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Drifting off topic..Dallas vs. Houston posts removed.

...demo started yesterday!

A few other hotel pics....

http://www.downtowntirz.com/downtownhouston/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/11082016-Signed-DRA-Minutes-FINAL.pdf

Now leasing: http://realestate.marthaturner.com/Sites/MTP/dispSearch.cfm?mlnum=30931744#_self

http://www.chron.com/business/real-estate/article/PMRG-closes-on-Midtown-multifamily-site-10832895.php

Ate dinner at Biggio's -- what a great space....we happened the meet the Executive Chef as we were wandering around - he gave us a tour of the upstairs area....great views from the patio

Had dessert at Grotto tonight - they opened today at 4:00pm. They have a nice outdoor area with fire pits and TVs... More pics of the GRB area....

Proposed Case for : 2017-ASW-30-OE

Marathon- by jesse oriley, on Flickr

I live in Uptown and believe that its the most integrated mixed use neighborhood in the city. Nowhere else do you get the density of apartments, offices, retail, restaurants and hotels. Since I moved here the Memorial Villages I have become less car-centric and I make a point of walking to the pharmacy, bank, supermarket, retail store , etc. in all sorts of weather. I even walked my Thanksgiving turkey into the house from Whole Foods. I don't think Midtown has as anywhere near the green space that we have in the Galleria/Uptown area and our TIRZ has done a great job with the streetscape, including sidewalk lighting , to encourage pedestrian activity.

^^^ beautifully articulated. perfectly eloquent....

I worked as a Telephoneman in the Houston Club from 1973 to 1986. I also worked in the two Esperson Bldgs across the street. Underwood Newhouse was on the first floor, Santa Fe had a small office on one of the floors. One day I had a call to repair a phone in a room where a lot of fat cats had a high stakes poker game going on at the Houston Club. I was escorted to the room full of cigar smoke and wildcatters were playing poker. Those were the good old days. Wish I would have had the money to join them. The Esperson Bldg is a beautifully built Bldg across the street. It had the Houston Shoe Hospital on the first floor and many law offices. If I remember right Fred Hofheinz had his office there and Maybe Butler Binion. I was fortunate to have work in a 52 square block area in a walking crew that included historic Bldg like Franklin Bank, Southern Pacific, the Old and New Cotton Exchange, Market Square, The Crispin Bldg. I hope my memory serves me correct on the spelling of some of these. Oh yes the Texas State Hotel where I once worked on a room that was rented by Percy Foreman. That was the good old days for me. I hate to see these buildings being destroyed. They had so much class and were built so sound. Harry Meyers

He gets it^^^ Was hoping for a reliever park to help discover green stay green. But this doesn't seem like its the space I imagined. Not going on aesthetics so don't care about finished or not. I'm going on function. Market square is an aesthetic plus for the city even if it is small, but with a lot this size I was hoping for both an aesthetic plus and a function plus in terms of having a reliever for DG in a more urban setting than BB/ ET parks. I mean you are acting like 1 midtown sized block is an achievement. Are not all midtown blocks about the size of a midtown block. But when you get a space that is 2.5 times the size of a midtown block then alot a 1 block section to park space that isn't really extaordinary. I mean a block park can be replicated on any block. But a 1 block plus park is beyond ordinary.

The proposed development with some changes will be presented to the Planning Commission this Thursday, January 5. The developer made some concessions by introducing office space on the first floor and opening the McGowen face of the building to pedestrian traffic. There will also be a bcycle station at this location on McGowen.

Hotel Alessandra by Marc longoria, on Flickr

MidMain by Marc longoria, on Flickr

Over the weekend I've been to Dallas and Austin visiting family. Having been in Texas' "top" three cities in such a short span, I'm beginning to appreciate Houston more. Austin is "pretty" and fun, and Dallas is "flashy", but Houston is on another level, imo. 609 Main is a "grown folks" tower, built for the nation's most diverse city, a Texas city that transcends stereotypes and trends. In comparison, Houston is a "serious" city--serious about industry, healthcare, philanthropy and the arts. A truly diverse city--as relevant to America's third coast as NY is to the east and LA is to the west. Our congested, messy, always under construction, international, thriving, blue collar but rich, soon-to-be-Super Bowl-host (again) city is amazing in so many ways. I have been guilty of comparing Houston to Dallas and more recently Austin as it "grows up", but I won't do that anymore. Texas is big enough for all, and Houston, I believe is Texas' truly "world-class" city.

some pics from today

I think both y'all are exaggerating (in opposite directions.) Uptown does have a decent mix, but it's pretty spread out and has some serious scale issues. Midtown has a massive advantage in that it has a real street grid and some very walkable neighboring areas. As for green space? Midtown has some good small parks, and Hermann Park and Buffalo Bayou are both very easily accessible. I'm excited that the TIRZ is pushing so hard to improve the neighborhood, but for me, Uptown is still not somewhere I would particularly want to live. I am very curious to see how the BRT line there does though, both for the neighborhood itself and as a prototype for additional lines.

lol

It is essentially an amenity for the apartments, the way the little park/plaza at 600 Travis is an amenity for that building. If it succeeds as an urban place where people gather spontaneously, without being drawn to this or that planned event, I will be very pleasantly surprised.

Apart from Marathon looking Handsome as always, this Hotel is filling a big gap. From the North Loop it towers above the neighbors.

Great photo. A+

If I'm recalling my upbringing properly, Holy Mother The Church as a body doesn't do a whole lot of listening. (he said, quickly hiding his knuckles from the certain swack of a ruler administered by a nun coming out of nowhere)

Nope. Not unless you own it cuz America, moran. #freedom. #boilersarecommies

Grotto by Marc longoria, on Flickr Grotto by Marc longoria, on Flickr Grotto by Marc longoria, on Flickr Grotto by Marc longoria, on Flickr GRB by Marc longoria, on Flickr

Open air Block 365 by Marc longoria, on Flickr

So ready to be home and see (and shoot) this tower in person next week!

@helioscribe

HoustonDec27-002 by Shaemon Robinson, on Flickr

The nuns have zero obligation to satisfy your personal esthetic values with respect to what their buildings look like. Their non-profit purpose is not to further the goals of architecture mavens, in this case it is to provide religious based education to girls. I assume they are fulfilling that role. Perhaps the next time this comes up, you can lead the fund raising effort and convince the next group to "save" the building. I'm perfectly happy for that to happen - I actually like cool old buildings. I am not happy when people with no stake in the project, other than personal esthetic preferences, try to tell people what to do with their property.

Wait till people really start filling all of those downtown residences and the whole atmosphere of downtown will never be the same. It will be a vibrant mecca for the young and empty nesters. Its a great time for downtown. It deserves to be the neighborhood of the year.

I think Zara would do well here.

I want a banana republic to occupy a large spot, and then a small independent smoothie vendor opens across from it and specializes in banana smoothies

GET_2039 by photolitherland, on Flickr

Demo permits obtained http://swamplot.com/daily-demolition-report-hung-out-to-dryden/2016-12-22/

I am guessing that the area is THE flower market for the city. This means that the overnight cargo shipment from places like Colombia and Costa Rica come directly here. Florists and designers from all over town probably hit these markets in the wee hours of the morning to stock their shops. My store uses the Boston Flower Market in much the same way.