amis.

Only got in there two or three times when I used to work in the basement of the Co-Op back in 1990. Yummy French onion soup!

And let's see how many you remember going back:

- Mike and Charlie's (was back behind Seton Hospital)

- Liberty Lunch (my 2nd home in the 90s)

- Lock, Stock, and Barrel (Anderson Lane--my mom's favorite restaurant back in the 70s)

- Alfie's Fish and Chips (Burnet & Anderson, home of many Friday night outings with my dad when my mom was getting her hair done)

I know there are more....

[KatyaR]

2. Oklahpma State is suffering as well--it's been basically sold by the school's president to

T. Boone Pickens. They've bought a huge amount of property north of the stadium and moved people out of their homes to develop an "athletic village" that supposedly is going to "move them into the top 75 institutions in the US." Some people had lived in that area their entire adult lives.

Former President Schmidly and Pickens have ruined that school for me--I had them take my name off the mailing list, and I don't think I'll ever go back again.

They've forgotten they're there to provide EDUCATION, not sports activities.

[fudge stripe cookays]

5. My condolences.

OSU is the one in Stillwater, correct? I'm not sure why I can't keep them straight. My ex went there too.

So sad what they're doing. Being a genealogist, I hate when people tear down history. Can you imagine how much tourism they'd be raking in in Austin if they had left the Armadillo there? Or Liberty Lunch?

Nope. Gotta have the big bucks, right now. The Lexus SUV, the pinky ring, the tee time on Wednesday, the social whirl.

Fucking leeches. I hate them all.

[KatyaR]

10. Yes, it's in Stillwater; OU's in Norman.

I hate most all developers--they're destroying our country with their greed, kinda like termites on a good tasty piece of wood. Soon there won't be anything left that's not covered in concrete. If there's an empty spot, we've got to BUILD something on it--RIGHT NOW!!!

"They paved Paradise, and put up a parking lot . . . ."

[AwakeAtLast]

3. Ball State University, Muncie, IN had a "Flying Tomato"

Sadly, it burned sometime in the 90's. They had great food!

I think this is happening on a lot of campuses, unfortunately. Trying to attract the high dollar student. <sigh>

Hell, they're building luxury apartments near a lot of them! What happened to suffering in the dorms?

[fudge stripe cookays]

7. Ever increasing sign of the gulf between rich and poor.

Pretty soon, middle class students won't be able to afford an education, even with loans and financial aid. Clear that riff-raff out of the places.

Might as well start paving the way for the future billionaires now, right?

[KatyaR]

11. "Suffering in the dorms?" You've got to be kidding me.

They're tearing all the old dorms down and building doors with high-end "suites" instead. No wonder college costs so much.

[TexasThoughtCriminal]

4. I have similar college memories, just the names are different

My alma mater too has changed over the years, but more along the lines of new buildings going up and greater academic recognition. I'm not sure I would be admitted if I were an applying student now!

It's in a major city in another state, and I have few chances to see it, but I'm sure the current crop of students has ample opportunities for funky hangouts in the city.

I'm sorry about your loss. I saw it on the news, and it did indeed look like a place with a rich history.

[fudge stripe cookays]

8. Fanks.

You'll have to PM me with the dirt. Now I'm curious where you went!

[Susang]

9. I'm sorry

That really sucks. I hate when places that mean a lot to you disappear.

[fudge stripe cookays]

12. And his only donation...

of course, to a Republican.

Contributor Candidate or PAC Amount Date
FREEDMAN, BUSTER
HOUSTON, TX 77081
UNITED EQUITIES INC FIELDS, JACK M JR (R)
Senate - TX
FRIENDS FOR FIELDS (FIELDS FOR SENATE) $1,000
primary 03/08/93


Courtesy of Newsmeat. Is anyone surprised?

[Hangingon]

13. The pictures miss our years at NT.

My wife and I were there from 61 to 64 for BAs and 77 thru 79 for MAs. Fry Street has changed so much since then. We did not get back often due to moves around the country. The last time I was there Cool Beans was nice, but the area could use some fixing up.

[efhmc]

23. We were there at almost the same time. What, as we always

say, was your major?

