 Gilley's
Adios, Gilleys!
GOODBYE TO A HONKY-TONK LEGEND Gilley's Rodeo Arena razed By THAYER EVANS Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle Long before Gilley's Rodeo Arena was glamorized by the 1980 movie Urban Cowboy, Terry Rinehart worked at the legendary Pasadena club planning the road shows of country-music star Mickey Gilley, for whom the club was named.
On Tuesday morning, Rinehart, sitting in a white
2001 Chevrolet Suburban, watched as dueling yellow hydraulic excavators tore into the white metal exterior of the once famous honky-tonk.
The one-time Saturday night rodeo hotspot is being torn down this week by Kingwood-based Inland Environment Inc. at the behest of the Pasadena school district, which acquired the property through a tax default.
A fire claimed the club portion of Gilley's in 1990.The 60,000-square-foot arena was spared but has since been deserted.
The 13 1/2 -acre site is being cleared to make way for a middle school, school district spokesman Mark Kramer said. |