Welcome to the Glamorous World
of Michael Pollack "Colonial House...shaped with you in mind."
WHY THIS SITE?
A few people
have asked. There is no particular reason, other than Pollack was briefly the
most famous person in Houston. As such, he's part of our collective history and
should be remembered for his accomplishments. Plus, he was sorta like our own
local Elvis.
In the early to mid-1980's, the city of Houston was blessed by the
most incredible real estate promoter the city has ever seen... the legendary
Michael A. Pollack! Millions of Houstonians thrilled to the sight of
Michael plugging his famous Colonial House apartments, located in
"beautiful southwest Houston." Pollack was a man of both style and
taste. Costumed in heavy gold chains, a "Bo Duke" hairdo, and an
eternally tanned face, Pollack brought a new level of style and sophistication
to Houston. And, as he was quick to point out, a new lifestyle!
A Plucky Young Lad
From Way Out West! Pollack moved from San Jose, California
in the early 1980s to strike it rich in the then collapsing Houston apartment market. Just 29 years old, Michael
Pollack specialized in buying run-down complexes and then giving them complete
renovations. But not just any renovations. No, these were renovations
Pollack-style! His goal: To create the perfect environment for the lifestyle
unique to the swinging singles scene of 1980's southwest Houston. And Pollack
found the perfect opportunity with Colonial House, an enormous, dilapidated
complex on the verge of collapse. Our hero was a man on a mission!
Colonial
House
Located in "beautiful southwest Houston," at the corner of Chimney
Rock and Gulfton, Pollack saw a potential gold mine in his new Colonial House
property. Built in the late 1960s, Colonial House was in terrible shape.
Gangs and prostitutes had moved in,
while basic amenities such as air conditioning had quit working.
Pollack moved in and the gangs moved out. Pollack's crew gutted and rebuilt
each of the 1,800 units in just three months. But after all that hard work,
Pollack had an even bigger task ahead: How was our suave, sophisticated hero
going to fill those apartments? That's where his infamous TV ads came
in.
SOMEONE WHO WITNESSED HISTORY IN THE
MAKING
The early
1980s. It was a hot, humid summer day in Houston. What other kind is there,
really? I'd been hired to be the still photographer on site at Colonial House
while they were shooting a commercial. The location was an inner courtyard in
one of the rehabbed parts of the complex, a stone's throw from Michael's
mirrored dream pad. Michael was there, along with his sidekick and business
manager, Pat. Both had on those swingin' 80s dress shirts with the huge
collars, open just one button too many. Very
Festrunk
brothers.
Everything moved very quickly, as it always did with Michael in
charge. The small video crew was set up. They had probably a dozen
fabulous-looking women lingering about in skimpy bikinis. They did a couple of
takes of Michael's pitch. They did a shot with several of the girls. Then they
selected one young lady to get in the pool with a gutted VCR. I believe you got
a free VCR (which was a hot, new, high-tech item at the time) if you signed a
six-month lease. Very big deal.
The bikini-clad goddess hopped in the water
with the big, clunky deck. They had the girl hold it this way and that way, but
everybody could tell it just wasn't selling the sizzle. I believe it was either
Michael or sidekick Pat (and I'm pretty sure it was Michael, to give him his
due) that said she should dip down under the water, hold her breath until they
called action, then leap up out of the water, holding the VCR over her head.
They did, she did, and it was glorious. They
did about five takes, and that was it. TV advertising history and local legend
had been made. What Gallery
Furniture's "We really will save you moneyyyyyyy!" was to the
north side of town, the VCR in the Pool was to the southwest.
Whether it was remodeling apartments or making
decisions during a commercial shoot, Michael decided fast, acted fast and by
God, got the job done.
And he gave away a lot of VCRs as a
result.
Brian Wilson,
Photographer, Los Angeles
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Photo copyright Lois Rogow, 1985. Portions of the text were taken from Houston
City Magazine, which ceased publication 10 years ago. Michael, come
back!
Girls In
Bikinis And oh, what commercials they were!
Pollack's most famous visual: A hot, bikini-clad young woman stepping out of a
pool while clutching a VCR in her arms. The mind reels... isn't
electricity and water and a human being a bad combination? Close your eyes and
visualize the commercial. Ah, yes... the beautiful young woman steps out of the
pool with a VCR... then you hear the sultry, suave voice of Pollack: "Hi.
I'm Michael Pollack, and for the past six months I've been inviting you to see
our incredible apartments and new lifestyle at Colonial House. And based on the
overwhelming response, a lot of people are looking for that new and unique
lifestyle they've always dreamed of." Pollack was a promotional
genius!
Mike's Dream Apartment
Pollack himself designed one special unit of Colonial
House as the ultimate swinging bachelor's pad. Originally set to rent at $3,000
per month, this amazing unit featured a colored water fountain, a jacuzzi
room,
mirrored walls, and deep shag carpeting throughout. Pollack's "Dream Suite," however, failed to
rent. But Pollack so loved his "Dream Suite" that he decided to move
in himself so that he'd have a relaxing atmosphere during those busy times.
Yes, Michael Pollack was indeed a man of both style and
taste.
NEWS FLASH!
BIG IMPORTANT UPDATES!
