Garrison King must have thought he had it all figured out.

As a newly arrived resident to Houston, the architect saw traffic problems looming ahead for the city.

If Houston wanted to join the ranks of other world-class cities like New York, London, Paris and Moscow, it would need a subway system for moving masses of people throughout the region.

Why not build more expressways? Too expensive, he thought.

"And after you have a lot of wide and beautiful new streets," he told the Houston Post in February 1949, "what do you have? You still won't be able to handle the crowds that a subway would."

(Pity that King probably never saw the Katy Freeway, especially after its most recent widening.)

He apparently believed in his subway idea so much that he drew up plans and presented it before a Chamber of Commerce committee, according to the Post.

In his mind, a resident needing to get around Houston then would pass through the intersection of Main at Texas, aka Rice Square.

Think Times Square. At that spot, arguably the most famous in the city for much of the 20th century, a person could shop and go to all corners of the region, from Sugar Land to Harrisburg or the Heights.

Here's how reporter Sam Weiner described King's vision.

From [Rice Square], tubes would run to various sections of the city. The main line would run south to the McCarthy Center, Playland Park and to Rosenberg. This line would leave the subway on the outskirts of Braeswood and continue to Rosenberg as a fast surface train. The trip to Rosenberg would serve the expanding Sugar Land industries and suburban residential areas. The McCarthy Center stop would also be the transfer point for trains running to West University Place, Bellaire and Westmoreland. On the north, the main line would continue out Irvington boulevard, passing through Stratton and Plymouth. This line would also have local feeders running into Shadydale and East Houston Gardens.

Going east? A line running through Rice Square would go down Harrisburg and take travelers to that community, Meadowbrook and South Houston. Westward residents would pass through the Heights and Garden Oaks, ending at Rosslyn Heights.

Obviously, King's plan went nowhere. Future articles don't mention how his presentation went. But you have to hand it to King and his $600 million plan for his clairvoyance. Yes, there is a light rail line on Main Street. Yes, a future line will go down Harrisburg. And though it's not Irvington, Houstonians can go up Fulton on the MetroRail to Lindale Park and the city's Near Northside. Though the Rice Square he imagined didn't come to fruition, a transportation hub of sorts will go up a block south, at Main and Capitol.

Now the question as to why we don't have a subway system does come up every once in a while.

And, as you'd suspect, it comes down to money. Reporter Dug Begley addressed this in the days following Hurricane Sandy over in his Highwayman blog. A Swamplot reader also explained the cost differences among the various types of mass transit earlier this year.

In other words, if you want to ride a subway, go to New York.