Receive Weekly Email and Text Message Updates:
Sign up for latest info on concerts, dining, promotions and more!
Go!

Best Ruins

Westbury Square
5425 W. Bellfort
Houston

This 48-year-old outdoor mall looked old when it opened and was full of life. Designed by architect William J. Wortham, Jr., a man with a fixation on all things Italian Renaissance, Westbury Square was supposed to evoke a village in Tuscany, and for a decade or so it thrived as a hotbed of the counterculture outside the Loop, far from Montrose. Today it looks more like Pompeii. Almost half of it was pulled down about ten years ago to make way for a Home Depot, while the other half molders and crumbles in the sun, rain, wind and mold. And yet there's life there — people still live on the upper floors of some of the buildings, and a cigar shop there claims to have Houston's largest humidor. So grab a stogie, fire it up and remember the way things were.

Best Of Search

Click here for Best Of Map

Best Of Issues - Previous Years

Latest Best Of User Comments

  • Best Place to Meet Single Men (1)
    2009-11-22 03:01:15
    I am a 20 something, African American female and can honestly say…This is very true. I can’t do...
  • Hip-Hop Producer (1)
    2009-11-19 08:54:21
    N.O. Joe and Mike Dean need to get together again. N.O. Joe is also a pioneer alongside Mike...
  • Best French Restaurant (1)
    2009-11-18 20:42:52
    This is by far the best classic French Restaurant in Houston and also the most affordable!!! Go...
  • Best Local TV News Reporter (2)
    2009-11-18 11:36:34
    Could someone do an unbiased report on Shaken Baby Syndrome? It has never been scientifically...
  • Best Seafood Restaurant (1)
    2009-11-16 13:40:12
    I've had very mixed experiences at Reef. At times the waitstaff is a bit too casual and...

Best of Houston 2007 Award Graphics