Pay dirt! A
reader has spotted a Colonial House commercial on Youtube. - December 9, 2007
Q: There’s a “Watching You” web site dedicated to you and
calling you “briefly the most famous person in Houston"... Does the
site bother you?
A: "First of all, there’s nothing I can do about it, it’s on the
Internet..."
The reporter evidently felt this web page
is a slam on Michael Pollack. It's not! Like I say below, this page is meant to
honor a famous character in Houston's history. Based on the e-mail I get, many
people also remember him and are curious to know what he's been up to. Now you
know!
- June 6, 2005
Here's
an article about Michael! Check out the description of his offices. Not
only has he been enormously successful over the last 20 years, he has the same
hairdo!
- January 14, 2002
Here's Michael's official Web site! Not too shabby! Michael's done quite nicely since he
left Colonial House way back
when. - January 23,
2002
"I don't know if you're still looking for
Michael Pollack, but he can be found doing business in sunny Phoenix,
Arizona. He's doing Real Estate (of
course). He owns half of Chandler, AZ (a Phoenix suburb), and a pretty good
chunk of Tempe and Mesa. He isn't doing any apartments in Phoenix (as far as I
know), and still looks like he does in your pictures. I found your site
because I heard a rumor that he was once a drummer for CCR (which is a
fallacy)."
-
Paul N., March 2000
But as the Houston economy
continued its downward spiral, Pollack couldn't continue with Colonial House.
It was a sad day indeed for Houston when Pollack packed up his gold chains,
eagle medallions, leather/suede/wool leisure suits and cowboy boots, and winged
off for greener pastures.
A Complex, Sensitive Man
But Michael Pollack was oh-so-much more than just a real estate genius. He also
had a sensitive side. Michael revealed his sensitive side in a 1985 interview
with Houston City Magazine. "I like to design jewelry," he
said. "I designed everything I'm wearing." Stunning diamond
and gold-encrusted watches, and huge medallions with eagles were his favorites.
Why did he like eagles so much? "There's an old saying: 'Doves fly
but eagles soar.' I knew Colonial House was going to soar." He
even designed his own clothing, including his renowned leather/suede/wool
leisure suits. If only the real estate bust had held off another year or two,
Michael Pollack would now be known as a leading fashion designer!
Today
Pollack left Houston sometime in the mid 1980s. Destination: unknown. Houston
is a boom town once again, except for one area. "Beautiful southwest
Houston" has become what some call the "Gulfton Ghetto." The
webmaster refuses to drive to the area to find out what's happened to Colonial
House. And I wonder: What happened to the girl in the bikini?
Have you spotted Michael Pollack?
Write me. I'm also looking to score
some Pollack memorabilia for this page.
In the early to mid-1980's, the city of Houston was blessed by the
most incredible real estate promoter the city has ever seen... the legendary
Michael A. Pollack! Millions of Houstonians thrilled to the sight of
Michael plugging his famous Colonial House apartments, located in
"beautiful southwest Houston." Pollack was a man of both style and
taste. Costumed in heavy gold chains, a "Bo Duke" hairdo, and an
eternally tanned face, Pollack brought a new level of style and sophistication
to Houston. And, as he was quick to point out, a new lifestyle!
Houston apartment market. Just 29 years old, Michael
Pollack specialized in buying run-down complexes and then giving them complete
renovations. But not just any renovations. No, these were renovations
Pollack-style! His goal: To create the perfect environment for the lifestyle
unique to the swinging singles scene of 1980's southwest Houston. And Pollack
found the perfect opportunity with Colonial House, an enormous, dilapidated
complex on the verge of collapse. Our hero was a man on a mission!
basic amenities such as air conditioning had quit working.
Pollack moved in and the gangs moved out. Pollack's crew gutted and rebuilt
each of the 1,800 units in just three months. But after all that hard work,
Pollack had an even bigger task ahead: How was our suave, sophisticated hero
going to fill those apartments? That's where his infamous TV ads came
in.
The mind reels... isn't
electricity and water and a human being a bad combination? Close your eyes and
visualize the commercial. Ah, yes... the beautiful young woman steps out of the
pool with a VCR... then you hear the sultry, suave voice of Pollack: "Hi.
I'm Michael Pollack, and for the past six months I've been inviting you to see
our incredible apartments and new lifestyle at Colonial House. And based on the
overwhelming response, a lot of people are looking for that new and unique
lifestyle they've always dreamed of." Pollack was a promotional
genius!
mirrored walls, and deep shag carpeting throughout. Pollack's "Dream Suite," however, failed to
rent. But Pollack so loved his "Dream Suite" that he decided to move
in himself so that he'd have a relaxing atmosphere during those busy times.
Yes, Michael Pollack was indeed a man of both style and
taste.
"I designed everything I'm wearing." Stunning diamond
and gold-encrusted watches, and huge medallions with eagles were his favorites.
Why did he like eagles so much? "There's an old saying: 'Doves fly
but eagles soar.' I knew Colonial House was going to soar." He
even designed his own clothing, including his renowned leather/suede/wool
leisure suits. If only the real estate bust had held off another year or two,
Michael Pollack would now be known as a leading fashion designer!