Walters and House of Creeps have relocated there. It's home to venues, businesses and homes. And now, the northeastern edge of Downtown near Nance Street -- an area coming to be known as the "Warehouse District" -- is home to the Doctor's Office, Houston's newest DIY house venue.
Named for its former use as a dentist's office, The Doctor's Office provides cheap thrills to anyone seeking out Houston's underground. That is, when it's not acting as home to four people in their early twenties.
"We want to provide a space for the community," says Matt, who relocated from Denton to Houston last May.
Matt, who asked we only use his first name for this article, helps run The Doctor's Office alongside his roommates Matt Willhelm, Michelle Sanchez and Lubi (another first-namer).
It might seem that way, but the venue is anything but scrappy. Upon arrival, a small admission fee (usually around $5) gains you entrance and covers drinking fees. Inside, welcoming you is the former waiting room, lit dimly by a singular orange light bulb and the light coming from the old receptionist's office -- which is now where drinks are served.
A hallway to the right leads to the main room, where bands play amid PAs and a modest light show. From there, the only other options are to head out on the front stoop, or to a sprawling back patio, lit up by floodlights and festively decorated with multiple paintings."
"The whole point of us doing this was to create a more local scene to Houston, so that bands and people have a place to go that isn't a bar," says Matt. "We don't want to be a venue where you have to pay a lot of money for beer and see a band in a closed off environment."
Luckily, The Doctor's Office is anything but. It feels like a smaller version of Mango's in its former glory days, just without the congestion.
"When we got the space, there were ideas going around for what we could do with it," said Matt Willhelm, who helps with production and sound. "A venue was one of them, but that got pushed to the front because of Creeper Fest. A venue just seemed to be already in the cards."