To understand what this blog is about first read the article linked below and if the link is bad then read the text version linked on another post.
..(read the article from the Valley Morning Star April 27th, 2009
I dont understand how this is going to be allowed to happen. I've always love this building and so do many others. Its been part of Harlingen forever. And now very soon it will be bulldozed to the ground to make way for a parking lot for a new CVS pharmacy.
... ARE YOU KIDDING ME
Key players in this story are:
- Mr. Murphy - Owner of MacPherson's Pharmacy
- CVS Pharmacy - the pharmacy on every corner
- Charles Feldman - his Father bought the building in 1947
- City of Harlingen - The Mayor Chris Boswell
Click the pic below to see how small the area is.
It seems no one cares about this historic landmark from being bulldozed to the ground only to make way for a few parking spaces and some shrubbery. Look I'm all for property rights, profit and growth but I'm also for responsibility and tearing down The Glass House in exchange for a few parking spaces is not being responsible or a good steward. Let me tell you, if this building is allowed to be demolished then CVS, MacPherson's and Harlingen City Hall are showing their true colors ($GREEN$). Its all about the money, tax dollars and nothing else. At least it seems that way.
Where was the Mayor in all this, or the City Manager ... HELLO !!
From the City of Harlingen's website comes this:
"Mayor Chris Boswell, during his swearing-in ceremony in May, 2007, challenged the Community of Harlingen to pull together to create a celebration of our first 100 years as a City. It is his foresight that has spawned an outpouring of community involvement that you can follow for the next year or so as we reach that celebratory point."
Well Mayor Boswell you want Harlingen to celebrate its first 100 years but you wont try to save a historic landmark dating back to the 1930's. That just makes no sense. As a matter of fact it makes no sense to have a CVS in that location. I mean do we really need another BIG BOX pharmacy so close to each other.
Thats right people, if you start at the Walgreen's location on 77 and drive to where this new CVS will be built thats only 1 mile. And if you continue to drive from there to the other Walgreen's thats towards the Mall thats another mile. So there you have it. Two Walgreen's and one CVS, all of them within 2.5 miles ... WOW thats genius and thats not to mention CVS will also be building another pharmacy by the hospital.
Look Mayor I'm sure your busy with other important things running the city but come on. Can you help me so that Harlingen wont lose its charm, its history. While new construction is important and necessary for growth it seems they all look the same. Have you ever noticed how every new shopping strip center is a carbon copy of another one down the road... BORING
So Mayor Boswell maybe just maybe you can save some of Harlingen's historic landmarks, save some history and keep some of the architectural charm in other places around Harlingen other than just downtown.
... Now lets talk about the person that sold out to CVS.
His name is Mr. Murphy ... (owner of MacPherson's Pharmacy)
Did Mr.Murphy even try to save The Glass House? Well in the brief conversation I had with him it sure sounded like no effort had been made. Maybe he did, maybe not but check this out.
According to sources the sale of the GLASS HOUSE just recently went through. So if the deal MacPherson's had with CVS was in the works for some time (as I've been told) and the Glass House was just purchased, then that would mean that Mr. Murphy's intentions was not to save it but to buy The Glass House to include it in the deal with CVS. He had no intention of leasing it, or starting another business in that location. He only bought it to sell it to CVS without any regard to its historical past while knowing of its upcoming death. Does Mr. Murphy have the right to do what he wants with his property, yes he does but I wished he would have done the right thing. The right thing being to save it.
I wonder if Mr. Murphy thought about putting a clause in the contract with CVS that the building not be demolished? Maybe or maybe not. I'm sure CVS wanted the entire area and maybe the only way the sale could have gone through was to take over the entire block which includes The GLASS HOUSE. Like I said before I'm all for growth BLAH BLAH BLAH but give me a freaking break with this scenario. Trading a landmark building thats been in the same location since the 1930's for just a few parking spaces shows how CVS and a select few people really care about the history of Harlingen and its community.
PICTURE OF MACPHERSON'S PHARMACY (future parking lot)
...the Glass House is just right of this building
For the record CVS seems to do good things for its communities by giving back in many ways as their website shows. So if thats the case then I have an idea for you CVS so listen up.
You should think about saving this building from demolition. Maybe you should add my cause to save this building to your CVS Code of Conduct and give Harlingen Texas back The Glass House and don't ever think about knocking it down. So lets do the right thing.
Lets Preserve it, Keep it, Love it... LETS DO SOMETHING GOOD!
FYI, I did talk to the Ex VP of Development for CVS Dino De Thomas, and he told me that keeping the Glass House will have a negative impact on the layout for the new building.
...WOW are you kidding!
He also told me that after 2 months of the Glass House being gone nobody will care.
Now that says it all.
** contact CVS and tell them how you feel by clicking here:
... CVS MEDIA CONTACTS
Next we have Charles Feldman the previous owner of the GLASS HOUSE who sold the building to Mr. Murphy. After talking to him on the phone about this surprisingly Mr. Feldman doesn't seem to care about the up coming demolition of the building his father once owned and where he worked as a kid. Look I know things change in life, but some things are worth saving, worth preserving and I have to admit that I am surprised about his non reaction. Mr. Feldman had a chance to do a good thing with this building and with the Feldman legacy by saving The Glass House and I think he dropped the ball.
