Time,

Lock and load.

The Michael Vary Show is on the air. Today.

The Michael Vary Show is sponsored by Galeria Post Oak. Today we just call it the Galeria, but when it opened for business in January of 1969,

Houston's crown jewel retail space was known as Galeria Post Oak.

Notworthy as the nation's first major mixed use retail slash office

slash hotel development. With 3 million square feet of space it is the largest mall in

the great state of Texas and the seventh largest in the entire country.

It was first developed by Gerald D. Hines with construction starting in 1967 at a cost of $30 million.

That's just over $270 million today.

Gerald D. Hines' interests also built Shell Oil's

downtown headquarters, Pennzoil Place, and Transco Tower.

I know it's been renamed as Williams Tower, but most people still call it Transco Tower.

The Gallery of Post Oak was modeled after the

Galeria Vittario Imanalee in Milan, Italy. Borrowing as its most

distinctive architectural feature a glazed barrel vault spanning the

central axis of the mall. In other words a real honest of goodness glass ceiling.

The original skylights had three hanging chandeliers. Now how fancy is that?

Chandeliers in a mall. The University Clubhouse 10 indoor tennis courts,

two squash courts, two handball courts, a clubhouse, and a heated pool.

A heated pool at the mall.

The fitness facility opened in June of 1971. The 400-room Houston Oaks Hotel was dedicated in September

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