[Hangingon]

26. Government (Political Science now)

What was your major?

[efhmc]

28. Medical technology. I was in the lab a whoooole lot.

[Hangingon]

32. We really enjoyed our time at UNT

My wife was a math major. We met as lab partners. I had a couple of classes with Jim Hightower, but I'm sure he wouldn't remember me. The school had cahnged a lot when we moved back to Ft. Worth and went to graduate school. She got a masters in special ed and I got an MPA. But then we moved to Virginia and again lost touch. We were back two years ago and saw the chnages. Are you still in the area?

[greatauntoftriplets]

14. I work for a developer....

Except that we only develop raw land. Our construction affiliate has done a couple of high-profile renovations lately -- the Chicago History Museum and the old Biograph Theater.

[alarimer]

15. I think real estate developers have no soul

I don't mean in the Christian sense. They have no sense of history or of ecology. So ready to pave everything over in the name of "progress." I live on the coast and we have the last, undeveloped barrier island in the country. Fortunately half of it is a federal park (although even that has oil and gas wells on it ) but, for the rest, they are determined to cover every available surface with something. They learned nothing from Katrina; it is going to take a direct hit to change their minds. I am sorry for the people who live their and will lose their homes in that event but we desperately need a wake-up call.

[otherlander]

16. The bastards are trying to get rid of the woods across the street from me, too.

The only reason they haven't been able to so far is because they're trying to get a bunch of zoning variations, to build more than would normally be allowed. They don't want to settle for only building a few things, so they're arguing with the town council, which is giving us some time.

I've got half a mind to find some kind of endangered plant somewhere and take it and try to plant it there so it'll be classified as a protected habitat, but... that would be bad.

[tigereye]

17. why can't people allow wooded areas to remain?

why does every piece of land have to have to have ugly buildings on it? And they wonder why it's so hot, and so congested, and so expensive and so ugly.


I hate when cool old spaces disappear.... to be replaced by ugly boring commercial crap!

[otherlander]

18. we cannot stop developing until we have conquered the world.

and when the conquest is over, and the world lies bleeding at our feet, we will look up and say, "how did this happen? we didn't do anything..."

[tigereye]

21. it just makes me sad, partially since so much is destroyed and very few

seem to care....

I hate seeing giant cookie cutter houses where there used to be a forest, or a bunch of cabins...

[otherlander]

22. I know. So do I.

There used to be woods on both sides of the graveyard, too. Now there are just these huge ugly houses.

[alarimer]

19. Todd Snider' This Land is Our Land

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xtm5EbO0Ck

Cause we need more plastic trees and antifreeze

[Maestro]

20. Been there too many times.

I just told my wife and she thinks that is bad as well. All of Fry Street was just so fun. I was a student there from '87 to '90 then a teaching fellow in the Foreign Language Department there right on Fry Street. I have many a fond memory of that place, the clubs, the restaurants, even the damn bookstore there.

[efhmc]

24. You missed some other famous alums, me and Jim

Hightower. I actually worked on his campaign when I first went to UNT when he was running for something or other.

[ashling]

25. Hi, Fudge Stirpe!

:KI:

I was just thinking last night about some of the spots around my alma mater that are gone forever. Of course, I have been gone from my alma mater for 35 years.

It just so happens that I have gone back to graduate school with my wife. We are both in the govt. dept. at TWU. We got here to Denton in time to get to the Tomato, but never made it there.

[Danger Mouse]

27. Our town is facing issues with trying to keep out developers as well.

I, for one, welcome them in this case. This town drives me fucking INSANE. It's packed with arrogant rednecks good ole boys who need to be busted down a peg or ten.

[XemaSab]

29. It's true

I've worked for developers and they're all fucking scum out to make a fast buck.

Developers have ruined Southern California and the Central Valley, and they're fast on their way to crapping all over the foothills and central coast too.

Pretty soon our beautiful foothills are just going to be endless McMansions.

[datasuspect]

30. developers are the stormtroopers of the economic cleansers

they destroy architecturally significant, well constructed century old buildings and the replace them with cinder block monstrosities building with vinyl sheeting.

[Deep13]

31. Yup, they sure do. nt