Leaderboard

From Hines' LinkedIn account today: Recent Updates Hines Construction started today on the new Hines-developed One Market Square at Travis & Preston in Houston. The 32-story luxury high rise will feature 274 apartment homes when it’s completed in 2016.

I don't blog about traffic. I do live and own a business downtown, which will color my responses. Here are some great reasons to dislike the tunnels Zero data reception on your phone, and often no text or cell, in a labyrinth where you are trying meet people for lunch and no one can decide where to go, so eveyone just goes to subway because it's the only place who's name anyone can remember. Brooklyn Meatball Co. is so delicious that it being sealed off from the world at 3pm just plain sucks. In fact, sometimes I'll be thinking about those meatballs with that balsamic sauce and how it would hit the spot after having some drinks on Main street and then I'll remember that it is nearby, and even though there are lots of great retail spaces available just one floor up from where it is buried, it's down there locked in a cave and having one of those sandwiches for dinner is just a sad old man's dream and then suddenly I've wandered into Subway and am crying into a shitty meatball footlong.You know that if there is ever a zombie outbreak, it's going to start in the damn tunnels and some object that is required to save the world or whatever is going to inevitably end up being down there and you'll have to fight your way in and out to get it. SUCKS.They've got those flood gates, so you can't stuff paper towels in the running sink of one of the Subways bathrooms and flood the entire system, causing Pennzoil let you and your colleagues leave early on a Friday.The Chronicle won't let you use their access stairs unless you can prove you're a subscriber, and every conversation you have with them puts you at risk of their "accidentally" upgrading you to twice daily delivery plus La Voz. Mayor Holcombe's ghost is always down there throwing shit around and complaining about how they should have named Bissonnet Street after him. Dude is seriously the crankiest spector.Every now and then, especially during knee-high-boot-season like it is now, I'll be in one of the connecting tunnels and think for a second that maybe, just maybe, I've been transported to the world of Star Trek and that big smile comes out and then I round a corner and see a line at a Subway.

Great news! Tomorrow the MFAH will unveil renderings and a full explanation for the new additions to the campus to the local media.. Then later in the week they'll make the presentation in NYC, to the national and international press. They're going to open up the sculpture garden to the site and from my source the project will be more open with public spaces. Cant wait to see whats going up!

Cranes left to right. 1. The Hamilton Apartments 2. Alexan Midtown 3. Pearl Phase II 4. The MATCH 5. Mid Main (Still being assembled) Broadstone Phase II crane just to the right of this picture.

Glass facade now beginning to wrap the front Travis Plaza side. Apologies - I have pics but I'm a Tapatalk user/ app still down. EDIT: Tweeted pic for viewing. https://twitter.com/thachadwick/status/554712163470684161

The person who told me has images but when I asked if I could see them the source said they didn't have their phone on them. Said it was amazing! I asked them to forward me an image and if I get one today I'll definitely pass it on. That was the best news I've heard this year!

Well considering the other native grasses popping up, I think this may just be their veiled attempt at getting LEED certified. Although, that is one of the saddest looking green roofs I've ever seen.

They've had a tree on the roof of the newer Texaco tower for a while now. At first I thought it was to indicate that something was topped out (strange since it's been topped out for the better part of a century!), but after seeing the tinsel on it, it may well have just been a Christmas tree! Click for a wider view: Also, I've noticed this last week they've had a whole lot of activity on the roof. First they finally replaced the brick on the corner of the mechanical penthouse that had been removed months ago, then they were removing a lot of large objects (part of the elevator mechanicals maybe?) from it with the crane, and now they have a bunch of guys on top of the mechanical penthouse removing a lot of debris.

RebuildingThere will be significant traffic and pedestrian impacts over the next year on Dallas from a block or two west of main to about Caroline. It will be done in three phases as I recall. The purpose is to reconfigure Dallas street to be a more favorable urban shopping district.

I actually really like this building... a lot actually. leaps and bounds above the other midrise stuff going on.

Great. So will this announcement be in conjunction with some big retail/store announcement as well? We're patiently waiting.