He could have donated the building to the City of Harlingen to be used for non profit or just be kept as a treasure of the past to NEVER BE DEMOLISHED. Too bad that won't be happening.
He could have just sold it to the previous occupants. You see according to sources the previous business (Nataraja Kuni) now on Filmore Street occupied the Glass House and asked Charles Feldman to sell them the building on numerous occasions. According to a source at NATARAJA KUNI the owner was told by Charles Feldman that if he ever sold it they would get first chance at buying the building. While I dont think there was ever a contract signed I still wonder why he did NOT sell it to her. Why would he sell it to Mr. Murphy knowing that it was going to be demolished. Why would he not sell it to someone who was going to save it, keep it ? I know that the owner of NATAURJA KUNI is happy with her current location but I still wonder why Feldman never gave her a chance.... Hhhmm
... Bottom line boys and girls is that this building could have been saved but no one cared. Maybe we still have a chance.
How the hell could this deal have gone though without any intervention, talks, or deals to try and save the building. As of this Posting I talked to KGBT-TV about doing a story on this and so far I have not heard from them. I would think the Harlingen TV station would have jumped on this story. I thought a new fresh story to investigate would be good for them to cover but i guess they dont care either.
So will you STEP UP to the front and join me in this fight?
--> SO HOW CAN YOU HELP ?
Post your thoughts (THERE IS AN OPTION TO POST ANONYMOUS), call KGBT-TV, the Valley Morning Star, the Mayor, the City Manager and tell them that this building should be saved. Email this blog to your friends that might care.
email Allen Essex and thank him for bringing this to our attention.
allene@valleystar.com
12 comments:
Hello there,
I have mixed emotions about this. half of me wants this building to be saved since it is historic and the other half of me wants to get rid of it becuase it will look ugly for the new CVS/pharmacy though. But despite of this i think CVS/pharmacy could do away with 4-8 parking spaces. So my final judgetment is save the builidng dont wreck it down and leave it alone. its good to have competion against walgreens. Not mention i get to use my CVS rewards card I got in Chicago, Illinois
hey thanks for the post
I dont think leaving it will be ugly for the new CVS. I gave them the idea of painting it with CVS colors that way it blends in. But they want it gone completely.
i have a question are they going to level the existing cvs pharmacy builidng or destroy and build a new one?
im the same poster
do you mean the existing McPhersons?
cus their is no CVS just yet.
Yes they will demolish the McPhersons building which is pretty new anyway, i think built in 2005-07
CVS will be build sort of in the middle of the lot, with the back end facing the City Hall which is really stupid. Then again I personally think thats a bad place for a CVS anyway.
Yes McPhersons will also be torn down to make way for the new CVS but that building was built in 2005.
My parents spent lots of money at McPherson's, and my father, who spent many years of his life writing and editing at The Valley Morning Star, would undoubtedly have something to say about this if he were still alive.
The building should go. I am a life long resident of Harlingen. Please stop leveling insults and foul language at CVS. They own the site and have a right to do with it as they wish within the limits of the law. The building, although somewhat attractive is not historically significant. As a usefull structure, it is very limited as evidenced by the short run businesses have had there lately and the length and frequency of its vacancy. Additionally, it would be in the way of the CVS development. If you are sincere, remove the building (it is free) and reconstruct it on your land. Thanks to CVS for giving Harlingen their vote of confidence with a huge investment.
WOW, your really that excited about a CVS coming to Harlingen, sounds like you REALLY need to get out of the Valley and expand your horizons ... CVS was gonna come here whether or not they would take over that block area ... You really think CVS gives a rats ass about Harlingen's thoughts on whether we wanted them here or not ... And what investment are you talking about, CVS return on their investment goes back to them and the shareholders, not the city of Harlingen or its residents .. damn are you kidding me .. As for the structure being historically significant , well to you it might not be but to the TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION it is so do your research genius ...Also the track record of any business that has leased the building before does not have any relevance to its historic past so bad argument... You sound like someone that is very close to this transaction with CVS .. hhmm
As of July 17, 2009 the glass house is now gone!!
Really I am not kidding!!
by the way i am the first poster to your blog again.
yeah i got the call once it happened ... i did what i could to save it but GREED and just plain STUPID won over this time.
On the other hand...I did not see you(CAPTAIN RIO GRANDE) make a financial effort to save the building.
I wish they would have saved it...but there was not enough interest in putting up the money. Just folks telling someone else what to do with their own property.
Money was not the issue to save the GLASS HOUSE ... I know several poeple who wanted to buy it but the owner was holding it for Murphy so he make sure it was part of the whole package deal that CVS wanted ... So no matter what Murphy was not gonna let that go and neither were the original owners ... They were the ones that could have saved it but GREED took over ... Looks like you still dont get it, and besides your post is all over the place not making sense ... Go do something good for a change.
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