It looks very nice overall. The wood, the brick work... everything looks premium. The only really bad area is the lower right hand side of this first photo on the first floor. It's giant beige cinderblocks and I am not exactly sure why they didn't try to do something else in that area. Perhaps they will put a vine wall over that section but that small area does look really bad, right next to the road. It's still under construction so I guess we'll wait and see. 21 Eleven by marclongoria, on Flickr 21 Eleven by marclongoria, on Flickr

No. Maybe this is just Hines way of telling us they are done dragging their heels on this development.*slow clap*

LED lighting in the ceiling that would slowly change hue depending on the time of day would help provide some context when there's no sunlight. There's similar lighting on aircraft that changes during the day on long haul flights.

This is great!

It's happening. All Metro bus routes that used Dallas St were rerouted to Clay St starting today. Disturbed my usual commute ...but at least its favor of progress.

This is the project I was second most looking forward to (the 1111 Rusk renovation was / is my first). I love all residential downtown but this is so completely superior to the 40-story Market Square tower.

It's funny, but one thing that I've always liked about the tunnels was that they are so random. It just shows how the system developed organically over decades (kind of like IAH). Whatever charm they have would have been lost if they had been developed according to a master plan with a consistent design. It's like Houston's equivalent of a quirky village buried underground. I'm not sure if it has been updated, but my favorite part was always the "hamster tube" sections south of Houston Center with the carpeted walls. It was like something out of 1970s science fiction.

When I worked downtown the options to avoid the rain made my commute longer than need be, so I just brought a slicker or kept a good umbrella with me! That way I didn't need to worry about the tunnels. I actually prefer walking outside than underground. I find the argument about the heat to be the most compelling reason to use them - but even then I still think they aren't needed.

The tunnels kept me from getting soaked many times on my way to the office when I worked downtown. If they weren't there I probably would have driven to work so I could park in the garage instead of riding the bus and walking the last few blocks.

I like the idea of the tunnels, but in usual Houston fashion there seems to be no grand plan. Just one connection at a time. It would be great if they could redo the whole system to be more cohesive (no, i'm not talking about the Esperson tunnel lobby), widen some of the hallways, and add more space. Center Point Energy Plaza has the right idea. Wells Fargo could use some sprucing up. What's that 1950's building on Milam? Their escalators to the tunnel system are unique. Capitol Tower will hopefully add some more natural light.

I just wet myself.

>going 2-14 last year >8-9 with an entirely new coaching staff and 5 quarterbacks Bruh, it's a miracle we didn't do worse Sucks about that Dez catch tho. That was ridiculous

Bad calls happen all the time in the NFL for numerous teams. One went for us against Detroit. One went against us in GB. Its just the way it is.

My problem with his article is the random conclusions he jumps to and baseless nonsense he spews. "Texas officials" have said it's impossible to privately build? Really? Why haven't we heard anyone say that from TXDOT? Why is TXDOT now funding studies to carry HSR further? Where did he get his $30 billion cost from? One professor who has no mind of interest in this project. Yeah no, I can understand opposition to this; I wi not, however, take anything this bloke says seriously. I'm curious how much he's being paid in fundraising to say this.

Morons. Don't want a private company or taxpayers paying for it. They just hate the idea of rail, because they don't know any better.

supposedly on the 19th of January, the city is going to rip up Dallas St near the Pavilions

Lol anyone find the irony that this douche nozzle doesn't want a high speed train built by private money, but is totally cool with a big toll road (249) cutting through his county? http://m.yourhoustonnews.com/courier/opinion/texas-taxpayers-should-not-be-railroaded-into-high-speed-project/article_4991ce35-8fce-592c-862a-8e2af223b897.html?mode=jqm

CrAnEs!

2015 01 10: This thing is big.

So Mr. Hines drives a 10 year old econobox and wears very fancy footwear? This is getting interesting.

It appears they have performed the traditional scattering of sparkly gold heels on the parking lot. Surely groundbreaking is not far away!

http://houston.culturemap.com/news/arts/01-08-15-inside-the-alley-theatres-extreme-makeover-21st-century-renovation-saves-iconic-houston-building/?utm_source=sf_twitter

I love the front of this building. 12/31/14